Thinking of an elegant dish to serve at your next dinner party? Our Chicken Limone with tangy and savory flavors is the best candidate! This recipe serves golden crispy chicken tenders smothered in a cream-like lemon butter sauce. And it’s made prettier with capers and lemon slices on top.
We guarantee that this dish will surely impress your guests. This lemon chicken also goes well with our broccoli raisin salad if you’re thinking of the perfect side dish to pair it with.
Tips for Making Chicken Limone
This Italian lemon chicken dish, also known as chicken piccata or pollo al limone, though looking impressive, is not complicated to make at all. You can even make it at home any day of the week and have a special restaurant-quality dinner in an hour! No marinating needed. Read on these tips as we show you how you can perfect this easy lemon chicken recipe.
- Chicken breasts are good to use, but using dark meat like boneless thighs and drumsticks will make the dish more flavorful. These cuts have higher fat content and do not dry easily.
- Flatten the meat to help the chicken cook faster. It will also make more surface area for the cream sauce to stick onto. Aim for at least ¼-inch thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
- Pat-dry the meat before breading so that the flour will stick better, resulting in a crispier outer coating and so that the sauce can cling more to the breading. If it’s too moist, the breading will separate from the meat, turning it soggy.
- Use a cast iron skillet. This heavy pan conducts heat well, making it the best pan for browning. Make sure to heat it up well so that your chicken tenders will sear beautifully once they touch the pan.
For a more filling meal, serve Chicken Limone over rice, spaghetti, linguini, or your choice of pasta. If you’re cutting down on carbs, no worries! You can enjoy chicken piccata with zucchini pasta.
How To Make Chicken Limone
This Chicken Limone is the perfect main dish to serve at a refined dinner party. Serve with cut lemon wedges and a sprinkling of parsley for an appetizing look.
Ingredients
For Chicken:
- 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless & skinless, slightly flattened
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chicken broth
- lemon zest, from one lemon
- lemon juice, from one lemon
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tsp parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ground black pepper, to taste
To Serve:
- 1 cup vegetables, per serving
- ½ oz lemon slices, per serving
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk to evenly incorporate then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
- Preheat your skillet with oil over medium heat.
- Evenly sear on all sides until golden, no more than 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Using the same skillet, add lemon zest, garlic, and butter. Saute until translucent.
- Deglaze with lemon juice and reduce briefly.
- Add chicken broth and return the chicken back to the skillet. Bring this to a simmer and continue simmering until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced until slightly thickened, roughly 8 to10 minutes.
- Add parsley and stir to combine.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust accordingly.
- Serve with lemon slices for garnish and vegetables of choice.
Nutrition
- Sugar: 1g
- :
- Calcium: 50mg
- Calories: 681kcal
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Cholesterol: 117mg
- Fat: 32g
- Fiber: 4g
- Iron: 5mg
- Monounsaturated Fat: 15g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g
- Potassium: 571mg
- Protein: 40g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Sodium: 658mg
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Vitamin A: 3449IU
- Vitamin C: 10mg
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Commonly Asked Questions
What is the difference between Chicken Piccata and Chicken Francese?
The word Francese literally means French style. For Chicken Francese, the chicken is coated with flour and eggs, then pan-fried similar to a French toast. Meanwhile, Chicken Piccata is usually coated only with flour. In addition, lemon sauce for Chicken Piccata contains capers, while the sauce for Chicken Francese does not.
Can I make Chicken Limone without flour?
Yes, you can make this Chicken Limone recipe without flour. Cornstarch is a good gluten-free substitute. Simply replace flour with cornstarch for the breading. For the sauce, make a slurry by mixing 1 ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with the cold chicken broth. Cook the butter, wine, lemon juice, and capers together first and allow to boil. Add the slurry and stir constantly until thickened. Proceed to letting your chicken simmer in the sauce as per our recipe instructions.
Can I make Chicken Limone without butter?
We do not recommend this as the flavor of butter makes this dish significantly rich. But by all means, you can make this Chicken Limone without butter replacing it with olive oil. You can also make this oven-baked lemon chicken recipe for an equally delicious but healthier alternative.
Conclusion
There is nothing as unique as the Chicken Limone. It’s perfectly tender and comes with that lip-smacking flavor of tangy lemon. This dish will be the talk of your guests for days afterward. Enjoy it on its own or with spaghetti for a more belly-filling meal.Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!
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