Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts (**boneless skinless. Thin breasts about 1/4 inch thickness & pounded lightly.)

1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour (**for dredging)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Butter

1/4 tsp Paprika

crushed black pepper (**according to your preference.)

salt (**according to your preference.)

For the Piccata Sauce

1/4 cups capers

1/3 cup white wine (**best wines shared in post.)

1/2 cup chicken stock (**we used 1 tsp Better than Bouillon paste diluted in 1/2 cup hot/warm water.)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 pinch Lemon zest

3 tbsp Butter (**COLD butter a must.)

Step #1 Prep chicken cutlets

Pound chicken breasts lightly. This will prevent the chicken from curling while searing them.

Season Chicken Breasts with paprika, crushed black pepper & salt.

Dredge chicken cutlets with flour. Shake off the excess flour. Set them aside.

Step #2 Sear chicken cutlets ( I prefer to saute in a pan)

Set instant pot on SAUTE function & set it on HIGH heat.

Sear chicken cutlets: Add oil & butter and sear the dredged chicken cutlets on both sides until golden brown. The light crisp flour coating will keep the chicken super juicy and tender.

Keep aside the seared chicken cutlets.

Step #3 Pressure cook chicken cutlets

Add capers & saute for just 30 seconds. Crush a few capers with the back of your ladle. This will release so much more flavor.

Add liquids: White wine, chicken stock, lemon zest & garlic powder.

De-glaze pot very well scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles. It’ll prevent the BURN error.

Pressure cook: Transfer back the seared chicken cutlets into the instant pot and place them in a single layer. Cancel the SAUTE function, secure the lid, seal the valve & PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 mins followed by 10 mins natural pressure release (NPR) & then release the rest of the pressure manually.

Step #4 Prepare Piccata sauce

Fish out the cooked chicken cutlets.

Prep Piccata Sauce: Hit the SAUTE function & set it on NORMAL heat. Add chunks of cold butter and stir well until the butter melts completely. Simmer the sauce for 1 min.

Serve: Transfer the cooked chicken cutlets into the pot and coat them with the piccata sauce. Serve immediately. You may garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Storing Tips

Fridge: You can store Chicken Piccata for up to 4 days in the fridge in air-tight containers.

Can you freeze Chicken Piccata? Yes, you can freeze chicken piccata for up to 2 months. Freeze the chicken cutlets and the sauce separately. Spread the chicken cutlets in a baking tray, pop them in the freezer, and then store them in freezer-safe bags. Store the Piccata sauce in a separate container. That way the chicken cutlets won’t be overtly soggy!

Notes

Thickening the piccata sauce: You can always add more butter to thicken the sauce and more stock to thin it out.

Spicy chicken Piccata: Add red pepper flakes after adding the cold butter. 

Can I make it with chicken thighs: Yes, you can make chicken piccata with chicken thighs. The recipe would remain the same. The cook time would be 6 mins high pressure followed by 5 mins natural pressure release. Use boneless skinless chicken thighs and don’t forget to lightly pound them.

Gluten-free chicken piccata: Skip dredging the chicken with flour or you can lightly coat the chicken with cornflour (naturally gluten-free) and then sear the chicken cutlets.

I don’t have capers what can I use? There’s no sub for capers in this recipe, capers are the star ingredient to make an amazing piccata sauce.