Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
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This Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe is a mouth-watering Italian classic that can be on the table in just 30 minutes! Golden pan-fried chicken breasts in a velvety lemon caper sauce makes this the perfect Italian comfort food for a busy weeknight dinner the whole family will love!
Easy Chicken Piccata
There is no doubt about it, Italian food is always a huge hit in our house. From classics like Baked Ziti and Homemade Lasagna to something a little less traditional like this Chicken Pasta Bake, we love them all.
But one of our new favorite dishes is this Chicken Piccata! It has the most amazing combination of flavors and texture. Tangy lemons with briny capers blend perfectly to create a flavorful and buttery pan sauce. The sauce is served over lightly floured chicken breasts that have been pan fried until they are a beautiful golden brown.
Serve it with your favorite pasta or side dish and you’ll have a hearty, homecooked and absolutely amazing dinner ready in minutes. If you’re looking for more delicious chicken dinner recipes, you’ll also want to try our favorite Honey Garlic Chicken recipe or this tasty Pomegranate Chicken!
Why We Love this Recipe
- Simple ingredients: This chicken dish uses all fresh and simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
- Incredible flavor: The chicken breasts are bathed in a bright and refreshing buttery lemon caper sauce that takes this dish to a whole new level.
- Easy but elegant: Chicken piccata is one of those amazing and versatile dishes that are super easy to make but looks fancy enough to serve at a dinner party.
What’s Needed for this Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
- Boneless chicken breasts
- All-purpose flour
- Capers
- Chicken stock (you can also use chicken broth)
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Salt and black pepper
- Lemon juice
- Fresh parsley
How to Make the Best Chicken Piccata
Step 1. Butterfly chicken breasts and cut them into halves horizontally. The chicken should be around 1/4th inch thick slices. If they seem to be thick, pound them with a meat mallet to desired thickness.
Step 2. Season each chicken cutlet with salt and pepper and dredge chicken in all-purpose flour until well coated.
Step 3. Put a large skillet over medium heat; melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Step 4. Add the chicken pieces without overcrowding the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes then flip it to the second side for another 3-4 minutes. Or until the chicken turns light golden brown in color.
Step 5. Remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer to a clean plate.
Step 6. In the same pan add chicken stock, fresh lemon juice, and capers. Bring it to boil, over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Let the piccata sauce simmer for a few minutes until reduced to half.
Step 7. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk properly.
Step 8. Place the chicken on your serving plate (reheat the chicken in the oven if it’s cold) and pour enough sauce over it to coat the top. Garnished with chopped parsley and additional lemon wedges (optional).
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up 4 days in the refrigerator.
You can never go wrong serving this dish with angel hair pasta. You can also serve it over a bed of rice or these Rosemary and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
If you’d prefer something on the lighter side, fresh green beans, a simple garden salad or grilled veggies are always a great choice.
You sure can! For best results, place the lemony sauce and chicken in a separate bag if freezing.
To reheat, thaw the chicken overnight in the fridge and then heat chicken and sauce together in the oven.
Want more easy dinner recipes like this? These speedy stovetop meals are perfect for busy weeknights!
Slicing Chicken for Chicken Piccata
The key to pan-frying the chicken for this recipe is to make sure the pieces of chicken are not only thin but are even in thickness as well. There are several ways you can go about doing this that makes it super easy:
- Buy the chicken already in cutlets. This is by far the easiest, but they aren’t always easy to find in every grocery store.
- For large chicken breasts, you can cut them in half, thickness wise, by using a sharp knife or a filet knife. Lay the chicken breast halves down flat and pound out the thicker areas with a meat mallet. You want a nice and even thickness.
- When all else fails, you can always opt to use chicken tenders. Tenders cook quickly, just like cutlets, and are often used as a substitute.
Chicken Piccata Tips and Variations:
- Instead of using chicken, you can make veal piccata using this exact same recipe. This is such a versatile recipe; you can even use thin pork chops.
- Add sauteed mushrooms for even more texture and flavor to this dish. Sliced cremini or portobello work really with the capers and lemon in the sauce.
- If you really want to add that restaurant quality touch, you can use wine to deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Use a white wine that you’ll enjoy drinking because it only takes a little and you’ll have the rest of the bottle to enjoy. Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc make a really nice white wine sauce that pairs well with chicken piccata.
- If you like a creamier version of the lemon caper butter sauce, you can add about 1/4 cup heavy cream. You’ll want to add it after you have deglazed the pan and added the chicken stock, and the sauce has reduced. This will prevent the cream from scalding.
- Instead of capers, you can use green olives if you prefer. Both capers and olives have a briny flavor. If you aren’t fan of either, you can just omit them.
- For added flavor, top off this chicken dish with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh lemon zest with extra lemon slices on the side.
- If you prefer dark meat chicken, you can easily substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts. Though the cooking process will be the same, the actual cook time may differ. To make sure chicken is cooked well done, it’s best to use an instant read meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Want More Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes?
- Philly Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Easy Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
- Homemade Shake and Bake Pork Chops
Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Butterfly chicken breasts and cut them into halves horizontally. The chicken should be around 1/4th inch thick slices. If they seem to be thick, pound them with a meat mallet to desired thickness.
- Season each chicken cutlet with salt and pepper and dredge chicken in all-purpose flour until well coated.
- Put a large skillet over medium heat; melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the chicken pieces without overcrowding the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes then flip it to the second side for another 3-4 minutes. Or until the chicken turns light golden brown in color.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer to a clean plate.
- In the same pan add chicken stock, fresh lemon juice, and capers. Bring it to boil, over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the piccata sauce simmer for a few minutes until reduced to half.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk properly.
- Place the chicken on your serving plate (reheat the chicken in the oven if it’s cold) and pour enough sauce over it to coat the top. Garnished with chopped parsley and additional lemon wedges (optional).
Notes
- The key to pan-frying the chicken for this recipe is to make sure the pieces of chicken are not only thin but are even in thickness as well. See above tips for how to best make this happen.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up 4 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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