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Growing up, my favorite dish that my Mom made was her “Baked Lemon Chicken.” Oh my gosh it is good…chicken cutlets baked in a thick, rich buttery lemon sauce. I crave this dish on the reg, and I still have her make it for me when I go home. But for the days I want that nostalgic meal but a simple Whole30 version, I created this Whole30 Skillet Chicken Piccata!
When I am doing a Whole30 Challenge, I always crave this dish so of course, I had to recreate it to be Whole30 Approved. I have worked so hard on this recipe and I cannot tell you how excited I am to share it with you today. It is freaking perfection– if you served this to a crowd (which you should if you are entertaining) and told them it was Whole30 approved, they wouldn’t believe you. My husband didn’t believe me when I told him it was a Whole30 version because you can barely tell the difference! *applause* I should also mention that my picky 4-year-old and 1-year-old enjoyed it as much as we did! No lie!
The sauce in my Whole30 Skillet Chicken Piccata is what is so good about this dish, so I highly recommend you to serve it over some cauliflower rice to soak up the good sauce or even zoodles would do. It goes great with roasted potatoes and any roasted green veggie. Enjoy!
Side notes: What the heck is arrowroot flour you ask? it is a wonderful grain-free, paleo-friendly, gluten-free thickener and emulsifier. It comes from the root of the arrowroot plant. When cooking Whole30 friendly, I sub this when a recipe calls for Cornstarch and Flour. I bought mine at Wholefoods in the gluten-free baking section, or you can order it on Amazon here. I highly recommend keeping this in your pantry if you are currently doing a Whole30 Challenge.
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Whole30 Skillet Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken cutlets *see note
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons capers drained and rinsed, plus more for serving
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with the salt and pepper and set aside.
- Pour the arrowroot starch on a large plate or in a wide bowl. Lightly dredge each individual cutlet in the arrowroot flour until evenly coated, then shake off any excess. Place the dredged cutlets on a clean plate and continue until all are complete.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches so as to not overcrowd the skillet, carefully add the cutlets and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken does not need to be completely cooked through, just golden brown. Transfer to a parchment-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the ghee to the skillet, and swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring to prevent burning, about 30 seconds. Stir in the capers, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Increase the heat to a simmer. Nestle the chicken into the sauce and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was looking forward to trying this recipe. Unfortunately I didn’t have arrow root so I substituted with corn starch. The dinner has a weird bitter flavor and was inedible. 🙁
If you are going to sub anything here, I would recommend regular flour not cornstarch. They definitely are all different and unique to one another.
Im having a hard time getting on the arrowroot starch “train” every time I use it in your receipes it get gummy and gelatinous . Any tips?
I’m not whole30 and this is my first time making a defined dish recipe, but, this was probably one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever made. I just got the comfortable kitchen cookbook so I wanted to incorporate some alternative flours without buying all of them. I started with tapioca flour and so subbed the arrowroot starch for that. Besides that followed the recipe to a T and served with the comfortable kitchen cacio e pepe israeli couscous. Both PHENOMENAL. Also the couscous says 2 servings but for me I consider it about 4+. Thanks, Alex!!
So glad you gave this a try. And what a great addition to the Cacio e Pepe — yum!
I have made this dish so many times. It’s quick, easy and incredibly tasty. I have made it for guests and it always goes down well, and leaves me feeling like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen!
This is a go-to DD entree. My parents eat paleo, recently made it for them and they loved it. Non-paleo friends love it too, and it’s an easy healthy dish for dinner parties!
So darn tasty & so quick and easy! Another DD dish for the win!
This was so easy! It was restaurant quality . I add some drained artichoke heart to it too. I served it with spinach and coconut lime and cilantro cauliflower rice. Thank you for sharing this one.