Chicken Piccata with Fresh Parsley

The Italian-American classic, with the herb promoted. Most kitchens finish piccata with a pinch of parsley; this one folds a full cup into the sauce off the heat.

Why the parsley matters here. Piccata is butter, lemon and salt-cured capers — three heavy, sharp things. Parsley is the only element that reads green and keeps the sauce from tasting like a lemon-butter puddle.

Home kitchen · 4 to 6 servings

• 1 cup Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus leaves to finish
• 2 lb Chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin
• 6 oz Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 3 Lemons, juiced, plus slices
• 1/3 cup Capers, rinsed
• 1 cup Dry white wine
• 1 cup Flour, for dredging
• to taste Sea salt and black pepper

Herb quantities are given in loose cups, not weight — a cup should look like too much before you chop it.

Method

1. 1 Pound the chicken to an even ¼ inch, season, and dredge lightly in seasoned flour. Shake off everything that isn't sticking.
2. 2 Sear in olive oil and a little butter over medium-high heat, 3 minutes a side, until golden. Move to a warm plate.
3. 3 Deglaze with the wine and reduce by half, scraping the pan. Add the lemon juice and capers.
4. 4 Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter a cube at a time until the sauce is glossy and thick.
5. 5 Stir in the chopped parsley, return the chicken briefly to coat, and plate with lemon slices and whole parsley leaves.