This chicken piccata recipe brings together golden seared chicken cutlets and a silky lemon, butter and caper sauce for a dish that’s ready in just 35 minutes, but tastes like it was simmering all day on the stove!
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This is one of those dishes people always ask me to make, and I can’t help but chuckle because it is surprisingly simple. Like my Italian Pork Milanese, it gives off full Italian grandma vibes, even though it is easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Serve it with pasta for a casual meal or bring it out when you have company over. Just be warned, everyone suddenly forgets table manners when the sauce shows up.
What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken piccata is a classic Italian-American dish made with thin chicken cutlets that are lightly dredged and pan-seared until golden and juicy, and then finished in a bright lemon, butter, and wine sauce with briny capers. The sauce is what makes it stand out…it’s tangy, savory, and a touch creamy from a big knob of butter. Yum!
What You’ll Need
- Chicken cutlets – “piccata” means “pounded flat” in Italian, so look for thinly sliced chicken breasts in the grocery store, or ask your butcher to pound them for you, about ¼ inch thick!
- Chicken broth – chicken broth is the base for the sauce. Learn How to Make Chicken Broth if you prefer homemade!
- Dry white wine – dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, adds acidity and a fruity complexity that is signature in chicken piccata. If you don’t want to use wine, you can always use just chicken broth, but keep in mind the sauce will lack the same complexity!
- All-purpose flour – dredge the chicken in flour, helping the chicken brown. Also the little bits of flour help thicken the pan sauce…yum!
- Fresh lemon juice – you can’t have chicken piccata without lots of fresh lemon juice for the sauce’s classic, bright flavor. Don’t use the bottled stuff for this dish. Fresh lemon juice is worth it!
- Unsalted butter – butter not only helps brown and flavor the chicken, but it creates a silky, slightly creamy sauce that’s honestly drinkable. Without butter, the sauce just isn’t the same!
- Extra virgin olive oil – olive oil helps pan sear the chicken, adding fruity, rich flavor.
- Capers – capers add pops of salty, brininess. While you can leave them out, it’s a signature part of the dish.
- Shallots – shallots add subtle sweet complexity and texture to the sauce, without overpowering it.
- Garlic – a little garlic makes everything better!
- Fresh Italian parsley (to garnish) – the perfect pop of green and freshness for chicken piccata, it has to be a parsley garnish!
How to Make Chicken Piccata
Making the best, most flavorful chicken piccata is actually easy to make! Here’s an outline of the steps; the full recipe is in the recipe card below.
Dredge chicken. Dredge cutlets in flour mixed with salt and pepper, shaking off excess.
Pan sear chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once preheated, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, swirling around. Add cutlets in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until chicken is light golden and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a clean plate.
Make sauce. Over medium heat, add shallot and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute in the pan juices. Add wine, scraping down brown bits. Add broth, lemon juice, capers, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Simmer. Add in the chicken, in a single layer. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Finish sauce. Plate cutlets, keeping the sauce in the pan. Over low heat, add 4 tablespoons of cold butter to the sauce, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking vigorously until sauce thickens and is well-combined.
Serve! Spoon sauce over cutlets, and finish with parsley!
My Pro Tip
Pro Tips
- Buy pre-pounded chicken: save the work and buy chicken cutlets (thinly sliced chicken breasts) or ask your butcher to pound them to roughly ¼” thickness for you!
- Use a stainless steel skillet: for the best sear on your chicken, use stainless steel!
- Get the pan hot before adding chicken: this will get you a nice sear so the outside turns golden fast without overcooking the inside.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: cook chicken in batches if needed. Crowding causes steaming instead of browning.
- Add butter on low heat: vigorously whisk butter in at the end, on low heat, so the sauce turns silky and creamy instead of breaking.
What to Serve With Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is bright, lemony and buttery, so it pairs best with sides that either soak up that delish sauce or balance the richness and acidity. Here are my favorite sides:
- Pasta: the classic…you can’t go wrong with plain spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, or even Lemon Pasta.
- Other starches: queue the Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, or Homemade Baguette for dipping.
- Veggies: balance it out with Broiled Asparagus, Roasted Green Beans, Sautéed Broccoli, or Sautéed Spinach!
Storing Leftovers
Once cooled completely, store the chicken and sauce together in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store pasta separately so it doesn’t soak up all the sauce!
Reheat in a 350℉ oven, in a covered dish, until warmed through, or in quick spurts until just warm in the microwave. Reheat pasta separately on the stovetop or microwave with a generous splash of olive oil.
More Chicken Recipes YOU’ll Love!
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Juicy Baked Chicken Meatballs
If you’ve tried this Chicken Piccata Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
Best Chicken Piccata
Equipment
- Large skillet (preferably stainless steel)
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken cutlets, roughly ¼ inch thickness
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Dredge chicken cutlets in flour mixed with salt and pepper, shaking off excess.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat (stainless steel browns chicken better!). Once fully preheated, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, swirling around.
- Once melted, add cutlets in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side (4-6 minutes total), until chicken is light golden and cooked through (registering 165℉).
- Transfer chicken to a clean plate, and set aside. If you’re making pasta, start boiling it now!
- Over medium heat, add shallot and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute in the pan juices.
- Add wine, scraping down brown bits.
- Then add broth, lemon juice, capers, and salt and pepper. Gently simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken back in, in a single layer. Gently simmer for 3 minutes.
- Plate cutlets (over pasta if desired), keeping the sauce in the pan.
- Over low heat, add 4 tablespoons of cold butter to the sauce, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking vigorously until sauce thickens and is well-combined.
- Spoon sauce over cutlets, and finish with fresh parsley!
Video
Notes
- While you can use a nonstick skillet, stainless steel is highly recommended to help chicken brown on the outside and stay juicy on the inside! If you like your chicken darker golden, increase heat while searing to medium-high.
- Look for thinly sliced chicken breasts (AKA chicken cutlets) pre-pounded and sliced in the grocery store!
- Don’t want to use wine? You can use all chicken broth, but keep in mind wine adds lots of flavor.
- Prep all ingredients ahead (not as you cook) for the best results.
- Yes, you can add up to ¼ cup heavy cream to the sauce at the end if you’d like!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Better than any Chicken Piccata I’ve ever tasted, and easy!
Honestly BETTER than any restaurant I’ve ever been to! The sauce is actually drinkable LOL.
HA! That sauce is almost TOO good!
Grace