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.
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. π 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. π
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:
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Easy Chicken Marsala
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken
- Lemon Chicken Stuffed Shells Recipe
- Lemon Butter Chicken
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.
Easy Chicken Piccata
This easy chicken piccata recipe is a classic Italian American dish with a lemon butter caper sauce that's fast to make at home!
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
Instructions
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Slice chicken breasts lengthwise (I butterfly then cut in half) to make 4 thinner cutlets. Trim off any fat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder. Coat the chicken in flour.
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Add 2 tablespoons of the butter plus the olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
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Once the pan is hot, cook the chicken pieces for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden.
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Remove the chicken from skillet and set aside.
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Take the pan off the heat and add the the chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and capers to the skillet. Scrape up any brown bits.
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Stir in the cream and return the pan to the heat. Once it's bubbling again, add the chicken back into the pan. If you want to make this recipe without cream, increase the chicken broth to 3/4 cup.
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Cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to your liking (you may need to turn down the heat a bit if it's bubbling furiously). If the sauce thickens too much, add more broth.
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Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
- If using smaller chicken breasts, leave them intact (but you will likely need to cook them for a bit longer).
- If you don't want the cream in it, I recommend omitting it entirely vs. using something like half-and-half because the sauce is likely to curdle and not thicken as well.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if sensitive to salt.
- I highly recommend this lemon zester.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Jeanie says
Geez girl! Everything Iβve made of yours is so good! We donβt eat dairy or sugar, we use plant based dairy products and coconut sugar instead and they still taste amazing in your recipes that call for such. I used Forager Heavy (plant-based) Cream in this and it was fantastic! Thanks for the good recipes that are so easy yet taste complex.
Natasha says
Aww thank you so much!! π I am so happy to hear that. XO
Nancy says
Iβm about to make this, but you donβt mention white wine. Iβll let you know how much I used & how it turned out. Drats -I have no capers, so hopefully the lemon & dry wine will help! My mouth is watering just reading your recipe!
Natasha says
Hi Nancy! You could definitely replace the chicken broth with white wine if you wanted. I love cooking with white wine, but a lot of people don't, so I figured I'd make the recipe more accessible. I hope you enjoy the recipe π
Jeanette says
This was an amazing recipe, very easy. And so very tasty.
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for commenting!
Beth says
This was FABULOUS! We've tried other Piccata recipes. Wanted to try a new one. THIS is it!!! Never going back. Creamy, hint of lemon, tender, right amount of sauce. My husband is picky and he LOVES this. Will be on my "make a lot " list! Thank you soooo much.
Natasha says
I am so happy to hear that!! Thanks for commenting! π
Dan Russo says
I haven't tried it yet, but this looks like the recipe for me. I live alone and don't keep a 1001 spices and 5# quantities of everything. Piccata is one of my favorites.
Grazie mille!!!
Natasha says
Let me know if you try it, Dan!
Kristen Waas says
This was delicious! I used chicken thighs and had to peel and chop up the lemon zest because I don't have a zester - it was so tasty I actually cried. I cried real tears. Making it again soon!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you liked it so much, Kristen!! π XO
Janice says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I didn't have capers so substituted finely chopped green olives and it worked. Would like to try it again with capers. Thank you for your delicious recipes. I would rather paint or read than cook, but I use your recipes all the time when I do cook!
Natasha says
Love the olives idea! And thank you... I am so happy you enjoy my recipes π
Tracey says
We made this recipe tonight for a dinner party (X 4)! Everyone loved it! We will definitely make this again...great recipe thank you π
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Thanks for letting me know!! π
Elizabeth says
Approximate weight of the chicken breasts? Thanks
Natasha says
About a pound or so in total.
jen says
Made this recipe tonight and the only thing I regrettably had to omit was the capers. Apparently my kids "hate them" even though they have never tried them- ha! Anyways it was delicious even to my pickiest of eaters. Thank you!
Natasha says
Haha oh well, I'm glad it still tasted good!
Diane LaCalamita says
Good to know! I don't have capers on hand and am not going out to the stores for any reason at this point.
Patti says
Very easy & delicious!
Natasha says
Thanks so much for letting me know, Patti! So glad you liked it!
Jeanne says
I just made this and it was delicious! I always think of chicken piccata as super time consuming but this was easy and quick.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! π
Maria says
AMAZING! Doubled the sauce and the capers because I used more chicken. My 11 year old claimed it was better than what he has had at our local Italian restaurant. So quick and easy, perfect for a weekday meal.
Natasha says
Wow... that's quite the compliment! Thank your son for me. π Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment!
Arran Valkin says
Thank you. Great tips. Cooks don't forget to double the sauce ingredients when making a double quantity.