Chicken Piccata

This restaurant quality chicken dish cooks in a skillet with a delicious lemon buttery sauce for a simple meal idea. The ingredients are simple and you will love how easy chicken piccata recipe is.

I make a lot of chicken recipes and this one is always on the menu. If you love this skillet chicken recipe, you may also love Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Fajitas, Tex-Mex Skillet Chicken Recipe, Moroccan Chicken, and Brown Sugar Skillet Chicken.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

• Ready in 30 minutes, start to finish — perfect for busy weeknights.
• Budget-friendly at about $1.77 a serving, but tastes like a restaurant meal.
• Simple pantry ingredients — no special trip to the store needed.
• Freezer-friendly, so you can make a double batch for later.”

Chicken Piccata is a lemon sauce dish cooked in a skillet for a simple meal idea. Piccata means ‘pounded flat,’ which describes how the chicken is prepared — pounded thin, dredged in flour, and cooked in a lemon butter sauce.

This recipe also works well with shrimp or veal. The bright lemon sauce tastes amazing spooned over pasta, and the whole dish is ready in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients 

• Skinless Chicken Breasts – Sliced in half to make 4 thin pieces. You can also use boneless chicken thighs.
• Garlic Powder – See The Best Garlic Powder Substitute if you are out
• All Purpose Flour – This is to dredge the chicken in for a delicious coating. You can also use gluten-free flour as an easy substitute.
• Butter – We used unsalted butter. This is added to the skillet to cook the chicken. You can also add in a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Dry White Wine – You can use 1 ½ cups of Chicken broth instead of the white wine in this recipe if you prefer.
• Chicken Broth – If you prefer a creamy sauce, add in ½ cup heavy cream and reduce the chicken broth.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor in this sauce. 
• Lemon Zest – Adds bright, fresh lemon flavor that juice alone can’t give you. Zest the lemon before you juice it.
• Salt & Black Pepper – Used both in the flour dredge and in the sauce, so the chicken is seasoned all the way through.
• Capers – Brinley, salty flavors blends perfectly with the lemon

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.

How to Make Chicken Piccata

Follow my simple instructions to learn how to make chicken piccata in your home kitchen.

Step 1 – Gently pound the boneless chicken breasts until they are approximately ½ inch thick with a meat mallet or rolling pin. 

Step 2 – In a shallow bowl, stir together the flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Dip each chicken cutlets into the flour, coating all sides, and gently shake off any excess flour mixture. 

Step 3 – Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet and melt over medium high heat. Cook the chicken pieces on both sides until browned (4-5 minutes).  Remove the chicken from the skillet to a separate plate. Work in batches if needed — crowding the pan will steam the chicken instead of browning it. Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.

Step 4 – Reduce the heat to medium. Add in white wine and chicken broth.  Scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer on medium low for 4-5 minutes. 

Step 5 – Reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining butter, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of Salt and black pepper. We also add in lemon slices for even more flavor.

Step 6 – Add the chicken back to the pan and coat it with the sauce in the skillet. Serve the lemon chicken piccata warm topped with the fresh parsley and shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Expert Tips

• Prepare Chicken – Anytime we cook chicken breasts, we like to ensure that the chicken is about the same size. We recommend pounding the chicken or filet so that it is about the same thickness which helps to ensure that it cooks evenly and about the same time.
• Skillet – To make this Chicken Piccata dish, you can use any type of large skillet. We like cooking in a Cast Iron Skillet as it cooks the chicken with the best texture and flavor.
• Cooking Chicken – Cooking time will vary but to ensure that your chicken is fully cooked, make sure to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Internal temp should reach 165 degrees when it is ready to serve.
• Want it creamy? Reduce the chicken broth to ½ cup, then stir in ½ cup of heavy cream in Step 5 along with the butter, capers, and lemon. Let it heat through for 1-2 minutes before adding the chicken back to the pan.
• Prep Ahead – Pound and flour the chicken up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. When it’s time to cook, dinner is ready in about 15 minutes.
• For Picky Eaters – Leave the capers out of a few portions before serving, or serve the sauce on the side so everyone can add as much (or as little) as they like.

What to Serve With Chicken Piccata?

Chicken Piccata is a delicious meal that can be served with many easy side dish recipes. Add these side dish combinations to make a complete meal.

• Instant pot White Rice Recipe or Stick of Butter Rice and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe
• Crockpot Mashed Potatoes Recipe, Green Beans and Bacon and Air Fryer Garlic Bread Recipe
• Easy Zucchini Noodles Recipe or Angel Pasta and Steamed Asparagus Recipe 

Frequently Asked Questions