A popular Italian-American dish, this chicken piccata is an easy one-pan chicken dinner that you can make at home with a handful of simple ingredients. It is so flavorful despite the short ingredient list. I love making this as a mid-week dinner as it’s perfect for a busy evening since it doesn’t take long to cook up. Even better, it’s fancy enough for when you have guests over for dinner as well.
This easy chicken recipe is the perfect balance of tangy, buttery, and salty. The chicken is also beyond tender and juicy. Trust me, everyone will be reaching for seconds! Try my chicken florentine recipe or chicken cacciatore recipe if you need another tasty weeknight-friendly chicken dinner.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Chicken — try to find chicken breasts that are similar in size, so they cook evenly.
Flour — you don’t need any fancy flour. I use all-purpose flour to coat the chicken, giving them a beautiful brown crust when pan-fried.
Lemon — I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Fresh lemon juice has a brighter flavor than bottled lemon juice.
White wine — a dry white wine is ideal as it doesn’t add any additional sweetness to the sauce as a sweet, red wine might. It does not need to be expensive wine, but keep in mind that you shouldn’t cook with it if you wouldn’t drink it. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or Pinot Blanc will work wonderfully.
Capers — capers give the chicken piccata its signature flavor as they are salty with a briny, lemony tang to them.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
1. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then pound the chicken to flatten out.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter to a large pan and warm on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Add the stock, wine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the pan, then bring to a boil while stirring to deglaze, reduce to a simmer and add the capers. Allow the sauce to reduce by half while stirring occasionally.
5. Remove the pan from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Return the chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the chicken cutlets. You can warm the chicken through on low if needed, then sprinkle with parsley on top of the chicken piccata and serve.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Slicing the chicken breasts in half and then pounding them ensures that they are thin and will cook through quickly. Thin and even breasts will stay moist as you don’t risk the exterior drying out as the interior cooks through.
- If you have a smaller skillet, pan fry the chicken in two batches. You want enough room in the pan for the chicken breasts to brown nicely as they’ll steam you pack them too tightly.
- To get more juice out of a lemon, bring it to room temperature and roll it on the counter under your palm. Doing so will loosen up the juices so you can more easily squeeze the lemon.
- Don’t skip coating the chicken breasts with flour, it gives the chicken piccata a nice crust that the sauce can cling to.
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts as they are thin! They’re cooked when the internal temperature is 165F. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover chicken piccata with the sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can gently reheat on the stove for a few minutes until everything is heated throughout.
Can I use chicken thighs?
If you’d like to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, you can swap them in. You will have to adjust the cooking time depending on the size and thickness of the thighs.
Can I substitute the capers?
If you want to swap out the capers, you can use chopped green olives in their place as they have a similar tangy, salty, and briny flavor to them. Make sure not to use stuffed olives.
What is the difference between chicken marsala and piccata?
Traditionally, chicken marsala is made with a sauce using Marsala wine and includes sliced mushrooms and finished with heavy cream. Chicken piccata uses white wine, lemon juice, and capers.
What does piccata mean?
Piccata describes the process of pounding the meat flat, dredged in flour, seared, and cooked in a lemon-based sauce.
What should I serve with this chicken recipe?
Since this chicken piccata recipe has a flavorful lemony sauce, I like to serve the chicken with some noodles to soak up the sauce. Mashed potatoes or crusty bread are a great option as well. For a lighter side, try my green beans or glazed carrots. Roasted sweet potatoes, potatoes au gratin, broccoli salad, or potato salad are great sides as well.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Chicken Piccata recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chicken Piccata
Video
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup capers drained
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup parsley
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise then pound the chicken to flatten out.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge in flour.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and two tbsp butter to a large pan and warm on medium-high heat.
- Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add the stock, wine, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the pan then bring to a boil while stirring to deglaze ,reduce to a simmer and add the capers. Allow to reduce by half while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Return the chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the chicken cutlets. You can warm the chicken through on low if needed then sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Slicing the chicken breasts in half and then pounding them ensures that they are thin and will cook through quickly. Thin and even breasts will stay moist as you don’t risk the exterior drying out as the interior cooks through.
- If you have a smaller skillet, pan fry the chicken in two batches. You want enough room in the pan for the chicken breasts to brown nicely as they’ll steam you pack them if tightly.
- To get more juice out of a lemon, bring it to room temperature and roll it on the counter under your palm. Doing so will loosen up the juices so you can more easily squeeze the lemon.
- Don’t skip coating the chicken breasts with flour, it gives the chicken a nice crust that the sauce can cling to.
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts as they are thin! It’s cooked when the internal temperature is 165F. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
