Chicken Piccata
119 Comments
Updated Oct 20, 2024
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Chicken piccata is an Italian-American favorite and one of the easiest weeknight dinner recipes to make at home. Juicy chicken breasts are dredged in flour, seared with a golden crust, then simmered in a lemon butter sauce with a touch of capers and parsley. It’s a beautiful and tasty dinner that comes together quickly!
What is Chicken Piccata?
Without a doubt — chicken piccata is the perfect fusion of Italian cooking in America. Traditionally, piccata is an Italian dish consisting of thinly breaded veal (or other proteins) with a lemon butter wine sauce. But today we’re using chicken, and I’d say we’ve perfected this dish that’s dotted with garlic, capers, and fresh parsley. The more herbs and garlic, the better, right?
And while we’re big fans of this Tuscan chicken or chicken Marsala, this chicken piccata recipe is another Italian-inspired favorite. It’s juicy, lemony, and just what you need to give chicken breasts a fresh new lift at dinner.
Chicken Piccata Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients are straightforward, but there are a few substitution notes below.
- Chicken: You’ll need a couple of large boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Dredging Mixture: To get that golden crust you’ll coat the chicken in a mixture of flour, freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. I’m using arrowroot flour as a gluten-free option. But you could use almost any flour in this recipe, so choose your favorite.
- Chicken Piccata Sauce: This is the heart and soul of the recipe! The sauce consists of fresh lemon juice, a dry white wine, chicken broth, butter, garlic, capers, and fresh parsley. If you don’t want to use white wine, you could also substitute it with more chicken broth.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
How To Make Chicken Piccata
Slice the chicken. We’re going for a “scaloppine” type of dish here, which essentially means thinly sliced meat. So, you’ll need to slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, as if you were going to butterfly them. Thinner chicken also cooks faster – something we all love on busy weeknights!
Coat the chicken. Mix the flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish (using a plate can get a bit messy!). Then dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides.
Cook the chicken. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until perfectly golden. Then use tongs to remove the chicken pieces to a separate plate.
Make the sauce. Add the wine and garlic to the pan, letting it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until reduced by about half. Then add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and butter. Keep stirring the sauce until it begins to simmer again.
Add the chicken. Add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce on top until each piece is coated well. Then let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through. And for the finishing touch, sprinkle some fresh parsley on top!
Storage Tips
Don’t be alarmed if there are no leftovers over. Yes, it’s that kind of recipe. But if you need to store any away, here’s how:
- To store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure to save all the extra sauce left in the pan as well!
- To freeze: You might want to plan ahead and make a second batch to store in the freezer! It will keep for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
More Chicken Recipes
There are never enough chicken dinner ideas. So here are a few of my favorite chicken breast recipes to keep your weeknights a bit more interesting.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Butter Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast (or this Best Baked Chicken Breast)
- Creamy Cajun Chicken
Without a doubt, this chicken piccata will become a dinner favorite. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out in the comment box below!
Chicken Piccata
Description
Video
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour (or other flour)
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut the chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally.
- Coat the chicken: Mix flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish. Dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through with a golden crust. Use tongs to remove the chicken to a plate.
- Make the sauce: Add the wine and garlic to the pan, letting it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half. Then add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and butter, stirring until it begins to simmer again.
- Add the chicken: Add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce on top and let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until warmed through.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- As an alternative to slicing the chicken breasts in half, you could purchase 4 smaller chicken breasts and pound them thinner with a kitchen mallet.
Nutrition
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I made it tonight. Delicious!
Thanks Lisa for another great recipe!
You’re more than welcome, Daniela! I’m happy you loved it!
This was delicious despite the fact I was out of wine and (didn’t know it until I’d started dinner) subbed Marsala. I also left the tablespoon of butter out of the chicken and used whipped butter in the sauce. I served it with half zoodles half chickpea thin spaghetti.
Your results sound amazing! I’m glad you enjoyed this chicken piccata dish, Heidi.
Delicious! Would not change a thing. Will be one of my faves.
Happy to hear you’re loving this chicken piccata, Lisa!
Oh my goodness! I was so surprised at how yummy this was. It’s so simple yet was flavorful. I really enjoy it with cauliflower mash with a little bit of the chicken sauce, yum 😋
Hi Maysara – Happy to hear you loved this chicken piccata recipe! Sounds great with a side of cauliflower mash.
This is my go-to recipe as I typically have the ingredients on hand. The crispy exterior of the chicken is the best! I’ve also made this without lemons and capers before and it still turns out delicious!
It’s a wonderful go-to recipe to have – glad you enjoy it!
Made this last night—yum! Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
You’re more than welcome, Christine! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Tried this recipe it was amazing ! My family loved it. It’s so easy and felt like we were eating at an Italian restaurant. Definitely on our regular dinner schedule.
Wonderful! So happy to hear your family all loved it, Darlene!
This is the best recipe with lots of bang for the buck! Everyone raves about it and it’s my go to meal for company. The capers and lemon brightens the sauce. I serve with fettuccine. It’s a quick, simple but elegant dish!
Hi Linda – What a great meal to serve to guests! Happy to hear this recipe has always been a hit.
My son requested Chicken Piccata for his birthday dinner. So, I checked my favorite food blogger to see if you had the recipe and bingo! Thank you for providing so many delicious recipes. I’ve cooked a lot of your dishes and haven’t found one we haven’t loved.
Hi Tracy – I’m so glad this chicken piccata was a hit for your son’s birthday!
This was very easy to make and came out delicious. I doubled the recipe to feed 6 people and had 2 left over for lunch the following day. I also made extra sauce which to me is the best part. I served it with risotto and summer squash. Very happy guests.
Hi Susan – I’m so glad this chicken piccata worked out beautifully for a dinner party!