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This easy chicken piccata recipe is a classic Italian American dish with a lemon butter caper sauce that’s fast to make at home! A few simple ingredients, 25 minutes, and you’re set.
Craving more restaurant-quality chicken dinners? Try my Easy Chicken Madeira!
What is chicken piccata?
It’s pan-fried chicken in a piccata sauce, which is a combination of butter, oil, fresh lemon juice, and capers. Simple, right? The secret to making the best chicken piccata is having the perfect amount of lemon, and I’ve got you covered with this really easy chicken recipe.
You can make this dreamy dish two different ways, and we’ve got instructions for both! One is a creamy chicken piccata, and the other is not. They’re both extremely tasty. The cream takes it to the next level, but depending on your mood or dietary restrictions, you may want to try it without!
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re slicing chicken breasts in half lengthwise and not pounding them so it’s even faster
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, seasoning the cutlets with it gives a fabulous savory foundation
- Flour – for dredging
- Olive oil and butter – for pan-frying the chicken until golden brown
- Chicken broth – to infuse the sauce with flavor. Sub for a dry white wine like pinot grigio to make it even more luxurious.
- Lemon juice – always use freshly squeezed lemon juice vs concentrate
- Lemon zest – for that extra brightness and zing
- Capers – the briny flavor balances the lemon
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce rich
- Parsley – adds a pop of freshness
Can I make it without cream?
- You can definitely make chicken piccata without cream! If you do so, increase the chicken broth to 3/4 cup. You could even do a half chicken broth/half white wine mix.
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something like milk or half-and-half for a couple of reasons. The acidity of the lemon will likely curdle the sauce, and the sauce won’t thicken as well. Either omit it completely or use heavy cream.
How to make chicken piccata
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt & pepper and garlic powder, then dredge them in the flour. Brown on both sides. Remove them from the pan and add the chicken broth, lemon juice, butter, and capers, scraping up the brown bits.
Stir in the cream. Return the chicken to the pan, and simmer until the sauce has reduced and the chicken is cooked through. Easy peasy!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I zest the lemon with my Microplane zester/grater.
- Be careful to not overcook the chicken since we’re using thin cutlets! It’s cooked when the internal temperature is 165F. Use an instant read thermometer.
- I love using my splatter guard in recipes like this one since it saves a lot of clean-up hassle, and here is the cast iron skillet I use.
Substitutions and variations
- If using small chicken breasts, you can keep them intact, but they may take a few more minutes to cook through.
- You can try using chicken thighs if you prefer. They may take a little longer to cook as well.
- I find the recipe is perfectly salted with regular chicken broth, but if you’re at all sensitive to salt, use a low-sodium one.
What to serve with chicken piccata
- I love it with a classic combo of Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Green Beans so that it’s a complete meal. This Stick of Butter Rice is also delicious.
- It’s also great with pasta. Try it with these Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Noodles, and then pair it with this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad!
- I like to top it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. It’s next-level amazing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat.
- I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, especially if you’re making the creamy version.
More easy chicken recipes
Have you made this lemon chicken piccata? Got questions? Let me know in the comments below! As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.
Easy Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour (for dredging)
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon brined capers drained
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Garnish (optional) chopped parsley and/or freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise (I butterfly then cut in half) to make 4 thinner cutlets. Trim off any fat. Season the chicken generously with salt & pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder. Coat the chicken in flour.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter plus the olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is hot, cook the chicken pieces for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Take the pan off the heat and add the chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and capers to the skillet. Scrape up any browned bits.
- Stir in the cream and return the pan to the heat. Once it's bubbling again, add the chicken back into the pan. If you want to make this recipe without cream, increase the chicken broth to 3/4 cup.
- Cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to your liking (you may need to turn down the heat a bit if it's bubbling furiously). If the sauce thickens too much, add more broth.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and/or parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- If using smaller chicken breasts, leave them intact (but you will likely need to cook them for a bit longer).
- If you don’t want the cream in it, I recommend omitting it entirely vs. using something like half-and-half because the sauce is likely to curdle and not thicken as well.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if sensitive to salt.
- I highly recommend this lemon zester.
- This recipe can also be found on page 86 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on September 4, 2015. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
i used fillets instead of chicken breast & also mixed coconut cream & evaporated creamer for the recipe as i totally forgotten to get cream. despite the changes its was soo good, rich but not too sickly. just wished the weight measurement was written out for the recipe as from where i am, the chicken breast runs smaller. oh ya, this was my first time trying this dish out. will defitnely make again!
I’m glad you enjoyed it and the subs worked! If using very small chicken breasts you could leave them intact and just cook them for a little longer.
We had never had Chicken Piccata before and this was delicious. So easy. Thanks so much.
Awesome!! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
This was delicious! I just pounded out some smaller chicken breasts instead of butterflying them. I didn’t have heavy cream so I subbed with an equal amount of sour cream per Goggle’s suggestion. It was perfect! I used lemon pepper on the chicken, too.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!
I am obsessed with your recipies!!! My boyfriend and I have tried a few and they were all to DIE for. I renamed this Chicken Piccata – Marry Me Chicken lol. It’s soooo good. We doubled the sauce, added baccon and dollops of riccata and put the whole thing in the oven to broil until the riccata was golden. I wish I could post a photo. We will be making this again for family and friends!!!
Awww thank you so much haha. I love that bacon and ricotta idea! 🙂
Tried this today and the whole family loved it! It was simple to make and extremely delicious. Made the cream sauce version with chicken broth, and I doubled the recipe easily. Made some light buttered pasta as a side and it tastes GREAT with the sauce! Only thing I changed was I did NOT double the amount of capers—kids don’t care for them so I used a lesser amount. Will make this again soon!
I’m so happy it was a hit! 🙂 Thanks so much for your review, Kathy!
SO DELICIOUS!!! 🤤
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it, Tara!
This is a great recipe, really is restaurant quality and super easy. Reheating it for the next days dinner works well😊
Thank you!! 😀 Glad it’s a hit, Claudia!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner. 🙂 Phenomenal. The chicken is so tender. I served it with a side of sliced new potatoes. Looking forward to leftovers. Thank you very much. PS, I was naughty and used fat free half and half, fortunately it did not curdle. I did not have lemons, only concentrate. Truly, it still was great. In the future, I can try it with the lemons. I ended up having six cutlets so I used more of the chicken broth. Honestly, this is wonderful. Thank you.
Aww that’s so nice to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate your review!
Love the addition of heavy cream for a silky, lemony sauce. I served over angel hair pasta. Absolutely delicious! This is now my go to recipe for chicken piccata.
I’m so happy to hear that, Rhonda!! I appreciate you taking the time to write me a review! XO
I’m 44 and I don’t think I’ve ever felt strongly enough to review an online recipe but WOW. This was AMAZING. I tripled the recipe and made in a big pan across 2 burners. Made exactly as directed except added 2 tbsp extra butter to sauce. Deserves a standing O! Whole family loved it. Well done!
That’s wonderful to hear, Kimberly!! We’re so thrilled your family enjoyed it!