Make this Chicken Piccata recipe for dinner tonight. This Italian classic chicken dish is so easy to make and prepare. The chicken breast is moist and smothered in a flavorful lemon caper sauce. Make it a complete meal by serving it with angel hair pasta or spaghetti. Your family will love this delicious Italian meal.
Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
Craving for some Italian food? Try this Chicken Piccata recipe. It's a simple one-pan chicken dish for any weeknight.
Chicken Piccata or Pichotta is one of the most popular chicken dishes you can find at any Italian restaurant. Surprisingly, you can make this restaurant-quality chicken dish at home in easy steps. It's not complicated and very affordable to make.
Flattened Chicken Breast with Lemon-Caper Sauce
This Piccata recipe is made of chicken breast with lemon-caper sauce.
The chicken breast is flattened to an even thickness then seasoned and dredged in flour before being browned in olive oil.
The lemon-caper sauce is made of pan drippings, unsalted butter, shallots, lemon, white wine, low-sodium chicken broth, dry white wine, and capers.
The Ingredients
Capers add a tangy and salty flavor to dishes. They are pickled in vinegar or brined in salt. For that reason, you need to rinse and drain the capers before using them for cooking.
You can find capers at any grocery market, such as Trader Joe's, Target, Walmart, Kroger, etc for around $1.49 and up. They are located near pickles, olives, or in the International aisle.
The best substitute for capers is green olives.
Dry white wine. It's a staple ingredient to add flavor to dishes and to deglaze the brown bits for a delicious pan sauce. You can use any white wine that isn't sweet and with high acidities, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc.
If you can't find dry white wine in your pantry, feel free to skip and use chicken broth instead.
Chicken broth. I highly recommend using low-sodium chicken broth so you can adjust the amount of sodium if needed.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
Step 1. Flatten the Chicken Breast
In this recipe, I used 4 chicken breasts (2 pounds). They were pretty small and thin so I just flattened them with a rolling pin. If you are using large chicken breasts, you need to butterfly and then cut them in half.
Step 2. Brown the Chicken Breast
- Dredge the chicken in flour then season with salt and black pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add 2 pieces of chicken breast and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add more oil into the skillet. Cook the other chicken breasts until browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step 3. Make Lemon-Caper Sauce
- Melt the butter then cook minced shallots for 45 seconds.
- Add white wine and chicken broth, deglaze for about 30 seconds.
- Add capers and lemon juice. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, black pepper, and/or lemon juice if necessary.
- Add the browned chicken breasts back into the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Check for doneness. The FDA recommends your chicken temperature to reach 165°F.
FAQ and Cooking Tips
You can serve chicken piccata with angel hair pasta or spaghetti, salad, or roasted vegetables on the side.
You can store the leftover chicken piccata in an airtight container. Properly store, it can last 3-4 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer.
Place the chicken breast in a large baking dish. Add a few tablespoons of chicken broth. Bake the leftover in the oven at 250°F for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature registers at 165°F.
Since this chicken piccata dish is acidic, try a fresh and aromatic white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc. The most important rule when it comes to wine-and-food pairing is to eat and drink what you like.
Check Out More Chicken Recipes
- Crock pot chicken stew
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Oven-Baked Rosemary Chicken
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo
📖 Recipe
Chicken Piccata
Equipment
- a 12 inch-skillet
Ingredients
- 4 small chicken breasts, (or use 2 large chicken breasts)
- 4 tablespoon olive oil, (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Lemon-Caper Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, (cut into small pieces)
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup capers, (rinsed and drained)
To Serve:
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Flatten the chicken with a rolling pin if you are using small chicken breasts. If you are using large chicken breasts, butterfly and halves.
- Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shake off any excess flour then season with salt and black pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add 2 pieces of chicken breast and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove and transfer to a plate. Repeat this process to brown the remaining chicken breasts. Set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter then cook shallots for 1 minute over medium heat. Add white wine and chicken broth, deglaze the pan for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and capers. Simmer, stir often for 2 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning with additional salt, black pepper, and extra lemon juice according to your liking.
- Add the browned chicken back into the pan and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes (It depends on the thickness )or until the internal temperature registers at 165°F. Serve with chopped parsley.
Anjali
We made this today! I didn't have capers on hand, but used your suggestion to substitute green olives and it still turned out great!
Jessie
This chicken was so amazing and so easy! We had it for dinner last night and everyone loved it. Thank you for an amazing dinner.
Angela
I love ordering chicken piccata when I go out to eat. I had no idea it was so easy to make. This is definitely going on my dinner menu rotation.
Serena
I remember the first time I made chicken piccata. I thought it was going to be so difficult. It's so simple and tastes delicious.
Andrea
I'm all in for this super easy to make and delicious chicken piccata.
Rika
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback, Serena!
Rika
I agree with you Andrea.
Rika
I am glad that you liked it, Angela.
Rika
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! I am glad that this recipe turned out well for you.
Rika
Thanks, Anjali. I am glad that you enjoyed this recipe.