The Best Chicken Piccata

This Chicken Piccata is simply delicious and couldn’t be easier to make!

I’ve always felt like Chicken Piccata is one of those meals that looks kinda fancy. In fact, it tastes kinda fancy too. But honestly it’s beyond easy to make. Follow me…

Chicken Piccata

For those who have never heard of Chicken Piccata, it’s essentially pan fried sliced chicken breasts in a lemon, butter and caper sauce. The dish originated in Italy, where I believe it’s more traditional to use veal. But it’s more classic in the US to use chicken (which is my preference).

Slicing the Chicken

For this recipe we’ll be using boneless skinless chicken breast. We’ll also be slicing each breast right through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts. This will not only allow the chicken to cook quicker, but also more evenly too.

Dredging the Chicken

From there, you’ll want to lightly coat the chicken in seasoned flour. Coating the chicken in flour will give it a nice golden crust once it’s fried. This will in turn help absorb some of the sauce and help it cling to the chicken.

Process shots: bring chicken to room temp (photo 1), slice (photo 2), add to pan with oil and butter (photo 3), fry both sides until golden/cooked through the centre (photo 4).

Chicken Piccata Sauce

The sauce for Chicken Piccata is very simple. It requires just a few ingredients to create a real zingy/punchy sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:

Chicken Piccata Sauce Ingredients

• Shallots – These aren’t an overly traditional addition, but I love adding them. I find the touch of sweetness helps to balance out the sour flavour of the lemon. I recommend very finely dicing them. You don’t necessarily want the texture, just the flavour.
• Capers – Now these certainly are a traditional ingredient, so don’t skip them. They offer that classic salty/briny flavour!
• Chicken Stock – This creates the base of the sauce.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice, not the bottled stuff!
• Butter – I use unsalted butter, just to get more control over the seasoning of the whole dish. I also like to use butter straight out of the fridge. I find it thickens the sauce a little easier.

What consistency should the sauce be?

It’s a fairly light sauce. It’s more glossy than it is thick. You don’t need the chicken drowned in the sauce, it’s just there to lightly coat the chicken as it’s quite strong.

Process shots: fry shallot (photo 1), fry capers (photo 2), simmer lemon juice and chicken stock (photo 3), melt butter (photo 4), stir to melt/thicken (photo 5), coat chicken (photo 6).

Chicken Piccata FAQ

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

You could use boneless/skinless chicken thighs, I just recommend pounding them until thin/even-thickness. They’ll also take a little longer to cook too.

How lemony is the sauce?

Recipes differ quite a lot in how much lemon juice is used, but I find around 1.5tbsp hits the sweet spot. It’s definitely prominent, but not too overpowering where the whole dish just becomes sour. You can of course adjust this to taste though.

Can I use white wine instead of stock?

A lot of recipes do use white wine, but I much prefer chicken stock. I find the wine, alongside the lemon juice, leaves the dish too acidic/sour. I find the stock offers more depth of flavour and adds a richness to the sauce.

Serving Chicken Piccata

Once you’ve coated the chicken in the sauce, serve up right away with fresh parsley! This dish is great with any form of potato (Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Dauphinoise Potatoes etc). You could also serve it with rice or pasta. Here I’ve served with seasoned rice and asparagus.

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken piccata shall we?!

How to make Chicken Piccata (Full Recipe & Video)

The Best Chicken Piccata

This Chicken Piccata is simply delicious and couldn't be easier to make!

5 from 2 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: American / Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 306kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £2 / $2.50

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Equipment:

• Large Pan & Tongs
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Large Shallow Dish (for dredging chicken)
• Spatula (optional, for stirring butter)

Ingredients (check list):

Chicken

• ▢ 2x 9oz/250g Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 40g Flour
• ▢ 1 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
• ▢ 1 tbsp EACH: Olive Oil, Unsalted Butter

Sauce

• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120ml Chicken Stock
• ▢ 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter (keep in the fridge until needed)
• ▢ 2 tbsp Capers in brine, drained
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice, or to taste (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, to serve
• ▢ 1 Shallot, very finely diced
• ▢ Salt & Pepper, as needed

Instructions:

• Slice each chicken breast horizontally through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts.
• In a large shallow dish combine 1/4 cup flour with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 garlic powder & black pepper. One by one dredge each breast through the flour to fully coat, shake off excess then place to one side.
• Heat up 1 tbsp oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and fry both sides for a few mins, or until golden on the outside and just about cooked through the centre. Remove and place chicken to one side.
• Lower heat slightly to medium and add the shallot. Fry for a couple of mins until soft & golden, then add in capers and fry for 1 min. Pour in chicken stock & lemon juice and simmer for a few mins until it reduces by nearly half.
• Turn heat to low and add in 3 tbsp cold butter. Swiftly stir until the butter melts (I find this easiest with a spatula). Continue stirring until it turns a cloudy lemon colour and thickens slightly to a glossy texture. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• Stir in any resting juices from the chicken, then add in the chicken in. Flip the chicken to coat, then pour over some of the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve up the chicken with more sauce spooned over the top. Enjoy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Butter - I prefer using unsalted butter because it gives you more control over the seasoning. If you've only got salted, that's fine, just go easy when adjusting the salt at the end. In all cases, I recommend using butter straight from the fridge, as it thickens the sauce a little easier.

b) Lemon - Some recipes use as much as 1/3 cup of lemon juice, but I find this way too much. This is a lemon-based sauce, so it should be prominent, and I find around 1.5 tbsp hits the sweet spot (half a large lemon or most of a small/regular lemon). You can of course add more lemon juice in if you'd prefer. I recommend doing this when you check for seasoning.

c) Capers - These are a key ingredient in chicken piccata, so definitely do not skip them. They add a classic briny flavour that is difficult to replicate with different ingredients. I always use capers in brine, the dry/salted ones are way too salty for this recipe.

d) Serving - Great with any form of Potato (Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Dauphinoise Potatoes etc). You could also serve it with rice or pasta. Here I've served with seasoned rice and asparagus.

e) Calories - Assuming half of the flour/seasoning attaches to the chicken. Based on whole recipe divided by 4 with no sides.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

The Best Chicken Piccata

Amount Per Serving

Calories 306 Calories from Fat 164

% Daily Value*

Fat 18.27g28%

Saturated Fat 8.485g42%

Trans Fat 0.476g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.354g

Monounsaturated Fat 6.317g

Cholesterol 122mg41%

Sodium 450mg19%

Potassium 453mg13%

Carbohydrates 5.41g2%

Fiber 0.5g2%

Sugar 0.58g1%

Protein 29.04g58%

Vitamin A 393IU8%

Vitamin C 2.8mg3%

Calcium 15mg2%

Iron 0.87mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

For another easy chicken breast recipe check out my Garlic Butter Chicken!

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