Quick Chicken Piccata (with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce)

My easy chicken piccata brings a touch of elegance to any table with its succulent chicken cooked in a luscious lemon, butter, and capers sauce. Made in just one pan, this dish pairs perfectly with pasta, which makes a quick yet lavish dinner experience.

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This is another one of my mom's special recipes. When mom (AKA Nonna Lizzy) makes her chicken piccata, everyone is rushing up to the kitchen to see if it's ready. It's better than what you'll get a restaurant. Mom's chicken piccata is usually what is requested for a special birthday dinner or her spaghetti vongole. Those are two dishes I would never order out, as they'll never compare to my mom's!

And lucky you! Now you can learn how to make it for the people you love!

If you like this recipe you might like my chicken tortellini soup and my orange chicken meatballs.

Why you'll love chicken with lemon and capers:

• Mom's recipe: Mom happens to be my kids nonna and this recipe is a keeper!
• Quick and easy:  Chicken Piccata is dish you'll find at American-Italian restaurants, and it's so easy to make your own version at home! Ready and on the table in 20 minutes.
• Family favorite:  Golden, and juicy chicken that is in the most delicious lemony butter sauce with capers.
• Impresses guests: This is the perfect chicken recipe to make for a get-together. Your friends and family will be impressed! It looks so fancy, they'll never know how easy it is to make.
• Simple ingredients:  An easy dinner that can be made with pantry ingredients! The incredible sauce transforms a basic chicken breast into something so irresistible!

Full disclosure here: the hardest part of the recipe is prepping and cooking the chicken breasts. You have to slightly pound the chicken, dredge in flour, and sear in the pan.

The chicken is cooked first in a butter/oil mixture. Since it's first dredged in flour, it cooks up into a nice and golden colored crust. The oil helps the butter not to brown and the butter stops the oil from burning, and it is just the base of a magical sauce waiting for the rest of the ingredients!

What is chicken piccata?

Piccata, peek-kah-tah, is the culinary name that could be used to refer to any thinly sliced meat (chicken, veal, pork)that is fried and then cooked in a lemony butter sauce. Essentially, it's an Italian lemon chicken. But it's not something you'll find all over Italy.

Chicken piccata is thinly sliced and lightly pounded chicken breasts that are dredged in flour, cooked in a butter/olive oil base, and then the lemon sauce is made in the same pan with freshly squeezed lemon juice, capers, and some broth. Some people make it with white wine. Mom doesn't use white wine in hers, so I didn't either. She said you don't need it!

If you're in Italy, you'll likely find a veal piccata, no chicken piccata. In the States, Italian-Americans popularized chicken piccata.

Let's get onto this delectable chicken recipe!

🛒 What ingredients are in chicken piccata recipe?

Full printable recipe is below. Here is all you need to make this incredible chicken with capers recipe:

• Chicken Breasts – Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts ½-inch thick. If you buy larger chicken breasts, you'll need to cut them in half length and use a meat mallet to flatten them to ½ inch thickness.
• Flour – Some all-purpose flour is needed for dredging.
• Unsalted butter – You could use margarine if you're dairy-free. Unsalted butter is best, but if all you have is salted, be sure not to use too much salt in the sauce.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – As I always mention, I like to use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. The flavor surpasses other olive oils.
• Chicken broth - Low sodium is best. If you have some homemade on hand, even better!
• Lemon juice – I do not recommend using bottled lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice is key for the bright flavor of the sauce. You could add more or less to your taste. But I use the juice of one lemon.
• Capers – These are another key ingredient of the sauce. A pop of umami, if you don't like them, substitute with chopped green olives or sun-dried tomatoes.
• Sea salt and Freshly Ground Pepper – You’ll need a bit of salt and some black pepper to season our dish.
• Italian parsley: Some chopped-up parsley gets added to the sauce at the end and to garnish.

🍽️ How to make chicken picatta?

Here is how to make this (the full printable recipe is below). Gather all the ingredients:

There are two parts to making this recipe- first you cook the chicken and then you prepare the lemon sauce for chicken piccata.

• Step 1: You have to prep the chicken breasts. A sharp knife helps to make even slices. Slightly pound them to even them out and dredge in flour.

• Step 2: Heat the butter and oil in a cast iron skillet or whatever skillet you have. Start to sear the chicken breasts. They should get a golden brown color on both sides.

Step 4: Remove the chicken and in same pan, add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers and cook down the sauce so it thickens a little.

Step 5: Return the chicken to the pan to finish cooking (follow detailed recipe card below).

How to heat up chicken piccata

• Stovetop:  Warm a skillet on medium-low heat and add some butter and a little olive oil. Add the chicken piccata and heat until it's warmed through.
• Air fryer:  This will crisp the chicken, so keep an eye on it. Line the basket with an air fryer paper liner. You could spray the basket with olive oil (or brush some in)so the chicken won't stick. Add in the chicken and try the "snack" setting or other settings to find the one that heats it and works out for you. Heat the sauce separately in the microwave or stovetop.
• Microwave:  Place chicken piccata on a microwave-safe plate and cover. Heat as you usually do until it's heated through (I don't own a microwave so I can't tell you what settings work).

📃 Substitutions & Variations

• Chicken: You could make this same recipe with veal.
• Capers: The capers could be substituted with green olives, fresh thyme, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, or even anchovies.
• Broth: I used chicken broth (low sodium that I made with some bouillon paste). You could use vegetable broth.

What to serve with chicken with lemon and capers?

You could serve this chicken recipe with any short pasta or even spaghetti. Make extra sauce to serve over the pasta.

It's a comfort dish that pairs nicely with any roasted vegetable, side dish, pasta, or bread.

• Spaghetti Aglio e Olio >>> Such a simple yet really flavorful pasta. It cooks up so quickly and is a perfect side dish! You could make extra of the sauce for the chicken and serve it with plain pasta.
• Insalata mista >>> A really great simple Italian salad that goes so nicely with this chicken!
• Panzanella Toscana >>> You will love this salad! It is so full of flavor and really easy to put together.
• Mashed potatoes >>>Serve it over mashed potatoes, or even some steamed rice. If you have a rice steamer, it's so easy to make the rice while you're making the chicken.
• Crusty bread >>> Definitely have some bread to sop up all the sauce!
• Rosemary breadsticks >>> If you love breadsticks, these are an easy recipe to make!
• To keep low-carb, you could enjoy with zucchini or butternut squash noodles, or with some cauliflower rice.

🫙 Leftovers & Storage

• To refrigerate: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat leftovers for lunch or dinner. Or cut up the chicken and serve it in wraps, sandwiches, or a nice big salad.
• To freeze: You could freeze the chicken that has been cooked up separately from the sauce. Let the chicken cool down completely and store it in a zipped lock freezer bag (squeeze all of air out of it before sealing) and seal and date the bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. You could make the sauce right before serving. Defrost the chicken and combine with the sauce. I have never frozen this sauce and am not sure how the texture will be when you defrost and heat so I can't recommend it.

❓ FAQ'S

Some other chicken recipes to enjoy:

• Baked Pineapple Chicken
• Tangerine Garlic Chicken
• Sheet Pan Honey Balsamic Chicken with Broccolini
• Very Easy One Pot Chicken and Rice
• Sheet Pan Chicken Cacciatore 
• Easy Italian Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)

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📖 Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Quick Chicken Piccata (with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce)

My easy chicken piccata brings a touch of elegance to any table with its succulent chicken cooked in a luscious lemon, butter, and capers sauce. Made in just one pan, this dish pairs perfectly with pasta, which makes a quick yet lavish dinner experience.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian, Italian-American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 305kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• 1 mallet
• 1 Large skillet

Ingredients

• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts butterflied and then cut in half
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup All-purpose flour or more, for dredging
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil more if needed
• Sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup brined capers rinsed
• lemon slices
• ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped

Instructions

Prep and sear the chicken:

• Cut each chicken breast in half: Use a very sharp knife to cut the chicken. Unless you bought a thinner breast, you will need to pound it a little. Place in between plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to gently pound to ½  inch thick.
• Combine flour and seasoning: On a large plate or platter, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.
• Dredge chicken breasts: Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off the excess.
• Heat a large skillet: On medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter with olive oil. As soon the butter and oil is hot and sizzles, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.

Make the sauce:

• Add the lemon juice, broth, and capers and raise heat to bring to boil. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, scrape any bits from the pan to combine with the sauce to add more flavor.

Add in the chicken:

• Add the chicken back to the pan and let it simmer together with the sauce for 3-4 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust, if necessary, with more salt and pepper. While it's simmering be sure to spoon sauce over the chicken. Add in some lemon slices and some of the chopped parsley.

Finish sauce:

• Remove chicken from pan to a serving platter. Add in the other 2 tablespoons butter to the sauce, and whisk to combine. Spoon the sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley. Serve with spaghetti aglio e olio or another simple pasta.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Video

Notes

• Chicken: The prep of chicken is the part that takes the longest. The sauce comes together very quickly. Can sub the chicken with veal. 
• Fresh lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
• Serve with pasta: Chicken piccata pairs well with long pasta like linguini or angel hair pasta, but also is great with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.
• Vegetables:  Serve with a big mixed salad, roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, or roasted cauliflower.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 842IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

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