Veal piccata is a quick and easy to prepare dish that brings a nice variation to your midweek menu. “Piccata” is a word of Italian origin that means ‘pounded flat’. It also shares similarities with the French word ‘pique’ – piquant, or sharp, which it arguably comes from. The name “piccata” describes a dish where thin slices of meat, typically chicken breast of veal escalope, are dredged in flour, fried in butter and served with a sharp (or piquant!) lemony sauce.
The Flavour Affair:
Veal + Lemon + Capers + Butter + White Wine + Parsley
Piccata sauce is all about zesty, tangy and bright. While the acidity from lemon and capers is somewhat offset by butter and white wine, it remains quite prominent.
Veal: choose thinly cut escalopes that require minimum or no pounding. As an alternative you can use chicken breasts – that be the case, pound them flat to about 0.5-0.7mm thick.
Capers: if you are not a big fan of the tang, half the quantity or swap capers for green olives. This will soften the taste but maintain the overall flavour profile.
Butter: a must in the piccata sauce, it mellows out the sharpness of other ingredients and creates a smooth, silky texture.
White Wine: medium-bodied white wine is the perfect choice for deglazing the pan after frying the meat. The alcohol evaporates but the light fruity aspects remain noticeable in the finished sauce, making it more rounded and interesting.
Parsley: fresh parsley is often added in the very end to enhance the aroma and create a contrast in texture and colour.
Some recipes add garlic to the sauce due to its distinctive aroma and pungency, however, this is entirely down to your preferences. I like the middle ground where I fry the meat in olive oil infused with fresh garlic which I later on discard.
Preparation Tips for Veal Piccata:
- For a smooth process, have all the required equipment lined up beforehand. You will need a large plate with flour for dredging and a large cutting board to transfer the ready escalopes.
- Fry escalopes in batches allowing at least 4cm distance between any two. If the pan gets overcrowded, instead of a crunchy finish you can end up with a soggy outer layer.
- When transferring fried escalopes to the board, do not stack them but rather place side by side. By the time the next batch is ready, the previous will dry up a bit which helps to keep them crispy.
Serving suggestions:
Serve your veal piccata with fried, mashed or roasted potatoes or cauliflower, mixed vegetables, buttery greens or even over pasta.
For more veal recipes, check out these delicious options:
Veal Shanks with Tkemali and Tomatoes
Braised Veal in Pomegranate Sauce
Pan Seared Veal Chops with Gremolata
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Veal Piccata
Equipment
- 1 large pan for frying
- 1 large plate for flour dredging
- 1 large board for resting
Ingredients
- 6-8 veal escalopes lightly pounded
- 1 cup flour
- 4-6 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 glasses dry white wine optional
- 1 tbsp capers
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt and couple of turns of black pepper mill
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Mix salt and pepper with flour in a large plate.
- In a large non-stick pan, heat olive oil to medium and fry the garlic cloves for 2-3 minutes until they become aromatic.
- Fry the veal escalopes in batches, dredging them into flour just before adding to the pan, for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to the cutting board.
- Once you are done with the veal, deglaze the pan with the wine, add the chicken stock and capers and simmer for a few minutes until thickened and reduced by about a half. Stir in the butter and the lemon juice, taste and adjust to perfection.
- Add the chopped parsley, give the sauce a quick mix and pour over the veal.
- Serve with your choice of sides such as potatoes, fried cauliflower or pasta.
Notes
- Capers can be substituted with green olives.
- Fruity dry wine is best for deglazing.
- Instead of white wine you can use a little extra chicken or vegetable stock.
