This dish takes the bright, briny Italian classic and gives it a playful Japanese-inspired twist, trading the traditional white wine for mirin’s gentle sweetness and building a deeply savory sauce with white miso in place of the usual flour-thickened base.
Halving the chicken breasts lengthwise into thin cutlets, then slicing them into smaller pieces, creates quick-cooking planks with plenty of surface area to soak up all that flavorful sauce. A light dredge in cornstarch does double duty: it helps the chicken turn beautifully golden and crisp in the skillet, while also lending the finished sauce a silky, clingy body.
The pan sauce comes together by whisking miso and mirin into chicken broth, then simmering the mixture right in the skillet, scraping up all those browned, flavor-packed bits left behind from searing the chicken — the result is a sauce with real umami depth.
Chopped capers and a generous hit of fresh lemon juice bring the tang that piccata is known for, while a bit of lemon zest stirred in adds a bright, aromatic lift that keeps the richness from feeling heavy.
Finally, a swirl of butter off the heat brings the whole sauce together into something glossy, silky, and irresistible — perfect spooned generously over the chicken and finished with sliced scallions for a fresh, savory bite.
Miso Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 (8- to 10-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp. mirin
- 2 Tbsp. white miso
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 2 Scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
- 1 Tbsp. capers, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Directions
- Halve 2 trimmed chicken breasts horizontally to create 4 cutlets. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to even ½-inch thickness, then slice each cutlet into 3 pieces. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. (When sliced in half horizontally, our breasts were 1/2 thick or less, so there was no need to pound them.)
- Spread cornstarch in shallow dish. Coat chicken lightly with cornstarch, shaking off excess.
- Whisk chicken broth, mirin, and white miso together in bowl until miso is dissolved; set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.( If necessary, sear in two batches so as not to steam the chicken.)
- Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and thinly sliced whites of scallions to now-empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add miso mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until slightly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chopped, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest and simmer for 30 seconds longer.
- Off heat, whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until sauce is smooth and glossy. Return chicken to skillet and toss to coat. Serve over hot steamed rice and sprinkle with thinly sliced scallion greens.
Adapted from a recipe by Maggie Zhu for America’s Test Kitchen
What an enticing variation on the theme . . . have made piccatas ‘for ever’ – the use of mirin and miso would bring a delectable difference to the dish 🙂 !