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Easy Chicken Piccata

Name: Easy Chicken Piccata
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise); Salt (to taste); Pepper (to taste); 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; Flour (for dredging); 4 tablespoons butter (divided); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 cup chicken broth (or dry white wine); 1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon; 1 tablespoon brined capers (drained); 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream; Garnish (optional) chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese

Published February 5, 2020 / Updated September 2, 2020 / 88 Comments

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This easy chicken piccata recipe is a classic Italian American dish with a lemon butter caper sauce that's fast to make at home! A few simple ingredients, 25 minutes, and you're set.

lemon chicken piccata served over buttered egg noodles (in a bowl) — Those buttered egg noodles are so good...

I provide instructions for two different versions of this dreamy chicken dish in this blog post. One is a creamy chicken piccata, and the other is not. They're both very tasty, and depending on your mood or dietary restrictions, you may want to try one version or both. 🙂 This recipe is great for family dinners or when you're having company.

This post was originally published on September 4, 2015. I periodically go through and update select older blog posts with new photos, better info, and more clearly written recipes.

So, what is chicken piccata, anyway? Chicken piccata sauce is simply a combination of butter, oil, fresh lemon juice, and capers. I add a bit of lemon zest to this dish as well to give it a bit of extra zing. And, the cream takes it to the next level in my opinion. This yummy sauce coats the pan-fried chicken and it's beyond delicious.

Chicken piccata is a recipe that I frequently see on restaurant menus. It's one of those things that I hardly ever order, though, because it's so easy to make at home. This is definitely a restaurant-quality chicken dinner, without any of the hassle.

The best part of this dish is that there's minimal preparation and it doesn't take long to cook so it's perfect for injecting some variety into your busy weeknight dinners.

The chicken breast in this lemon chicken piccata recipe is super tender, and the buttery goodness melts in your mouth. Just be sure not to overcook the chicken - it really doesn't need a lot of time at all since we're slicing it nice and thin.

How to make chicken piccata

Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt & pepper then dredge them in the flour. Brown for 4-5 min/side. Remove them from the pan and add the chicken broth, lemon juice, butter, capers, and cream. Return the chicken to the pan and cook through. Easy!

Can I make this recipe without the cream?

You can definitely make this recipe without the cream! If you do so, increase the chicken broth to 3/4 cup. You could even do a half chicken broth/half white wine mix. I don't recommend subbing the cream for something like milk or half-and-half for a couple of reasons. The lemon will likely curdle the sauce, and the sauce won't thicken as well. Either omit it completely or use heavy cream.

What to serve with chicken piccata?

I love it with rice and green beans. It's also great over pasta (like the buttered egg noodles in the photos) or with mashed potatoes! And adding some freshly grated parmesan cheese at the end... oh boy. 😀

Recipe notes, tips & tricks:

If using small chicken breasts, you can keep them intact, but they may take a few more minutes to cook through.
You can try using chicken thighs if you prefer. They may take a little longer to cook.
Try subbing the chicken broth for dry white wine if you want to try something a little different!
I love using my splatter guard in recipes like this one - saves a lot of clean-up hassle.
I zest the lemon with my Microplane zester/grater (it's super handy and good for parmesan cheese as well). You don't need to worry about getting every bit of zest from the lemon, but I really love the flavor it adds to the dish, so I recommend adding at least some.
I find the recipe perfectly salted with regular chicken broth, but if you're at all sensitive to salt, use a low-sodium one.

Other chicken recipes you'll love:

I hope you will give this easy chicken recipe a try.

Have you made this recipe? Got questions? Let me know in the comments below! And, as always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.