Chicken Piccata Recipe

This easy Chicken Piccata recipe is a family favorite! Tender chicken is pan fried until golden and served with a tantalizing sauce made with lemon juice, white wine or stock, and capers. Truly phenomenal and incredibly quick and easy to make! Ready to go in less than 20 minutes!

Serve alongside these favorites: Creamed Corn, Nana’s Famous Green Beans, or Roasted Herb and Garlic Parmesan Potatoes!

The Best Chicken Piccata Recipe

This is the best Chicken Piccata I’ve ever tried and it’s so easy to make! The chicken is incredibly tender and flavorful and the sauce is so delicious. I am not kidding when I say 20 minutes – tops. The hardest part of this chicken piccata recipe is getting the ingredients out of your fridge and pantry.

The dredging mixture is perfectly seasoned and the fresh lemon juice, white wine and chicken broth based sauce is what sets this recipe apart from the rest and gives it that finger lickin’ flavor. This simple chicken breast recipe will quickly become part of your regular dinner rotation.

What Is Chicken Piccata?

Piccata is a term that typically describes meat, usually veal or chicken, that is sliced or pounded thin and then dredged in flour, browned, and served in a sauce that contains fresh lemon juice, butter, wine and capers.

What To Serve With Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is usually served with pasta on the side. You could use fettuccine, spaghetti – anything you want really. We like to mix it up and serve it with these favorite sides:

1. Mashed Potatoes
2. Baked Sweet Potato
3. Pea Salad
4. Creamy Cucumber Salad
5. Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Throw in a loaf of crusty bread and dinner is done!

Tip: If you plan on serving with pasta, get the water boiling right away because that is what you are going to be waiting on.

Lemon Chicken Piccata Ingredients

The simple, flavorful, Chicken Piccata recipe is a weeknight staple. It’s so easy to prepare, uses simple pantry ingredients and goes with so many of our favorite side dishes. As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need:

For the Chicken:

• chicken breasts – I try to buy smaller breasts but if you end up with larger breasts, you can simply slice them in half for this recipe.
• all purpose flour – The chicken gets dredged in flour and a mix of spices and seasoning before being pan fried.
• seasoning – It’s a simple combination of a few spices that packs a delicious flavor punch. You’ll need salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano.
• olive oil – The chicken breasts get pan fried in olive oil and butter.
• butter – Gives the sauce richness. I used salted butter f you can unsalted butter if desired.

For the Chicken Piccata sauce:

The sauce is the star of the show in this easy chicken piccata recipe. It’s light, flavorful and you’ll be wishing you had more to lick off the spoon. It’s complex flavor is impressive yet takes just a few ingredients. For the sauce you’ll need:

• chicken broth – This is the base of the sauce along with the white wine. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a couple more tablespoons of the chicken broth to thin it out.
• white wine – White wine is a classic ingredient in chicken piccata. If you prefer not to use white wine, feel free to use apple juice or more chicken broth in its place.
• capers – If you have kids, capers may or may not be a deal breaker for them. My suggestion is to hold off on adding the capers until you’ve served the kids OR remove the capers with a slotted spoon just prior to serving. That way you’ll still get some of the flavor of the capers in the sauce and you won’t have to watch your kiddos picking them out
• lemon – You will need fresh lemon juice as well as the zest of the lemon to give this lemon chicken piccata it’s amazing, fresh flavor.
• Dijon mustard – The dijon mustards adds a punch of flavor and adds creaminess to the sauce.
• cornstarch – A little cornstarch is all that is needed to thicken the sauce.

How To Make Lemon Chicken Piccata

This chicken piccata recipe is very simple and quick to make. You’re looking at less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

1. Prep the chicken. If you have larger chicken breasts, slice the chicken breasts in half and pound flat to about half an inch thick. If the breasts are smaller, just flatten 4 small chicken breasts with a mallet until approximately half an inch thick.
2. Prepare the dredging/flour mixture. Combine the flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and dried oregano. Stir or whisk to combine.
3. Cook the chicken. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Add olive oil and butter to a large skillet. Cook chicken in the skillet, about 3-5 minutes on each side over medium heat, until golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
4. Make the chicken piccata sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients (chicken broth, white wine, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, and cornstarch) to the skillet and whisk to combine. Let simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Serve and enjoy. Add the chicken back to the sauce and spoon sauce over top the chicken. Top with parsley and a fresh squeeze of lemon and serve!

Storage Information

Leftover Chicken Piccata can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

To freeze, let chicken cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat in the microwave or in a skillet.

Tips for the Best Chicken Piccata

1. There are only a few main components to this recipe so it’s best to use the highest quality ingredients you can.
2. In this lemon Chicken Piccata recipe, the lemon flavor really should shine. Use only real lemon juice, not bottled, for the best flavor. You need the lemon zest anyways so buy real lemons.
3. Spend a few minutes with your chicken breasts making sure they are an even thickness all the way across. You want them pretty thin so give them a good pounding if needed.
4. Garnish with lemon slices or wedges and fresh parsley for a lovely pop of color and freshness.

Variations to Try

• Creamy Chicken Piccata: If you prefer a creamier sauce, simply add a quarter cup of heavy cream to the sauce and stir to combine before adding chicken back to the skillet.
• Use Chicken Cutlets: To cut down on the workload and keep this recipe more kid friendly, try using chicken breast cutlets instead. The smaller size make great portions for kids.
• Rinse the Capers: Capers are very briny and salty so give them a good rinse to reduce the amount of saltiness in this dish.

More Chicken Recipes

1. Chicken Stir Fry
2. Monterey Chicken
3. Chicken Marinade
4. Honey Garlic Chicken
5. Cashew Chicken
6. Honey Balsamic Chicken

How To Make Chicken Piccata

Originally published October 4, 2020.