When I was working at my first restaurant, there was one dessert I was in charge of making, the meyer lemon parfait. Fresh out of culinary school, it was my first time using these lemons in any context. Ever since my first taste, I have been cooked on this citrus fruit – you can only imagine my excitement when I spotted the first meyer lemons of the season! In my excitement, I ended up buying a dozen with no idea of what I was going to use them for. Get ready for a week of Meyer lemon recipes, the first being Meyer lemon chicken picatta!

Serves 4

393

Meyer lemon chicken picatta

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• zest of 1 meyer lemon
• juice of 2 meyer lemons
• 2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
• chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Butterfly chicken breasts to form 4 cutlets. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound with a mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge in flour.
2. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large saute pan. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm.
3. Pour the wine into the same pan, scraping the bottom to loosen browned bits. Let the wine reduce until almost all evaporated. Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and reduce to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in the capers.
4. Add the chicken back to the pan and reheat for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

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**Helpful tips and common mistakes

What exactly is a Meyer lemon? It’s a cross between a lemon and an orange. The fruit is sweeter than the normal lemon with a darker, more orange skin. The possibilities of what you can do with these lemons are endless, for both savory and sweet dishes. 

Not to brag, but I do make a mean chicken picatta. It has become a staple at one of my client’s house, making me a professional at making this dish. With only a couple of ingredients and 30 minutes, you can whip up this dish in no time. 

The steps on how to make this chicken picatta are the same as the traditional method, only replacing Meyer lemons for regular ones. If you are looking for a gluten-free method, simply replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose. You can omit the white wine, as I often do, and replace it with chicken stock instead. Even with these changes, the dish will come out spectacular. 

Whenever you make this dish, remember to pound the chicken before cooking. Chicken breast can be dry and tough if not prepared correctly. Pounding the meat helps tenderize the chicken and allows to cook in a much shorter amount of time. 

I like to add the zest of the lemons to the dish to add more brightness to the sauce. Finish it with the juice and capers and you have Meyer lemon chicken picatta. 

I loved this version of the classic, maybe even more so than the original. The sauce becomes slightly sweeter with lovely hints of orange rather than full-on tart. I’m telling you, you can never go wrong with Meyer lemons!

Looking for someone to come to your house and prepare these dishes for you? It is possible! If you are in Los Angeles and looking for a private chef, please feel free to contact me. For more information, visit Private Kitchen Los Angeles.