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Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce

Easy chicken cutlets with caper sauce. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin, seared, served with a caper sauce over arugula, fennel and shaved Parmesan. 1 pan, cooks in 15 minutes!

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce
Elise Bauer

Sometimes, especially after a few days of heavy dinners, all you want is a light, good meal. "Light" as in you're trying to cut back, and "good" as in, can we make it taste good even though it's light?

This chicken cutlet recipe, with a caper shallot sauce, is just that, flavorful, filling, and won't weigh you down. You can make it all in one pot, takes about 30 minutes, and it's gluten-free too.

Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce
Elise Bauer

The idea for it came from my friend Peg, who is simply brilliant in the kitchen. It's sort of like a chicken piccata, but without the breading or lemon, and it is served with fresh arugula, thinly sliced fennel, and shaved Parmesan. Great for lunch or a simple dinner.

Updated from the recipe archive, first published 2011.

Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 chicken breast halves, pounded very thin, and then cut in half, so that you have 4 thin cutlets
  • Salt
  • 1 large shallot, minced, about 2 Tbsp
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
  • 2-3 cups arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 fennel bulb, shaved thin
  • 16-24 paper thin shavings of parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Sear the chicken cutlets

    Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a stick-free sauté pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking, about 1-2 minutes.

    Sprinkle salt over the pounded chicken breasts and sear them for 2-3 minutes per side in the hot pan, working in batches so that you do not crowd the pan.

    chicken-cutlets-caper-method-1
    Elise Bauer

    Remove the chicken breasts and cover with foil to keep them warm.

  2. Sauté the shallots

    Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the shallots and cook 1 minute, stirring often. Do not let them burn, and if they begin to brown rapidly, turn the heat down.

    chicken-cutlets-caper-method-2
    Elise Bauer

    Add the garlic and cook another 45 seconds to 1 minute, stirring often.

  3. Deglaze pan with wine, add capers, red pepper flakes

    Add the white wine and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

    chicken-cutlets-caper-method-3
    Elise Bauer
    chicken-cutlets-caper-method-4
    Elise Bauer

    Add the capers and red pepper flakes and boil until the wine is almost gone, about 2-4 minutes.

  4. Serve with arugula, shaved fennel, shaved Parmesan

    To serve, mix the arugula and shaved fennel and put some on each plate. Arrange some shaved parmesan over them.

    Lay a piece of chicken on each salad, then top with a little of the sauce. Serve hot.

Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce
Elise Bauer