Breaded chicken cutlet, pan-fried until the crust shatters, topped with a lemon butter sauce, capers, and artichoke hearts. Served over mashed potatoes with roasted brussels sprouts on the side. This is a weeknight dinner that looks like you tried way harder than you did.
What you need
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large)
- All-purpose flour (1 cup)
- Panko breadcrumbs (1 cup)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Salt and black pepper
- Olive oil for frying
- Butter (4 tablespoons)
- Capers (2 tablespoons)
- Artichoke hearts (1 can, quartered)
- Lemon juice (2 lemons)
- Chicken broth (1/2 cup)
- Fresh parsley
Prep the chicken
Slice each breast in half horizontally so you have thin cutlets. Place them between plastic wrap and pound to about 1/4 inch thick. Even thickness means even cooking. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Set up your breading station: flour in one dish, beaten eggs in the second, panko in the third. Dredge each cutlet in flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, then press into the panko. Get a good coat on both sides.
Fry the cutlets
Heat olive oil in a HexClad pan over medium-high heat. These pans hold heat well and the surface releases the breading cleanly, which matters here. You want about 1/4 inch of oil.
Fry each cutlet 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden brown. The oil should be active but not smoking. Transfer to a wire rack, not paper towels. Paper towels steam the bottom and kill the crunch.
The piccata sauce
Pour off most of the oil. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the same pan. When it foams, add the capers and artichoke hearts. Let them get a little color, about 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice. Let it reduce by half. Stir in the remaining butter off heat to make it glossy.
Spoon the sauce over the cutlets. Hit it with fresh parsley and more lemon if you want.
The sides
Mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. The potatoes catch the sauce. The brussels get crispy and a little bitter which cuts through the richness. Halve the sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, roast at 425 for 20 minutes.
The whole plate comes together in about 45 minutes. Most of that is passive time while things roast and fry.
