Lemon Chicken Piccata

This chicken piccata recipe is a simple, light dish with 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, typically using chicken breast.

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
• More chicken recipes you may like
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Pounding the chicken into uniform thickness ensures quick and even cooking.
• A light flour coating creates a delicious browned crust and slightly thickens the sauce.
• Using extra-virgin olive oil and butter browns the chicken better and makes an adequately rich sauce.

What you’ll need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

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

How to make this recipe

Prepare the ingredients): (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)Make the chicken stock or broth by dissolving the chicken base or bouillon in ½ cup of hot water.

Prepare the chicken: (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.

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

Pan-sear the chicken: (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, adding more oil and butter as needed. (11)Brown each side for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and aside.

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

Make the sauce: (12)Lower the heat to medium and 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. Stir and taste the sauce. Adjust, if necessary. 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

More chicken recipes you may like

📖 Recipe