Chicken Piccata with Crispy Artichokes

Chicken Piccata is one of those dishes of which we’ve seen 800 versions. Everyone has their own way of doing it. Lemon, capers, white wine, garlic, it doesn’t matter how you make it, it is always good… but some are better than others.

This version is simple to make and it has the most delicious twist with crispy artichokes. The chicken and the artichokes are both tossed in a simple flour mixture to give them a bit of texture. They are then pan seared untill they are crispy. They become little nuggets of heaven, I could eat a whole plate of just those artichokes!

The sauce is simple. It starts with a “paste” of capers and garlic. They are chopped so finely that they become one, and sort of melt into the sauce. Amazing. The sauce is finished with lemon juice and vegetable stock.

Served with simple pasta or a salad, it’s the perfect dinner!

served chicken piccata served with pasta

Let’s get right to it and let me show you how quick and easy Chicken Piccata is.

Ingredients needed for Chicken Piccata with crispy artichokes

There are some kitchen tools that can help you in more than one way. Enter the salad spinner. This kitchen tool will help make these artichokes perfect!

salad spinner

Drain the artichokes from the water they are preserved in. Spin them a few times in the salad spinner to help remove the excess water.

salad spinner with artichoke juice on the bottom

Tip! If you do not have a salad spinner, you can use a strainer, just shake it to help drain the water.

Tip! Do not stop the spinner abruptly as it can brake the artichokes. Slowly let the spinner stop with the help of the stop button, just do it gently.

Put the flour in a plate and season with salt and pepper.

Lightly toss the artichokes in the seasoned flour.

artichokes getting coated in season flour

Transfer the artichokes back into the spinner. Spin them once more, ever so lightly so they don’t break too much.

artichokes in the salad spinner to remove excess flour

Using the same seasoned flour, toss the chicken cutlets and coat them on both sides. Set the chicken aside.

Tip! Tossing the chicken in flour helps thicken the sauce.

chicken cutlets tossed in seasoned flour set aside waiting to be cooked

Set yourself up with a little frying station:

-the frying pan you’ll use

-the flour coated artichokes

-the flour coated chicken cutlets

-two plates, one lined with paper towels to help absorb the excess oil from the artichokes and one to place the chicken once it has been seared.

frying station

Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan. Let the oil heat up and start frying the artichokes.

artichokes starting to fry up

Tip! A great way of knowing if the oil is hot enough is to move the pan a bit and if you see little ruffles in the oil, it means it’s nice and hot.

Cook the artichokes on all sides until golden and crispy.

artichokes getting golden

Once the artichokes are golden on all sides, place them on to the paper towel lined plate to help absorb the excess oil.

crispy artichokes draining excess oil in paper towel lined plate

Tip! If you like food on the saltier side, salt the artichokes again right after they are out of the frying pan. The hot artichokes will absorb the salt beautifully.

In the same frying pan used for the artichokes, if needed, add a bit more extra virgin olive oil

olive oil added to pan

Start searing the chicken cutlets on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.

chicken searing in pan

As the chicken gets cooked, set it aside on a clean plate.

chicken seared and resting

Tip! Cook the chicken on both sides just until it is seared slightly golden. The chicken is very thin and it will overcook easily.

While the chicken is cooking, chop the garlic and capers. Chop them finely, so much so that it resembles a paste like consistency.

garlic and capers chopped

Once the chicken is all cooked and removed from the pan, add an extra splash of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the capers and garlic for a few seconds.

capers and garlic cooking

Quickly, add the vegetable stock and the lemon juice into the pan with the capers. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes.

capers and garlic with vegetable stock and lemon juice simmering

Tip! The garlic burns quickly, so make sure you have the vegetable stock and lemon ready to go before adding the garlic and capers into the pan.

Add the chicken cutlets and cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes.

sauce being poured on top of chicken

Turn the heat off and plate immediately. Pour the excess sauce all over the chicken.

sauce being poured on top of chicken

Top the chicken with the crispy artichokes and sprinkle finely chopped flat leaf parsley on top for a pop of color.

artichokes on top of chicken

I love to serve this chicken with sautéed spinach, roasted potatoes, a simple salad or pasta dressed in butter and parmesan cheese. Keep whatever you serve this with simple, as the chicken and the artichokes in the sauce are the stars!

Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata with Crispy Artichokes

A fresh twist to the traditional Chicken Piccaata. The same flavors that make this dish a classic, but taken to a new level with crispy artichokes to make it extra special.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
CourseDinner, lunch, Main Course
CuisineItalian
Keywordcapers, chicken, chicken piccata, lemon
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Servings4

Equipment

  • salad spinner
  • large frying pan

Ingredients

  • 5 thin chicken cutlets
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 juice of 1 lemon
  • 3/4 cup vegetable stock chicken stock works too
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 12 oz jar quartered artichokes in water
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley

Instructions

  • Drain the artichokes from the water they are preserved in.
  • Spin them a few times in the salad spinner to help remove the excess water.
    If you do not have a salad spinner, you can use a strainer, just shake it to help drain the water. Do not stop the spinner abruptly as it can brake the artichokes. Slowly let the spinner stop with the help of the stop button, just do it gently.
  • Put the flour in a plate and season with salt and pepper.
  • Lightly toss the artichokes in the seasoned flour.
  • Transfer the artichokes back into the spinner. Spin them once more, ever so lightly so they don't break too much but just enough to get the excess flour off.
  • Set the artichokes aside.
  • Using the same seasoned flour, toss the chicken cutlets and coat them on both sides.
  • Set the chicken aside.
  • Set up a frying station and include the following:
    -the frying pan you'll use
    -the flour coated artichokes
    -the flour coated chicken cutlets
    -two plates, one lined with paper towels to help absorb the excess oil from the artichokes and one to place the chicken once it has been seared.
  • Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan.
  • Let the oil heat up and start frying the artichokes. Cook the artichokes on all sides until golden and crispy.
  • Once the artichokes are golden on all sides, place them on to the paper towel lined plate to help absorb the excess oil. This is a good time to season the artichokes with salt.
  • In the same frying pan used for the artichokes, if needed, add a bit more extra virgin olive oil and start searing the chicken cutlets on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
  • As the chicken gets cooked, set it aside on a clean plate. Cook the chicken on both sides just until it is seared slightly golden.
  • While the chicken is cooking, chop the garlic and capers very very finely, almst into like a paste like consistency.
  • Once the chicken is all cooked and removed from the pan, add an extra splash of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the capers and garlic for a few seconds.
  • Add the vegetable stock and the lemon juice into the pan with the capers. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the chicken cutlets and cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off and plate immediately.
  • Pour the excess sauce all over the chicken.
  • Top the chicken with the crispy artichokes and sprinkle finely chioped flat leaf parsley on top for a pop of color.

Recipe Video Instructions

Notes

I use vegetable stock because the flavor is more mild than chicken stock and it doesn’t affect the overall flavor of the dish.