This easy lemon chicken piccata is made with thin chicken cutlets cooked in a buttery lemon sauce with capers.
It's a simple dinner that comes together in about 30 minutes.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken breast: Slice the chicken breasts into thin cutlets so they cook quickly and evenly. You can also use boneless chicken thighs.
- Capers: These add a salty, tangy flavor to the sauce. Smaller capers (nonpareils) are milder, but any kind will work.
- Dry white wine: Use chicken stock, broth, or water if you don't want to cook with wine.
How to Make Lemon Chicken Piccata (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Prepare the chicken
Slice 2 pounds chicken breasts horizontally to make thin cutlets.
Trim any excess fat or connective tissue.
Place them between parchment paper or plastic wrap.
Pound to about ½ inch thick for quick and even cooking.
Step 2: Coat the chicken
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then lightly coat each piece with flour.
Step 3: Sear the chicken
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
Add the chicken and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.
Cook in batches, adding more oil and butter as needed.
Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Step 4: Make the sauce
Lower the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Add 1 medium shallot (minced), 2 garlic cloves (minced), and 2 tablespoons capers (chopped).
Cook for about a minute, until fragrant.
Add about ½ cup white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add ½ cup chicken stock, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons butter.
Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for about 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add the chicken
Add the chicken back to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then turn off the heat.
Add some lemon slices and fresh parsley before serving.
Serve your lemon chicken piccata with pasta, mashed potatoes, or vegetables.
How to Store and Reheat
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm in a pan or microwave until heated through.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
Piccata is a dish made with thin, pounded meat or fish cooked in a pan sauce with butter, lemon, and capers.
Veal piccata is more traditional, but chicken piccata is more common in the US.
It has a buttery lemon sauce with a slightly salty, tangy flavor from the capers.
Yes, chicken thighs will be just as delicious! You may have to cook them a little longer than chicken breasts.
Yes. If you don't have capers, use finely chopped green olives.
If you don't like olives, leave them out and add a little more lemon juice and salt to taste.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Chicken Marsala: Pan-seared chicken with mushrooms in a savory wine sauce.
- Chicken pot pie: Creamy chicken and vegetables baked under a puff pastry crust.
- Garlic butter shrimp: Shrimp in a buttery garlic sauce.
- Burger steak: Beef patties with mushroom gravy.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe
Equipment
- Large pan
- Meat mallet or rolling pin
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- All-purpose flour for coating
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil more as needed
- 3 tablespoons butter more as needed
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons capers drained and chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon chicken base or bouillon dissolved in ½ cup of hot water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice more as needed
- Fresh parsley and lemon slices (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thin cutlets. Pound to about ½ inch thick.
- Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with flour.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter.
- Cook chicken for about 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Cook in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate.
- Lower heat to medium. Add more olive oil, shallot, garlic, and capers. Cook for about a minute.
- Add white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the pan.
- Add chicken stock, lemon juice, and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Return chicken to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then turn off the heat. Add lemon slices and fresh parsley before serving.
Video
Notes
- Chicken breast: Slice into thin cutlets for quick, even cooking. Boneless thighs also work.
- Capers: Add salty, tangy flavor. Smaller capers are milder, but any kind works.
- Dry white wine: Use chicken stock, broth, or water instead.
- Refrigerate: Store for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm in a pan or microwave until heated through.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw before reheating.
Angela says
Made this for dinner tonight with brown butter gnocchi in the side. The chicken piccata was so delicious! Very easy recipe to follow. I actually used chicken tenderloins instead of breasts. Also subbed chicken broth as I did not have bouillon on hand. Yummy!
Nora says
Hello Angela! Sorry for the super late response. Yes, chicken tenderloins - what a great idea! And wow, gnocchi sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks again and happy to know that you liked it!