Des

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Easy Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is one of my favorite busy weeknight meals. Topped with a delectable lemon caper sauce, this is a chicken recipe the whole family will love!

If you are looking for a way to jazz up a boring ol’ chicken breast, you have got to try this easy chicken piccata recipe. Pan fried chicken is topped with a buttery lemon caper sauce.

And, not only is it delicious, it comes together with ease in about 30 minutes. That means that this dinner is perfect for busy weeknights.

Chicken Picctata in a pan.

What is piccata sauce?

Piccata simply means a thin cut of meat served in a sauce with butter, lemon and capers. In Italy it is often called scaloppine and is made with veal. In the United States Chicken Piccata is the most popular version.

What ingredients do you need:

Ingredients needed for chicken piccata.

CHICKEN BREASTS: Boneless skinless. I like to halve them lengthwise so they cook a little faster. You can also buy thin cut chicken breasts.

FLOUR, PANKO BREADCRUMBS AND GRANULATED GARLIC: This mixture works as the coating for the chicken breasts. The panko adds just a bit of crunch so don’t skip it!

BUTTER: This is the ingredient that makes the sauce so delectable.

OLIVE OIL: I like to add a bit to the butter before sautéing the chicken, to help keep the butter from burning.

WHITE WINE: Use whatever dry white wine you prefer. I like to use sauvignon blanc.

DES’ TIP:Whenever you are cooking with wine, make sure that it is something that you enjoy the the taste of. When it cooks down, as it does in this sauce, it will concentrate the flavor of the wine.

CHICKEN BROTH: Use low sodium so you can control the salt content.

NON-PERIL CAPERS: Capers are the pickled buds of a flower. You can find them in the condiment and pickles section of the grocery store.

DES’ TIP: Because they are pickled, capers can be rather briny and salty. I prefer to rinse them for this dish so they don’t make it overly salty. 

Spooning caper butter onto chicken.

Step By Step Photos and Instructions:

Step by step photos for making chicken piccata.

STEP #1: Combine flour, panko bread crumbs and granulated garlic in a shallow dish.

STEP #2: Sprinkle chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and panko mixture. Let set 10 minutes.

STEP #3: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil together in a large skillet just until the butter melts. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through. About 3 minutes per side. Remove, cover and set aside to keep warm.

STEP #4: In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, whisk in the wine, chicken broth and capers.

DES’ TIP: Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. They are loaded with flavor! 

STEP #5: Add in remaining butter and swirl until it melts into the sauce. Serve sauce over chicken.

What do you serve with chicken piccata?

Overhead photo of chicken piccata on a plate with mashed potatoes and green beans.

One of my favorite parts about this recipe is the buttery sauce so I like to serve it with creamy mashed potatoes. The sauce acts like a kind of gravy and is so scrumptious! To round out the meal serve it with a green salad, green beans or sautéed broccoli.

My entire family loves this chicken piccata. And I love how easy it is. Give it. a try and I’m sure it’ll quickly become a meal rotation favorite for you too! And if you want even MORE piccata, you’ve got to check out my recipe for scallop piccata.

We love capers around here. Do you? If so you have got to check out some these recipes featuring these briny gems:

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

Marinated Goat Cheese 

Salmon with Lemon Caper Butter 

Artichoke Tapenade

Looking for more easy chicken dinner recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo 

Lemon Pepper Chicken 

40 Clove Chicken Recipe

Artichoke Chicken 

Note: This recipe was originally written and posted in 2009. It was updated with new pictures, step by step photos and nutrition information in 2020.

Chicken piccata on a white plate with green beans and mashed potatoes.

Easy Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is one of my favorite busy weeknight meals. Topped with a delectable lemon caper sauce, this is a chicken recipe the whole family will love!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 1044 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

  • 4 - 5 thinly cut boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • fresh cracked black pepper and kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons butter divided
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 4 tablespoons nonpareil capers rinsed

Instructions
 

  • Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Mix together flour, panko bread crumbs and granulated garlic on a plate. Dredge chicken breasts in mixture. Allow to set for 10 minutes.
  • In a large pan heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Once butter melts cook chicken until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove, transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Reserve pan drippings.
  • To the same pan that you cooked the chicken in combine lemon juice, white wine, chicken broth and capers with the pan drippings. Cook over medium heat until reduced by 1/3 about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in remaining 5 tablespoons of butter. Swirl sauce in pan until butter melts.
  • Uncover chicken, transfer to serving platter. Pour sauce over the top. Serve.

Notes

Nutrition information for estimation purposes only.

Nutrition

Calories: 1044kcalCarbohydrates: 21.9gProtein: 159.6gFat: 34.2gSaturated Fat: 436gCholesterol: 672mgSodium: 21.9mgFiber: 1.1gSugar: 1g
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Keywords: boneless skinless chicken, boneless skinless chicken breasts, butter, capers, chicken, chicken breast, chicken breasts, chicken broth, chicken piccata, chicken stock, Food, fried chicken, lemon, pan fried chicken, Recipe, white wine

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Patty Pigford
    November 20, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    This was good. I thought it was going to out of this world delicious, so I’m a little disappointed. Lemon flavor was barely noticeable. I followed recipe “to a T!” Family said it was good, but they didn’t rave.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      November 20, 2020 at 6:33 pm

      So sorry it wasn’t as good as you hoped! Thank you for the feedback!

  • Reply
    Amanda
    December 11, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    My friends husband is a chef at a four star restaurant in ct. He taught me how to make this dish 6months ago, but I have since forgot. This is the closest I could find to his recipe. He looked it over and said to just at garlic before cooking the chicken and a jar or artichoke hearts when creating the sauce. Sooo good!!

  • Reply
    Sandy Sizemore
    April 23, 2011 at 8:50 am

    I have been searching for years for a Chicken Piccata recipe that comes close to the dish served at the Cheesecake Factory. THIS IS IT! BUT BETTER! I’ve made it several times and everyone LOVES it…I’m making it tomorrow for Easter! Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    Kerime
    April 13, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Ohh… It is delicious, and super easy to make. I like to sourness and softness of the chicken with lemon and capers. As your mention I served it with pasta. it was a hit!!!
    Thanks.

  • Reply
    Deseree
    February 3, 2010 at 7:21 am

    Hi Debra- While it will have a slightly different flavor, you can simply omit the wine and use 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Hope this helps!

  • Reply
    Debra
    February 2, 2010 at 11:52 pm

    What would you recommend in place of the white wine. I don’t drink any alcohol whatsoever, would there be a substitute or should I just make another recipe?

  • Reply
    Kathy
    January 21, 2010 at 4:02 am

    I’ve made Chicken Piccata for years, but your photo looked great, so I tried the recipe. WOW! Your recipe is my new favorite Chicken Piccata. It’s a huge hit at our house.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      January 21, 2010 at 7:23 am

      Thank you Kathy! :)

  • Reply
    Sandy
    December 19, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    I just want to say I’ve made this a couple of times and I just about cried each time – one of the best meals, ever! Even the leftovers are good the next day (purposely make heaps so I can eat it over and over…). I serve mine with Donna Hay’s garlic couscous.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      December 20, 2009 at 10:36 am

      Sandy- Thank you for leaving such a nice comment about this dish. It is one of my favorites too so I am happy to hear that someone likes it just as much as me. :)

  • Reply
    Mrs Ergül
    November 9, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    The thing that got me clicking on this photo when I saw it on Foodgawker is the capers! I love them!

  • Reply
    Deseree
    November 9, 2009 at 11:22 am

    Thanks Chaya!
    Theresa- I agree! Some may argue that wine is essential to just about anything ;-)

  • Reply
    Theresa
    November 9, 2009 at 8:29 am

    I love chicken picatta, and this is pretty much exactly how I make it! The wine is essential :)

  • Reply
    Chaya
    November 9, 2009 at 3:01 am

    This is my kind of chicken. It has all of the elements to make it a success.

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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