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Chicken piccata is a classic Italian-American dish that’s as elegant as it is simple. Juicy chicken cutlets are pan-seared until golden and paired with a tangy lemon butter and caper sauce that’s bursting with flavor. Ready in just 35 minutes, this recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight yet special enough to impress guests. Serve it over pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or alongside crusty bread to soak up every drop of the irresistible sauce. Whether you’re new to cooking or a seasoned home chef, this dish is a must-try!

A pan of chicken piccata glistens with lemon slices, capers, and fresh parsley in a rich lemon butter sauce. Nearby, a striped cloth and a pepper grinder complete this picture-perfect dish.

Add fabulous flavor to dinnertime with this delicious chicken piccata. Zesty lemon, briny capers and a garlicky, buttery sauce pair with juicy golden brown chicken.

You might also like pesto fettuccine with Bolognese sauce, chicken scallopine with lemon sauce, chicken Milanese or ravioli lasagna.

Prepared a savory chicken piccata in a pan, elegantly garnished with lemon slices, capers, and fresh parsley.

Why You’ll Love It

Really tasty: Tangy lemon, briny capers and a rich, buttery sauce pair so well with the succulent chicken. The flavors in chicken piccata really sing.
Simple to prepare: This isn’t a difficult dish to make. You just need to sear the chicken, prepare the lemon sauce and mix everything together.
Pairs with all kinds of sides: Take your pick from all your favorite side dishes – mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, veggies – anything goes with this easy chicken piccata recipe.

A fork pierces a piece of savory chicken piccata, adorned with capers and lemon slices, served alongside green beans and creamy mashed potatoes. In the background, lemon wedges and wooden pepper mills add a rustic touch to the scene.

Easy Chicken Piccata Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Chicken breasts: Slice boneless skinless chicken breasts in half to make them thinner.
Lemon: You need lemon zest and lemon juice to make chicken piccata, and you can also serve the finished dish with lemon slices.
Capers: These add a distinctive briny taste to the chicken piccata recipe.
White wine: Choose a dry white wine, perhaps Pinot Grigio.
Flour: To coat the chicken and give it a crispy crust.
Chicken broth: For the sauce.

A collection of ingredients on a countertop for chicken piccata, including raw chicken breasts, wine, garlic, butter, capers, lemon, flour, parsley, pepper, salt, olive oil, broth, and lemon zest.

How to Make Lemon Chicken with Capers

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Prepare the chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make them thinner, then season with salt and pepper. Coat these chicken cutlets in flour.
Sear the chicken: Sear the chicken in olive oil and butter in a large skillet over a medium high heat until golden brown, then put it on a plate.
Make the piccata sauce: Sauté the minced garlic in the same pan and then add butter, chicken broth or chicken stock, wine, lemon juice and zest, and capers.
The finishing touches: Add the chicken back into the lemony piccata sauce and cook until thick, flipping halfway through the cooking time and stirring occasionally. Serve hot with lemon slices and chopped fresh parsley for garnish if liked.

A plated dish featuring breaded fish à la chicken piccata, topped with lemon slices and capers on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. Green beans sit elegantly on the side, accompanied by lemon halves, salt and pepper shakers, and a glass of crisp white wine.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour.
White wine: Dry white wine is best in a chicken piccata recipe. A sweet wine doesn’t work as well. Consider Pinot Grigio or an unoaked Chardonnay.
Alcohol-free version: Swap the white wine for extra chicken broth.
Chicken breasts: You can use chicken tenderloins or small chicken breast cutlets, using a meat mallet to flatten them to 1-inch thickness. As chicken breasts tend to be uneven, this helps the whole thing cook evenly. Another idea is using boneless chicken thighs.
Creamy sauce: To make a creamy sauce, take the skillet off the the heat when the chicken is done and whisk in ¼ cup heavy cream.
Olive oil: Sub avocado oil or your preferred cooking oil.

A delightful twist on a classic, this dish features tender chicken piccata paired with capers and lemon slices, served atop creamy mashed potatoes with crisp green beans. A perfectly chilled glass of white wine completes the scene in the background.

Serving Suggestions

Appetizers: Begin your meal with an antipasto salad or baked feta soup.
Side dishes:
Chicken piccata is delicious served with garlic mashed potatoes, pasta, egg noodles, white rice, or with crusty bread. Roasted rainbow carrots or green beans or would also be good on the side.
Desserts:
Finish up with maritozzi cream buns.

A sizzling skillet of chicken piccata garnished with lemon slices, capers, and parsley graces the wooden table.

How to Store Chicken Piccata

Store: Allow the chicken piccata to cool completely and then store in an airtight container and eat within 4 days. I recommend keeping the pan sauce with the chicken to help keep it moist.
Freeze: You can freeze chicken piccata in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw:
 Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: Warm it back up gently in a skillet on the stove.

A fork slices through the savory chicken piccata, adorned with lemon slices and capers, elegantly nestled on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.

Top Tips

Thin chicken breasts: Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise/horizontally to make thinner cuts which cook evenly and cook faster. Alternatively, use a meat mallet to get them thin and even.
Fresh lemon juice: Don’t use bottled lemon juice. This gorgeous Italian recipe is best made using fresh lemon juice (you need a fresh lemon for the zest anyway).
Heat olive oil before searing: Make sure the oil is hot when you add the chicken, otherwise the chicken will soak up the oil rather than sizzling in it.
Chicken doneness: When the chicken is 165°F in the thickest part, it’s done. If this happens before the sauce is thickened enough, remove the chicken to a plate so it doesn’t overcook.

Chicken piccata featuring fried chicken cutlets with lemon slices, capers, and parsley sizzles perfectly in a cast-iron skillet.

Chicken Piccata FAQs

Do I need more sauce to serve chicken piccata over noodles?

You might want to double the chicken piccata sauce depending on how many servings of chicken piccata you plan to make. That way, each serving will have enough sauce to coat the noodles.

How can I thicken the sauce?

If you want a gravy-like consistency because you’re serving the dish over mashed potatoes, combine a tablespoon each of cornstarch and cold water and stir this into the piccata sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until it’s thickened up to your liking.

A plated dish featuring breaded fish à la chicken piccata, topped with lemon slices and capers on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. Green beans sit elegantly on the side, accompanied by lemon halves, salt and pepper shakers, and a glass of crisp white wine.

Best Chicken Piccata Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Piccata

Add fab flavor to dinnertime with delicious chicken piccata. Zesty lemon, briny capers and a buttery sauce pair with juicy chicken.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients 

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise to make thinner cuts
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3 to 5 Cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Cup chicken broth
  • ½ Cup dry white wine, or sub chicken broth
  • juice of 1 large lemon
  • ½ Cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Stick butter, 8 Tablespoons
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons capers, drained

Optional Garnishes:

  • parsley, freshly chopped
  • lemon slices

Instructions 

  • Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Coat each piece of chicken with flour.
  • Heat a skillet over a medium-high heat.
  • Add 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter.
  • Once hot, sear half the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on both sides until browned.
  • Move the seared chicken onto a plate.
  • Repeat with the remaining chicken.
  • Add the garlic to the same skillet and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant.
  • Add the rest of the butter to the skillet, along with the chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, and capers.
  • Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Put the chicken back in the skillet and turn the heat down to a low simmer.
  • Cook for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered, or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is 165°F in the thickest part. Flip the chicken halfway through cooking and stir the sauce every now and then.
  • Serve hot with the pan sauce spooned over the chicken, garnished with lemon slices and/or chopped parsley if liked.

Notes

Thin chicken breasts: Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise/horizontally to make thinner cuts which cook evenly and cook faster. Alternatively, use a meat mallet to get them thin and even.
Fresh lemon juice: Don’t use bottled lemon juice. This gorgeous Italian recipe is best made using fresh lemon juice (you need a fresh lemon for the zest anyway).
Heat olive oil before searing: Make sure the oil is hot when you add the chicken, otherwise the chicken will soak up the oil rather than sizzling in it.
Chicken doneness: When the chicken is 165°F in the thickest part, it’s done. If this happens before the sauce is thickened enough, remove the chicken to a plate so it doesn’t overcook.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1067mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

This mouthwatering lemon chicken piccata recipe is so good. Juicy chicken pairs with tangy lemon, briny capers and a wonderfully buttery sauce. Whether you choose to serve your chicken piccata with mashed potatoes, pasta or rice, you’re definitely going to love the zesty lemon flavor, golden brown succulent chicken and the rich lemon butter sauce.

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Bella Bucchiotti

Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.

 

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Recipe Rating




5 from 1 vote

1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    That tangy lemon butter sauce elevated the chicken. It was my first time making piccata and I can tell you it will become a part of my regular rotation now.