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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 want to make this for Easter (along with ham and pasta, meatballs and other dishes) but I have a large crowd of 30 people. Is there an easier way to cook a larger quantity of this? Can u coo part of it on the stove and then transfer to a large baking dish and put in oven or can I make ahead of time and then heat in oven next day? Thank you!!!
Hi Tara! Honestly I don’t have experience at all with making dishes like this for more than a few people. I think you could probably do the browning of the meat and finish it in the oven, but I would be careful not to overcook the chicken… that would be my main concern. You could reheat it in the oven but just be careful not to overcook the chicken or separate the sauce so be sure it’s on a low heat. You may want to make a bit extra sauce no matter what you do.
Thank you ! Made this just as written, delicious !! Served over linguine, we’ll definitely make this again. Thanks again.
You’re very welcome, Rebecca!!
I make this once a week and have been for months. Ingredients are cheap and usually always in my pantry. I sometimes double the sauce recipe for an extra saucy yummyness.
Love that!! 😀 Thank you, Olivia!
Truly easy and so delicious. I used wine (a good chardonnay) rather than the broth and skipped the garlic powder (just a personal preference). Don’t even consider substituting the heavy cream. It finishes it perfectly. I served it on spaghetti cooked al dente along with steamed brussel sprouts w/butter and lemon. My husband and I both thought it was better than any we’ve had in the finest restaurants. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it!! 😀
I made this for the first time and paired it with rice and baked asparagus. It was simply restaurant worthy. I was so pleased with this recipe. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely make this to impress guests.
That makes me happy to hear, Angela!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
This was generally a good recipe. Easy to make, but it was a little too tart and salty for me. I will make again, but will likely reduce the lemon juice or maybe use less capers. Although I love capers!
When I made this I kept the sauce nice and thick so that it coated the chicken instead of more sitting in sauce and it was delicious, better than any chicken piccata I’ve had a restaurant.
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed it, Mike!
I decided to use 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream. Why would that curdle and heavy cream doesn’t?
Hi Melinda! Half and half has a lower fat content so is more prone to curdling (especially with the citrus), and that is why I caution not to use it. Anything 33% fat or higher is great for this recipe.
I was looking specifically for a chicken piccata recipe and plan to make your ‘Easy Chicken Piccata’. Your notes mention that ‘freezing is not recommended…’ However, your recipe for Lemon Butter Cream Scallopini indicates it can be frozen, What is different about the first recipe that makes freezing not recommended? I enjoy cooking and freezing individual servings of main dishes!
Hi Judy! My chicken scallopini recipe doesn’t have cream. In general, cream sauces don’t freeze well, and chicken breasts dry out very easily, but you’re welcome to give freezing a try if you happen to have some leftovers – you may be pleasantly surprised. 🙂
Chicken piccata is my fiancé’s favorite dish and we both LOVED this. It turned out so perfect! He said it was restaurant quality taste so this recipe is definitely a keeper!!
That’s great!! I’m so happy to hear that you two enjoyed it! Thanks for your review.