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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 have made this recipe several times with the capers & lemon (love it and so easy!) and also the same recipe switching out capers and lemon for mushrooms and (grocery store) Marcella wine (also delicious!!). My family loves both. Thanks for a great recipe!!
You’re welcome, Linda! So glad your family enjoyed it 🙂
Love this recipe. It’s a new family favorite and the entire fam loves it which is very rare. It’s also super easy to make. I double the sauce recipe because mr family likes extra sauce.
That makes us so happy to hear, Amy!! 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner. It was fast and easy. I added onions, mushrooms and chopped spinach and served with a side and veggies. Even the kids enjoyed it. The chicken turned out so tender and delicious . Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
You’re welcome! We’re thrilled your entire family enjoyed it. 🙂
This recipe does not disappoint. It is easy, quick, and delicious. It’s also low in carbs – an important element for me. For the sauce, I used heavy cream as suggested, but I will try it again using chicken broth for a different sauce. In fact, I plan to make this recipe many times in the future!
That’s fantastic to hear, Mary!! We love to hear that!
A must try! One of the best recipes I have tried. Will make it many more times. I like sauce so I’d increase chicken broth to 1/2-3/4cup. Enjoy.
Wonderful!! Thanks so much, Wanda!
Just found your site and the recipes look great. When you us a cup measure can you tell me what this is in Metric or even UK fluid ounces? There seems to be a really variety across the web in what a cup measure means!
Hello! Thank you!! So, I use American measurements (I am in Canada myself but the bulk of my readers are in USA). The cup equivalent would be 237 ml, but you don’t have to be super exact… like 250 ml or similar is totally fine.
Another stellar recipe – and so easy to make! This is one of my favorite Italian restaurant meals and now I can easily make it at home – thank you!!! I did add some garlic and a sweet onion (thanks for the suggestion in the comments). As always I subbed light cream for the heavy cream (still a cheat for me). Served the capers on the side since I don’t like them. Doubled the sauce and served over thin spaghetti.
Lemon can sometimes be too strong for hubby, but he thought this was perfect. He also said the capers were fantastic with the other flavors.
Thank you as always, you have transformed our dinner meals in the past two years. Please never stop creating these tasty recipes! ❤️
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this!! 🙂 You’re too kind!
Absolutely beautiful dish, and so easy!
Thanks so much!!
Could this be prepared the day before? and then rewarmed for company for dinner?
Hi Laura! You could try, but I’d be very careful to warm it slowly over a low heat since chicken breasts are prone to drying out, and cream sauces can separate fairly easily.
I think the chicken would have even better with the sauce placed over it.
I don’t understand what you mean? You can spoon as much sauce over top as you want?