This Roast Chicken Piccata dish is delicious and really simple to prepare! Roast Chicken Piccata is a show-stopping recipe that’s ideal for entertaining or a casual evening supper. Whole roasted chicken with crispy skin, well seasoned, and drowned in lemon-caper (piccata) pan sauce. Did I mention that this entire dish comes together in a single skillet?
To add flavor to our chicken, we’re temporarily dry-brining it before scorching it skin-side down in the skillet where it will roast. This dish combines chicken under a brick and chicken piccata! When we sear the chicken, we weigh it down with another skillet to achieve a very crispy skin. Then we turn it, roast it to perfection, and make a palatable lemon-caper pan sauce with the drippings.
Roast Chicken Piccata looks stunning while being quite simple to prepare!
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Roast Chicken Piccata
Everyone needs a fancy meal to prepare before company arrives, and Roast Chicken Piccata is one of my favorites! A whole roast chicken is a traditional entertaining dish! It looks great, serves a large audience, and requires little work. When you add the lemon-caper sauce, this dish becomes a true show-stopper.
This dish appears impressive, but it is actually fairly hands-off. The majority of the process involves spatchcocking the chicken so that it cooks evenly and rapidly. After searing the chicken, transfer it to the oven to continue cooking. The lemon-caper piccata pan sauce comes together in 5 minutes. What’s easier than that?
I enjoy serving Roast Chicken Piccata with mashed potatoes and a huge salad, along with a bottle of wine, for a complete supper!
What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken piccata is simply chicken breast cutlets coated in flour, browned, and served with a sauce made of butter, lemon juice, capers, and stock or white wine.
This dish’s actual origin is uncertain, however it is undoubtedly influenced by Italian cuisine. In Italy, veal piccata is more prevalent than chicken piccata, and the latter may be an Americanized variant of the former.
How to Make Roast Chicken Piccata
Roast Chicken Piccata is surprisingly simple to put together! I recommend buying in a high-quality cast iron skillet with at least 11-12 inches in diameter. A cast iron skillet is an absolute workhorse in my kitchen, and I use it for a variety of dishes.
TOOLS NEEDED
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Chicken. Choose a high-quality entire chicken from your local butcher or meat counter because it will be the focal point of the meal. You’re searching for a 4-5 pound entire chicken.
- Lemons. You’ll need several lemons to zest, juice, and slice before roasting the chicken.
- Shallots. Shallots impart a mild onion flavor to our pan sauce. You may use ordinary onion, but make sure to cut it very finely so that it melts into the sauce.
- White wine. Choose a dry white wine that is vibrant and tangy, such as Sauvignon Blanc. If you don’t want to cook with wine, try using some chicken stock instead.
- Capers. Capers provide acidity and brininess to the sauce, which is delicious. If you don’t like capers, finely cut some green olives and use them instead.
- Butter. Finishing the pan sauce with cool butter yields a smooth, creamy piccata sauce.
- Herbs. Finish the piccata pan sauce with some chopped parsley or chives, and you’re done!
THE PROCESS FOR BEST ROAST CHICKEN PICCATA
- Spatchcock the chicken. This is the technique of eliminating the chicken’s backbone so that it sits flat. Follow the instructions below to learn how to spatchcock a chick.
- Season. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper, including the underside and beneath the skin. Refrigerate the chicken uncovered on a baking sheet lined with foil for at least 4 hours, but up to 48 hours.
- Sear the chicken. Heat oil in a heavy cast iron pan with a diameter of at least 11-12 inches over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and weigh it down with another skillet or heavy pot (see photos). Allow the chicken to sear for around 10-12 minutes, or until it is thoroughly golden brown.
- Flip the chicken. Gently turn the chicken over so the skin is facing up. Arrange the chicken so that it does not hang over the edge of the skillet, then place thick lemon slices around and beneath it.
- Roast. Roast the chicken at 400°F for about 35 minutes, or until the thickest sections of the legs and breasts read 165°F on a meat thermometer. Remove from the oven and place the chicken on a chopping board to cool.
- Make the Pan Sauce. Place the skillet you used to cook the chicken on the stove over medium heat. Melt two tablespoons butter in the pan, scraping off any browned parts with a silicone spatula. Add the minced shallot and simmer, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes until soft. Cook for a further 1 minute after adding the capers. Add the white wine to the skillet and use a pan or flat whisk to loosen any leftover browned pieces. Simmer the wine for approximately a minute, then begin mixing in the chilled butter. Whisk continually until completely melted before adding extra to emulsify the sauce. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, add the lemon zest and juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Finish the chicken. Place the chicken on a serving plate and sprinkle with sauce. Top with fresh herbs and extra lemons to squeeze.
What is Spatchcocking?
I use this approach on every poultry! It takes a little labor, but it is well worth it. You will never eat dry chicken or turkey again. Both my HERB ROASTED CHICKEN and DRY-BRINED TURKEY need spatchcocking, and once you try it, you’ll never go back!
A spatchcock chicken has had its backbone removed before cooking. This encourages the chicken to lay flat, ensuring that everything cooks at the same rate! AKA: no more dry white meat! Cooking in this method also significantly lowers cooking time, allowing you to have supper on the table faster and with less effort. This procedure ensures that the Roast Chicken Piccata never becomes dry.
Reasons to Spatchcock a Chicken
- Cooking will take less time. In a 425-degree oven, a full chicken takes an hour and a half or more to reach the right internal temperature. A spatchcocked chicken requires 45 minutes! Less than half the time!
- Even cooking. When the chicken is put out flat, everything cooks at the same rate. Say goodbye to dry chicken breasts, everyone!
- More Flavor. It is much simpler to season every nook and corner of the chicken, resulting in a more tasty finished product.
- Lays flat. Have you ever tried roasting a chicken while cooking other things? It is completely impossible unless you have two ovens! Spatchcock chickens lay flatter, giving you more oven room.
How to Spatchcock a Chicken for Roast Chicken Piccata
First, set the chicken on a big chopping board and dry it with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down on the cutting board, with the legs facing you.
Using good-quality kitchen shears, cut down one side of the chicken spine to separate it from the ribs. Make sure to cut as near to the spine as possible to avoid throwing any additional chicken flesh. Repeat on the other side of the spine.
Flip the chicken so that the breasts face up and the legs face out. Press your palms along the breastbone. You could hear a slight crack. This should flatten the chicken entirely.
More Roast Chicken Recipes You Might Like
- Lemon Garlic Butter Roast Chicken
- Easy Roast Chicken
- Buttermilk Roast Chicken with garlic
- Simple Roasted Chicken
Recipe Card
Roast Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4-5 lbs
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil canola, grapeseed, sunflower, etc
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon cut into thick slices
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and diced
- 1 large shallot minced
- 3 tablespoons minced capers
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- 1/4 cup minced parsley and chives
Instructions
- Begin by spatchcocking the chicken (follow the directions and video in the blog article). Season the chicken generously all over, including the underside and beneath the skin. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, but up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Heat a big cast iron skillet (at least 11 inches in diameter) over medium heat. Add the neutral oil. Once the oil is heated, place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and weigh it down with another skillet or heavy pot. Cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes, until it is a deep golden brown.
- Remove the pan that was weighting down the chicken and carefully flip it over so that the skin side is now facing up. Arrange the lemon slices around and underneath the chicken. Transfer to the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the thickest sections of the breasts and legs register 165 F on a meat thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a cutting board to rest. Return the skillet to the burner and cook over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons cold butter to the pan and use a silicone spatula to scrape away any browned pieces. Once the butter has melted and foamed, add the shallots and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add the capers and cook for 1 min.
- Simmer the white wine and lemon juice in the skillet. Use a spoon to scrape off any leftover brown pieces in the skillet. Reduce the heat slightly, then whisk in the remaining cold butter, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk frequently until the butter emulsifies into the sauce. Combine the lemon zest and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken on a serving plate and cover with the lemon caper sauce. Serve immediately.