Chicken piccata is an Italian-American favorite and one of the easiest weeknight dinner recipes to make at home. Juicy chicken breasts are dredged in flour, seared with a golden crust, then simmered in a lemon butter sauce with a touch of capers and parsley. It’s a beautiful and tasty dinner that comes together quickly!
What is Chicken Piccata?
Without a doubt — chicken piccata is the perfect fusion of Italian cooking in America. Traditionally, piccata is an Italian dish consisting of thinly breaded veal (or other proteins) with a lemon butter wine sauce. But today we’re using chicken, and I’d say we’ve perfected this dish that’s dotted with garlic, capers, and fresh parsley. The more herbs and garlic, the better, right?
And while we’re big fans of this Tuscan chicken or chicken Marsala, this chicken piccata recipe is another Italian-inspired favorite. It’s juicy, lemony, and just what you need to give chicken breasts a fresh new lift at dinner.
Chicken Piccata Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: You’ll need a couple of large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Dredging Mixture: To achieve that golden crust, coat the chicken in a mixture of flour, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. I’m using arrowroot flour as a gluten-free option. But you could use almost any flour in this recipe, so choose your favorite.
- Chicken Piccata Sauce: This is the heart and soul of the recipe! The sauce consists of fresh lemon juice, a dry white wine, chicken broth, butter, garlic, capers, and fresh parsley. If you don’t want to use white wine, you could also substitute it with more chicken broth.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
How To Make Chicken Piccata
Slice the chicken. We’re going for a “scaloppine” type of dish here, which essentially means thinly sliced meat. So, you’ll need to slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, as if you were going to butterfly them. Thinner chicken also cooks faster – something we all love on busy weeknights!
Coat the chicken. Mix the flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish (using a plate can get a bit messy!). Then dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides.
Cook the chicken. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until perfectly golden. Then use tongs to remove the chicken pieces to a separate plate.
Make the sauce. Add the wine and garlic to the pan, letting it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until reduced by about half. Then add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and butter. Keep stirring the sauce until it begins to simmer again.
Add the chicken. Add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce on top until each piece is coated well. Then let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through. And for the finishing touch, sprinkle some fresh parsley on top!
Storage Tips
Don’t be alarmed if there are no leftovers over. Yes, it’s that kind of recipe. But if you need to store any away, here’s how:
- To store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure to save all the extra sauce left in the pan as well!
- To freeze: You might want to plan ahead and make a second batch to store in the freezer! It will keep for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
More Chicken Recipes
There are never enough chicken dinner ideas. So here are a few of my favorite chicken breast recipes to keep your weeknights a bit more interesting.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Butter Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Grilled Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast (or this Best Baked Chicken Breast)
- Creamy Cajun Chicken
Without a doubt, this chicken piccata will become a dinner favorite. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out in the comment box below!
Description
Video
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour (or other flour)
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut the chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally.
- Coat the chicken: Mix flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish. Dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through with a golden crust. Use tongs to remove the chicken to a plate.
- Make the sauce: Add the wine and garlic to the pan, letting it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half. Then add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and butter, stirring until it begins to simmer again.
- Add the chicken: Add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce on top and let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until warmed through.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- As an alternative to slicing the chicken breasts in half, you could purchase 4 smaller chicken breasts and pound them thinner with a kitchen mallet.
Nutrition
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Wow! Left out the capers, but it was so great. Thank you!
Hi Jojo – I’m happy you loved it!
OMG This was by far the easiest and most delicious chicken picatta recipe I have ever made. It was the first time my grandkids 3 and 16 mo have ever tried it and they ate every bit of it . I’m a very proud Gigi and it has already been requested again. Love all your recipes 😍
Oh wonderful! I’m glad this recipe was easy to follow along to, Kelly!
This was so easy and so delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Thrilled to hear you loved this chicken piccata, Karen!
This is so delicious! I’ve made it a few times now and I stick exactly to the recipe. This is one that I can’t stop at one serving!
It really is hard to stop at one serving! Enjoy, Patty.
Just sat down to eat them, I have to say it’s getting harder every time to choose which recipe of yours is my favourite. I am
Loving this Chicken Piccata and can see my family asking me to make them. It’s very fresh, light and wonderfully tasty and succulent. I am eating this with steamed broccoli and some grains to mop up the wonderful sauce. It’s garlicky without being garlicky, you can taste the wine without it dominating the tastebuds. Definitely making them again on Sunday instead of Sunday roast.
Hi Dorothy – Happy to hear this one has also become a hit!
This is the first time I’ve made Chicken Piccata, and it was so delicious!! I’ve had it many times in restaurants, but never thought I could make it to where it tasted the same at home. I’m finding a new love of cooking from your recipes!!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe and that it’s inspired you to cook more as well!