What piccata is

Piccata is a gastronomic term that indicates a slice of veal, floured, cooked in a pan with butter and seasoned with lemon juice and parsley. The term derives from piccato which means flavored.

Honestly, this dictionary explanation isn’t as attractive as seeing the piccata ready on the plate. For years at our house we have been preparing piccata with slices of veal, chicken breast, turkey breast and what may start as a simple slice becomes a tasty and inviting dish in just a few minutes.

So here’s the recipe…

Ingredients 4 servings

  •  4 slices chicken breast                                    
  • 1lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of flour                                          
  • 2 slices of prosciutto                                                   
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. capers
  • 2 tablespoons of parsley                                   
  • a glass of white wine
  • 2 tbsp. EVOO

How to make piccata

  1. Tenderize  the slices of chicken with a meat mallet (or a knife with a wide blade) kept in cold water. 
  2. Slightly coat  the slices in flour .
  3. Slice the ham into strips,
  4. Chop the parsley
  5. Grate the lemon zest  and then squeeze the lemon
  6. Pour the EVOO in a pan
  7. Cook the chicken on both sides ,add salt and pepper.
  8. Add the ham , the wine and the lemon juice and zest ,the capers
  9. Add the parsley
  10. Stir and, as the slices are ready, arrange them on a serving platter and keep warm.
  11. Add the parsley.
  12. Pour the sauce over the slices of chicken and serve

Suggestions

You can also use slices of turkey breast .

You can  avoid   ham and/or capers.

The secret for a great piccata

The secret is the light flouring which you can also do with GF flour and at the end allows you to have a delicate lemon flavored sauce to serve on the meat. And so you can have a zesty,  lively and invigorating flavor.

Don’t forget that you can also use swordfish or sea bass for a more pescatarian recipe.

With chicken, veal ,turkey or fish ,Piccata is a great Summer refreshing recipe.