Lemon Chicken Piccata

This chicken piccata recipe is a simple, light dish consisting of thin slices of chicken lightly coated in flour and pan-seared with a slightly tangy, buttery lemon-caper sauce. The best part is that it only takes less than 30 minutes to make it!

What is Chicken Piccata? Piccata means meat or fish sliced thin or pounded flat, dredged in flour, browned, and cooked in a pan sauce with butter, lemon, and capers. While veal piccata is the traditional Italian dish, chicken piccata is more common in the US, where the chicken breast is seared or fried for a delicious browned crust.

Jump to:

• Why you’ll love this recipe
• What you’ll need
• Ingredient notes and substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Frequently asked questions and tips
• The key takeaway
• Watch how I make it here
• You may like these too
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why you’ll love this recipe

• The chicken breasts are sliced thinly and pounded flat for uniform thickness, cooking quickly and evenly.
• A light coating of flour creates a delicious browned crust and slightly thickens the sauce.
• Using a combination of extra-virgin olive oil and butter for pan-searing and the sauce makes an adequately rich and flavorful dish.

What you’ll need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Chicken breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• Capers: These green flower buds give that tangy and salty taste to the dish. They come in different sizes; the smaller ones are labeled as "non-pareil" with a more delicate texture and flavor, while the bigger ones are more acidic.
• Dry white wine: It makes the dish taste better. If you can't cook with alcohol, simply substitute with water or stock/broth.
• Chicken base: I either use chicken base or a bouillon cube dissolved in water for extra flavor. You can always use boxed or homemade chicken broth/stock.
• Fresh parsley: An optional ingredient that adds freshness and color.

How to make this recipe

Mise en place (prep and organize): (1)Mince the shallot and garlic. Drain the capers and chop them if they're big. You can also rinse them to remove some of the salty or vinegary taste. (2)Prepare the lemon juice and slice half of a lemon for garnish. Chop the parsley. (3)Dissolve the chicken base/bouillon in ½ cup of hot water to make the chicken stock/broth.

(4)Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them horizontally in half. You can cut them into smaller cutlets if the pieces are too large. Trim any membranes or fats. (5)Place the chicken in between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. (6)Using a meat mallet or a rolling pin, pound the chicken pieces until uniformly thin (about ½ inch) for quick and even cooking.

Pan-sear the chicken: (7)Season one side with salt and pepper. (8)Place the flour in a shallow bowl and coat each piece, shaking off excess.

(9)Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot and almost smoking, add about a tablespoon each of extra-virgin olive oil and butter, enough to coat the pan. (10)When it starts to sizzle, add the chicken pieces evenly spaced apart. Sear in separate batches and add more oil and butter as needed. (11)Brown each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and aside.

TIP: To make a delicious browned crust, keep the temperature high at all times and avoid overcrowding the pan.

Make the sauce: Lower the heat to medium. (12)On the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (13)Sauté the shallots, garlic, and capers for about a minute.

(14)Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. (15)Let it reduce for another minute while scraping the fond or browned bits off the pan.

(16)Add the chicken stock. (17)Then add the lemon juice. (18)Season with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust accordingly. Stir and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.

(19)Add 2 tablespoons of butter and mix it in.

Combine the chicken and the sauce: (20)Bring the chicken back to the pan. Let it heat through and absorb the sauce for about 2 minutes.

(21)Spoon the sauce over the chicken. (22)Add the lemon slices and fresh parsley, then turn off the heat.

Serve: I love chicken piccata with spaghetti and a side of vegetables, but you can also serve it with rice, mashed potatoes, or a salad.

Frequently asked questions and tips

The key takeaway

Avoid overcooking the chicken breasts — pound them into uniform thickness and brown them quickly over high heat.

Watch how I make it here

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