Chicken Piccata

4 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Chicken Piccata is a perfectly tender, juicy, flavorful dinner. Delicious chicken coated in breadcrumbs and simmered in a lemon caper sauce.

This easy Chicken Piccata recipe is the perfect easy Weeknight Dinner that’s sure to impress. With its rich lemon caper sauce, the dish seems a lot more fancy and difficult than it actually is. For more surprisingly easy chicken recipes try Beer Braised Chicken Thighs and Chicken Parmesan next. 

Chicken Piccata in pan with lemon and parsley

Lemon Chicken Piccata is a wonderfully juicy and flavorful dish. The chicken is coated in Italian breadcrumbs and seasoning. Then the piccata sauce is made with chicken stock, white wine, lemon juice, and parsley. It’s a tangy, refreshing sauce, and the chicken soaks up lots of delicious flavor from it. 

Serve this classic dinner recipe up with equally classic side dishes like Mashed Potatoes, Dinner Rolls, or Roasted Broccoli. It’s a simple dish that’s easy to dress up with delicious sides for a special occasion. If you’re serving a bigger group for dinner, just use 4 chicken breasts and double up on the sauce ingredients. 

When you’re cooking boneless, skinless chicken breast, it’s easy for the tender meat to dry out. That’s why it’s important to tent the chicken in foil after cooking to trap the moisture inside. The good thing is it’s also good at absorbing the flavors around it. This is exactly what it does in this delicious recipe, so the whole dish is packed with savory, tangy flavor from the sauce. 

Lemon slices, butter, and capers simmering with stock in pan for Chicken Piccata

More Easy Chicken Recipes

Tips for Making Chicken Piccata

  • Chicken: Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, then press Italian breadcrumbs into both sides of each piece. Put your skillet over medium heat and add butter to the base. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side until it is cooked through and golden brown. Take the chicken out of the skillet and set it on a plate tented in foil. 
  • Piccata sauce: Add garlic and white wine to your pan. Stir them together, and let them reduce for 3 minutes. Add in the chicken broth, lemon slices, lemon juice, and capers. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half, then turn the heat off. Add 3 more tablespoons of butter and stir until the sauce is smooth. 
  • Serve: Return chicken to the pan, or pour the sauce over the chicken on your serving dish. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Chicken Piccata on plate with pasta

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make Creamy Chicken Piccata?

To make a more rich and creamy sauce, just whisk heavy cream into the Piccata sauce until it reaches your desired consistency.

Can I add Parmesan Cheese to Chicken Piccata?

To get a cheesy chicken recipe, try mixing ⅓ cup Parmesan in with the breadcrumbs before you coat the chicken in it.

What kind of breadcrumbs are used for Chicken Piccata?

Instead of Italian breadcrumbs you can use regular Panko breadcrumbs, whole wheat breadcrumbs, or a crushed pretzel coating. You can also make a gluten-free recipe by using gluten-free breadcrumbs.

What kinds of vegetables can be added to Chicken Piccata?

For some veggie add-ins try adding sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, spinach, or mushrooms.

Sides to Serve with Chicken Piccata

How to Store Chicken Piccata

  • Serve: Don’t leave the chicken out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 
  • Store: Let the Chicken Piccata cool down, then cover it in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container. It will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days. 
  • Freeze: You can also seal and freeze the chicken for up to 4 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before reheating it on the stovetop or in the oven. 
Chicken Piccata in pan with lemon and parsley

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Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is a perfectly tender, juicy, flavorful dinner. Delicious chicken coated in breadcrumbs and simmered in a lemon caper sauce.
Yield 4 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 2 large chicken breasts , boneless and skinless
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 lemon , thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup capers , drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup parsley , for garnish

Instructions

  • Cut the two chicken breasts into four thinner filets.
  • Season chicken with salt and pepper and press into Italian breadcrumbs on both sides.
  • Add 2 tablespoons butter to a large skillet on medium heat and cook chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.
  • Remove chicken from the pan and add to plate tented with foil.
  • To the pan add garlic and white wine.
  • Stir to combine then reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add in chicken broth, lemon slices, lemon juice, and capers and cook for 6-8 minutes until reduced by half.
  • Turn off heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and stir well until sauce is smooth and creamy.
  • Add the chicken back into the pan, spoon sauce over it to coat and garnish with minced parsley.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 1036mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword: Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This is way better than any chicken dish at our favorite restaurant. The lemon caper sauce is remarkable! Glad it’s just easy to make, I will definitely make this on repeat!

  2. We had this last weekend and it was a hit! The chicken was so juicy and tender, the sauce is a winner! Love it!

  3. Great recipe, Sabrina. Very flavorful and lemony. Added side of No Yolk noodles and a small green salad. Substituted chopped green olives for capers. Had enough leftover to make a chicken sandwich the next day. Toasted a bun. Added lettuce leaves, sliced chicken and leftover sauce or mayo. Was a real gourmet treat for lunch. Will make this chicken recipe again.

  4. Sabrina, this recipe was a HIT! DELICIOUS! THANK YOU so much! There were no leftovers. My husband wants me to make this once a week now.