Take an Italian classic right into your home with this simple chicken piccata recipe. The flavorful dish takes chicken cutlets and cooks them in a lemony, caper-filled butter sauce to create a mouthwatering dish!
You don’t have to go out to eat to get a great serving of chicken piccata. This recipe is great for a weeknight dinner, a special night at home, or a family gathering. The simple dish gives off an elevated taste and a restaurant-quality feel, especially if you pair it with Crispy Parmesan Potatoes.
FLAVORFUL CHICKEN PICCATA FOR DINNER
Chicken piccata is a classic Italian dish that takes simple ingredients and highlights them in the best way possible. The traditional dish is a staple in most Italian restaurants. Because of this, you may think it would be super complicated to make at home. Think again! This traditional dish can be made in the comfort of your own kitchen. Plus, it will easily taste better than anything you would get at a restaurant!
When it comes to chicken piccata, the star of the dish is the caper-filled sauce. The sauce starts with a simple chicken stock or white wine base. Then, lemon juice and capers are added to the pan to create a strong, acidic flavor. A hit of butter then finishes the sauce, turning it into a smooth and creamy mixture for the chicken to be coated in.
Don’t worry if acidic foods are not your thing. The butter helps turn this sauce into a super creamy vehicle and makes it taste out of this world. It’s so good that you could drink it with a straw on its own.
Not a fan of chicken piccata? Try our amazing chicken marsala instead! The chicken dish is always a fan favorite!
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CHICKEN PICCATA
- Skinless and boneless chicken breasts – butterfly and cut the chicken in half before dredging it in the flour.
- All-purpose flour – great for dredging the chicken without adding flavor.
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice – use fresh lemon and not bottled lemon juice for a stronger flavor.
- Chicken stock or dry white wine – both will add excellent flavor to the sauce.
- Brined capers
- Parsley – chop up the herb to finish off the dish.
- Lemon – for garnishing the dish when finished cooking.
HOW TO MAKE LEMONY CHICKEN PICCATA
1. PREPARE THE CHICKEN
Slice the chicken breast in half horizontally, butterflying them open. If the pieces are extra thick, you can place them between plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to make them the proper size.
2. DREDGE AND COOK THE CHICKEN
In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the pieces of chicken in the flour mixture and set to the side. When you are ready to cook the chicken, take a large skillet on medium heat and add olive oil and butter to the pan. Add the chicken to the hot pan, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side. Continue until all of the chicken has been cooked.
3. MAKE THE SAUCE
In the same pan that the chicken was cooked in, add the chicken stock or white wine, lemon juice, and capers. Use a spatula to scrap the brown bits off the pan. This will add excellent flavor to the sauce. Cook the sauce in the pan until it has reduced by half. Whisk in the butter and watch the sauce come together.
4. COMBINE THE SAUCE AND THE CHICKEN
When the sauce is ready, plate the chicken and serve with the sauce right on top of it. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemons. Serve while warm and enjoy!
HOW TO STORE CHICKEN PICCATA
Any leftover chicken piccata will stay in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Keep everything in an airtight container, including the sauce. When you are ready to reheat the chicken, add everything to a saucepan on low heat for the best result.
Unfortunately, chicken piccata isn’t great when frozen. The sauce tends to separate and doesn’t do well when reheated. It is best to make this dish fresh and enjoy it fresh.
FAQ
Chicken piccata is great as a main dish and can be served with a variety of side dishes. Serve the chicken alongside a big salad, roasted vegetables, or crispy potatoes.
Both chicken dishes are made in a very similar way. While they are both served in a lemon butter sauce, the chicken piccata sauce includes capers which are not included when making chicken Francese.
If using white wine in the sauce instead of chicken stock, go with a Sauvignon Blanc. The white wine has fruit and herbal notes, which pair perfectly with the sauce. It also is a wine with high acidity and matches the levels with the lemons and capers in the sauce.
MORE CHICKEN DISHES TO ENJOY
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb skinless and boneless chicken breasts butterflied and then cut in half
- all-purpose flour for dredging
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
- 1/4 cup brined capers rinsed
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 lemon sliced
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. If the pieces are thick, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture until well coated.
- Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces and brown for about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve it on a plate.
- Add the remaining breasts to the and cook.
- Add the breasts to a roasting pan with a rack and keep in a warm oven while you prepare the sauce.
- Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits and reduce the sauce by half.
- Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken immediately. Sprinkle with parsley and fresh lemon juice.