With a buttery lemon sauce and salty capers, this lemon chicken piccata recipe is my go-to dish during a busy weeknight or just when I'm craving it.
I'm all about savory lemon dishes with chicken - from honey lemon chicken to chicken francese.
Whenever I want a simple weeknight meal that is loaded with flavor, this chicken piccata recipe is the first to come to mind.
It's funny, I'm not a huge fan of lemon flavor in sweet dishes, but absolutely love lemon in savory, where my wife is the opposite. This easy chicken piccata recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network.
I've probably made this recipe more than anything else in my life as I just love the combination of butter, lemon and capers. To me it is the capers that really put the dish over the top. The brininess (is that a word?) just works great with the lemon.
After seeing how easy this is to make and how amazing it tastes, I wouldn't be surprised if this chicken piccata recipe becomes a go-to for you as well.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken breast cutlets - can also use breasts cut in half or pounded thin.
- Salt and black pepper - enhances the flavor.
- All-purpose flour - coats the chicken and helps thicken the sauce.
- Unsalted butter and olive oil - the combination of fats help cooks the chicken and make the sauce.
- Chicken stock - low sodium is best.
- Lemons - use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Capers - adds a briny, vinegary taste.
- Italian parsley - adds some freshness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In shallow medium bowl, add flour and mix in salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
- In large skillet, melt 3 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add 2 pieces of chicken or 4 if you can fit it and cook for 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove chicken and transfer to a place. Add 1 tbsp olive and 1 tbsp butter into sauce. If you still have 2 pieces of chicken, cook 3 minutes per side and transfer to plate.
- Add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add chicken back to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet. Add 2 tbsp butter to sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
What is Chicken Piccata?
Lemon chicken piccata is an Italian dish where the chicken is pounded thin and topped with a sauce that includes lemon juice, butter and capers. The sauce usually includes stock as well, but you can also use white wine.
Some versions are coated in flour for a little added texture and some aren't. Piccata can also be made with veal.
Make note that if you are using thick pieces of thicken, you'll either need to slice in half or pound thin. To save time, I usually just buy the cutlets when making chicken piccata.
Side Dish Options
You can never go wrong with some starchy carbs but plenty of side dishes go with this chicken piccata recipe. Some options include:
- Goat cheese risotto
- Parmesan roasted Brussels sprouts
- Garlic mashed cauliflower
- Crispy roasted potatoes
At the end of the day, any roasted vegetable works great. I honestly usually just roast some broccoli most times.
How To Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Add cold oil and butter to a cold skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemons and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- If you want an even thicker sauce, whisk 1 tbsp of flour with 1 tbsp chicken stock and add to the simmering sauce.
Other Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Saltimbocca
- Apple Cider Chicken
- Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken
- Chicken with Garlic Herb Butter Sauce
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
If you’ve tried this lemon chicken piccata or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Lemon Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cutlets (or 2 chicken breasts cut in half)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
- chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In shallow medium bowl, add flour and mix in salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
- In large skillet, melt 3 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes per side or when chicken is browned. Remove chicken and transfer to a place. Add 1 tbsp olive and 1 tbsp butter and repeat with remaining 2 pieces of chicken. Remove chicken to plate.
- Add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits. Reduce heat to medium-low and add chicken back to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet. Add 2 tbsp butter to sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Notes
- Add cold oil and butter to a cold skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemons and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- If you want an even thicker sauce, whisk 1 tbsp of flour with 1 tbsp chicken stock and add to the simmering sauce.
Lemon in savory dishes is one of my favorites!
This is an easy, delicious recipe I'm grateful to have! Thank you.
Thanks. It's one of my favorites.
Quick, simple, and very tasty. We like to substitute white wine for the chicken stock and let the chicken sit for a few more minutes in the sauce.
Thanks! I use wine every once in a while as well!
Very tasty and very easy to follow...
Thank you so much for sharing..😃
One of my favorites!