Summer Chicken Piccata with Sungold Tomatoes and Leeks
The plate you order out, on the table in half an hour. Thin chicken cutlets dredged and seared golden, then a lemon-caper butter built in the same pan with sweet leeks and blistered Sungold tomatoes folded in. Bright, buttery, and a little jammy from the tomatoes. This is the one to start the week with.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Method
- Sear + Pan Sauce
Piccata is usually a winter plate, but leeks and blistered Sungold tomatoes turn it into a summer one. Pound the cutlets thin so they cook in a couple of minutes and stay juicy, and build the pan sauce right in the same skillet so it picks up all the golden bits.
What actually matters here
- Pound the cutlets thin so they cook fast and stay tender.
- Build the sauce in the same pan; those browned bits are the whole flavor.
- Blister the Sungolds just until they burst so they go sweet and jammy in the sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
Chicken
- 4chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin
- 1/2 cupflour
- 3 tbspolive oil
- salt and pepper
Pan Sauce
- 2leeks, white and light green, sliced
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cupdry white wine
- 3/4 cupchicken stock
- 2lemons, juiced
- 3 tbspcapers, drained
- 3 tbspbutter
To Finish
- 1 1/2 cupsSungold or cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cupparsley, chopped
Before you start
- Halve the chicken breasts and pound them thin between parchment.
- Season and dredge lightly in flour.
- Slice the leeks and rinse well; juice the lemons.
Method
- Sear the cutlets in olive oil 2 to 3 minutes a side until golden; set aside.
- Add the leeks to the pan and soften 3 minutes, then the garlic.
- Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits; reduce by half.
- Add the stock, lemon juice, and capers and simmer to a light sauce.
- Add the Sungolds and cook until they just blister and burst.
- Swirl in the butter, return the chicken to warm through, and finish with parsley.
How you know it is right
- The chicken is golden and juicy.
- The sauce is bright, buttery, and a little jammy from the tomatoes.
- The leeks are soft and sweet.
- The capers pop with brine against the lemon.
How to serve it
Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or with crusty bread to catch the sauce.
If you want it simpler
- Chicken cutlets from the store skip the pounding.
- No leeks? A sliced shallot or sweet onion works.
Pound it thin, sear it golden, and build the lemon-caper butter right in the pan.
This dish came from the SEASON plan for August 10 - 16, 2026, alongside nine other dinners and one shopping list.
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Written and tested by Chef Michael Rossi, who has spent thirty years in professional kitchens including Napa Rose, THE RANCH, The Masters at Augusta National, and The Beach Club. Every SEASON recipe is one he has cooked on a real line before it reaches a home kitchen.