This easy Chicken Piccata recipe is a family favorite! Tender chicken is pan fried until golden and served with a tantalizing sauce made with lemon juice, white wine or stock, and capers. Truly phenomenal and incredibly quick and easy to make! Ready to go in less than 20 minutes!
The Best Chicken Piccata Recipe
This is the best Chicken Piccata I’ve ever tried and it’s so easy to make you guys! I am not kidding when I say 20 minutes – tops. The hardest part is pulling out the ingredients.
The dredging mixture is perfectly seasoned and the fresh lemon juice, white wine and chicken broth based sauce is what sets this recipe apart from the rest and gives it that finger lickin’ flavor. This will quickly become part of your regular rotation.
If you do plan on serving with pasta, get the water boiling right away because that is what you are going to be waiting on.
What Is Chicken Piccata?
Piccata is a term that typically describes meat, usually veal or chicken, that is sliced or pounded thin and then dredged in flour, browned, and served in a sauce that contains fresh lemon juice, butter, wine and capers.
Lemon Chicken Piccata Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients you will need to make this recipe:
- Chicken breasts – 2 large breasts if you plan to slice in half or 4 smaller chicken breasts
- all purpose flour
- salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- oregano, dried
- gutter, salted: you can unsalted butter if desired.
- chicken broth
- white wine: If you prefer not to use white wine, feel free to use apple juice or more chicken broth in its place.
- capers
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- Dijon mustard
- cornstarch
Chicken Piccata Sauce
The sauce is the star of the show in this easy chicken piccata recipe. It’s light, flavorful and you’ll be wishing you had more to lick off the spoon. It’s complex flavor is impressive yet takes just a few ingredients. For the sauce you’ll need:
- Chicken broth
- White wine: If you prefer not to use white wine, feel free to use apple juice or more chicken broth in its place.
- Capers
- fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
- Dijon mustard
- Cornstarch to thicken the sauce
If you have kids, capers may or may not be a deal breaker for them. My suggestion is to hold off on adding the capers until you’ve served the kids OR remove the capers with a slotted spoon just prior to serving. That way you’ll still get some of the flavor of the capers in the sauce and you won’t have to watch your kiddos picking them out.
How To Make Lemon Chicken Piccata
This chicken piccata recipe is very simple and quick to make. You’re looking at less than 20 minutes from start to finish.
Prep the chicken:
If you have larger chicken breasts, slice the chicken breasts in half and pound flat to about 1/2″ thick. If the breasts are smaller, just flatten 4 small chicken breasts with a mallet until approximately 1/2″ thick.
Prepare the dredging/flour mixture:
Combine flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Stir to combine.
Cook the chicken:
- Dredge chicken in flour mixture.
- Add olive oil and butter to a large skillet.
- Cook chicken in the skillet, about 3-5 minutes on each side over medium heat, until golden brown, them remove.
Make the chicken piccata sauce:
- Add the rest of the ingredients (chicken broth, white wine, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, and cornstarch) to the skillet and whisk to combine. Let simmer until sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the chicken back to the sauce and spoon sauce over top the chicken. Top with parsley and a fresh squeeze of lemon and serve!
Tips for the Best Chicken Piccata
- There are only a few main components to this recipe so it’s best to use the highest quality ingredients you can.
- In this lemon Chicken Piccata recipe, the lemon flavor really should shine. Use only real lemon juice, not bottled, for the best flavor. You need the lemon zest anyways so buy real lemons.
- Spend a few minutes with your chicken breasts making sure they are an even thickness all the way across. You want them pretty thin so give them a good pounding if needed.
- Garnish with lemon slices or wedges and fresh parsley for a lovely pop of color and freshness.
- Chicken Piccata can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for 2-3 days.
Variations to Try
Creamy Chicken Piccata: If you prefer a creamier sauce, simply add a quarter cup of heavy cream to the sauce and stir to combine before adding chicken back to the skillet.
Use Chicken Cutlets: To cut down on the workload and keep this recipe more kid friendly, try using chicken breast cutlets instead. The smaller size make great portions for kids.
Rinse the Capers: Capers are very briny and salty so give them a good rinse to reduce the amount of saltiness in this dish.
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 1
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons capers rinse if you want
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch use two for a thicker sauce
- parsley garnish
- serve over pasta
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half if breasts are large and flatten to 1/2″ thick. If the breasts are smaller, just flatten 4 small chicken breasts with a mallet until approximately 1/2″ thick.
- For the dredging mixture: combine flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Dredge chicken in flour mixture and set aside.
- Add olive oil and butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Let butter melt.
- Cook chicken in the skillet until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes on each side over medium heat. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove chicken and add the rest of the ingredients (chicken broth, white wine, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, and cornstarch) to the skillet, whisking to combine. Simmer for just a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet and spoon sauce over top the chicken. Top with parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy.
