A golden brown flour-coating locks in the juices in this easy chicken piccata recipe. The white wine and buttery lemon-caper sauce come together so beautifully. Believe it or not, this fancy dish is easy enough for new cooks and busy families!
If you’re looking for more easy Italian recipes, then I suggest making either Italian wedding soup, meatless baked ziti or this creamy Tuscan chicken is another wonderful chicken dinner you will love!
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Best Chicken Piccata Recipe
This juicy chicken dish is a classic Italian inspired recipe that features thin chicken breasts (also known as chicken cutlets) dredged in flour, pan-fried in a skillet and served with a lemony butter sauce with capers. There are plenty of bold zesty flavors in the lemon butter caper sauce.
The capers are the essential part of chicken piccata and what sets the best chicken piccata recipe apart from other Italian chicken recipes. As elegant as this dish looks, it is surprisingly simple to make! The entire recipe is ready to serve in less than 30 minutes and perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients/shopping list
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this great recipe. Scroll down to the full recipe card with amounts.
- Chicken Breasts – You’ll need about two large boneless, skinless breasts. Cut the chicken in half lengthwise, so they are thinner. Pound them with a meat mallet until they are an even 1-inch thickness.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter so you can control how salty the dish is.
- Flour – This is to coat the chicken so that it gives it a nice golden crust as it sears.
- Olive Oil – This is what you’ll use to pan fry the chicken.
- For the sauce – You’ll need shallots, minced garlic cloves, a dry white wine, chicken broth, capers, fresh lemon juice, and butter.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is an optional garnish.
- Fresh Parsley – This adds aroma and color to the chicken and makes for a wonderful presentation.
Variations/ Substitutions
1. If you prefer not to use white wine, feel free to omit it and replace it with more chicken broth.
2. You can use chicken thighs, as long as they’re also boneless, skinless, and thin enough for quick cooking.
3. Use canola oil or vegetable oil for frying the chicken if you prefer. Avocado oil can also get the job done.
4. Don’t go out and buy an expensive wine. I always recommend buying what you like to drink. Pinot Grigio, sauvignon blanc, or a dry Reisling are all good choices.
5. Swap the shallots for white or yellow onion instead.
6. Add another tablespoon of lemon juice more lemon flavor if desired.
What to Serve with Chicken Piccata
Since this entree is creamy and full of protein, I suggest serving it with your favorite salad and starchy sides like pasta, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes. Some garlic breadsticks or crusty garlic bread would be great since there will be plenty of sauce to scoop up!
Start with a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. If you prefer a tangier dressing, then make a shaved Brussels sprout salad.
Then, on the side, go low-carb and make garlic mashed cauliflower or other simple veggies like sautéed spinach or roasted broccoli.
How to Make Chicken Piccata with Capers
There are no shortcuts in this chicken piccata, but it’s still one of the easiest recipes you’ll make!
Step One: Pat the chicken dry and season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Step Two: Add the flour to a shallow bowl and coat each piece of chicken in flour, making sure both sides are completely coated. Shake off any excess flour.
Step Three: In a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook the chicken over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked to an internal temperature of 165F.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.
Make the Sauce:
Step Four: Melt butter in the same skillet and sauté the shallots for about 3 minutes until tender. Then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 5: Deglaze the pan by pouring the white wine into the pan and scraping off the brown bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon as you stir. Then, add the chicken broth, capers, and lemon juice to the skillet. Stir it to combine and bring this sauce to a boil.
Step 6 – Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer. Add the remaining butter and allow it to melt into the sauce.
Serve the sauce overtop of the crispy chicken or you can also return the chicken back into the pan with the sauce.
Garnish with some shredded parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Tips
- Save on prep time and use thin-cut chicken cutlets instead of chicken breasts.
- Be safe when you pound the chicken to make it thinner. Place the raw chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap so that pieces of chicken or juice don’t splatter. Use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound the cutlets.
- You can either serve all pieces of piccata on a serving platter and pour the sauce directly overtop, or serve individual plates and have everyone add their own sauce.
- Garnish with fresh lemon zest to bring out even more lemon flavor.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the leftover cutlets in a freezer safe bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: When you’re ready to enjoy it again, reheat the chicken in the microwave for a quick fix. Cover it to prevent it from splattering or drying out as it heats up. If the chicken is too dry, add a little more butter and chicken broth. You can also reheat it in the oven on a baking sheet or in a skillet.
FAQ’s
You don’t! They certainly are a signature part of this dish, but you can replace them with green olives If you’d rather. Or, omit them completely.
If you’d like to not use wine in your piccata sauce, replace the wine with an equal amount of chicken stock (on top of the amount already included).
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Easy Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless (2 large breasts)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- ¼ cup shallots finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced (approx. 1 tablespoon)
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For Garnish: parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally and pound them into ½ inch thick pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.1 pound chicken breasts
- In a shallow bowl, add the flour and dip each chicken cutlets into the flour and coat both sides well. (shake off any excess flour).¼ cup all-purpose flour
- In a large skillet or cast iron pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook the chicken cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side or until it is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.¼ cup olive oil
- After the chicken has cooked, remove it from the skillet and place it on a paper towel lined plate.
- Using a paper towel, wipe the remaining oil out out the pan (don’t wash it).
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter and heat over medium heat until melted.4 tablespoons butter
- Add the shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender.¼ cup shallots
- Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.4 garlic cloves
- Stir in the white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan by scraping the bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.¼ cup white wine
- Pour in the chicken stock, capers and the lemon juice. Then bring the sauce to a boil.½ cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Reduce to simmer and add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and stir to combine.
- Serve with the sauce over the crispy chicken with pasta, mashed or roasted potatoes or rice and garnish with parmesan cheese and/or fresh parsleyFor Garnish: parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley
Notes
Nutrition
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