Chicken Piccata
This chicken piccata recipe features tender chicken breasts pan-seared and coated in a flavorful lemon-caper sauce, served over angel hair pasta with roasted asparagus on the side.
Chicken Piccata is one of those restaurant-fancy dishes that is actually so much easier to make at home than you would think. Tender pan-seared chicken cutlets in a buttery lemon-caper sauce, served over angel hair pasta with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top. It looks and tastes like something you would order at an Italian place with white tablecloths, and it comes together in under 30 minutes.
I love making this for date night at home, or for any night I want dinner to feel a little special without spending hours in the kitchen. The bright, briny pop of the capers, the silky lemon-butter sauce, and the crispy edges of the dredged chicken are the things that make piccata so iconic. A splash of heavy cream at the end takes it from classic to extra luxurious.
The technique is what makes this dish sing. Pounded thin chicken cutlets, a quick flour dredge, a hot pan, and you get those gorgeous golden-brown edges in just a few minutes. The sauce comes together in the same pan using all those flavorful brown bits stuck to the bottom. White wine deglazes everything beautifully, but chicken broth works just as well if you do not want to open a bottle.
Serve it over angel hair tossed in butter, with a side of roasted asparagus or a simple green salad. This is the kind of dinner that proves you do not need a reservation to eat like you are dining out. Let's make it.
📝 Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken (2 large breasts or 4 thin slices)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Garlic salt & pepper
- 4 tbsp butter (divided)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1/4 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tbsp drained capers
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (+ splash if needed)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (or extra chicken broth)
- Angel hair pasta + 1 tbsp butter
- Parsley to top
👩🍳 Directions
- 1
Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise if thick; trim any extra pieces. Season both sides with garlic salt and pepper.
- 2
Dredge each piece in flour, shaking off excess, and set aside.
- 3
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp EVOO.
- 4
Once hot, add chicken and cook 5 minutes on one side, then 4 minutes on the other. Remove from pan.
- 5
While chicken cooks, bring salted water to a boil for pasta.
- 6
Remove skillet from heat and add:
- 7
2 tbsp butter
- 8
1/4 cup white wine (or broth)
- 9
Zest of 1 lemon
- 10
1 tbsp lemon juice
- 11
1 to 2 TBSP Capers
- 12
Stir and scrape up browned bits.
- 13
Return to medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth + 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir and let simmer.
- 14
Add chicken back to the pan; flip a few times and cook about 4 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- 15
If the sauce thickens too quickly, add a splash of broth.
- 16
Drain pasta and toss with 1 tbsp butter.
- 17
Serve pasta as the base, place chicken on top, spoon sauce (and capers!) over everything, and sprinkle with parsley.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Chicken: 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts. Either 2 large breasts halved horizontally to make 4 cutlets, or 4 thin pre-sliced cutlets. Pound them to a half inch thick before cooking.
Flour: 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging. Most stays in the bowl, you only need a light coating on the chicken. You can also use gluten-free 1-to-1 flour for a GF version.
Butter: 4 tablespoons total, divided. 2 tablespoons for searing the chicken, 2 tablespoons for the sauce. Real butter, not margarine.
Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tablespoons paired with the butter for searing. Raises the smoke point so the butter does not burn.
White wine: A quarter cup. Sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or any dry white you would drink. If you do not cook with wine, use chicken broth instead.
Lemon: Zest and juice of one large lemon. Zest first, then juice. The zest carries the brightest lemon flavor.
Capers: 1 to 2 tablespoons drained. Capers are little brined flower buds that taste briny, tangy, and slightly floral. They are the iconic ingredient in piccata.
Chicken broth: A quarter cup, plus an extra splash if the sauce gets too thick. Low-sodium gives you control over the salt.
Heavy cream: Half a cup for a silky, luxurious sauce. Omit and add more chicken broth for a lighter version.
Angel hair pasta: The traditional pairing. Linguine or spaghetti also work. Cook to al dente and toss with a tablespoon of butter before serving.
How to Store, Reheat & Freeze
Store the chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce. The chicken will lose some of its crispy crust but the flavor is still excellent.
Freezing is possible but the cream sauce can separate after thawing. If you do freeze, freeze just the chicken without the sauce. Thaw in the fridge overnight and make a fresh sauce when ready to serve.
What to Serve With Chicken Piccata
Angel hair pasta tossed in butter is the classic Italian-American pairing. Other great bases include mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, or crusty bread for soaking up the lemon-butter sauce. On the side, roasted asparagus, sauteed green beans, blistered cherry tomatoes, or a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette all work beautifully. For wine, pour the same white you cooked with: pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
💡 Tips for Success
- Pound the chicken thin. Cover the breast with parchment or plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. About a half inch thick all over gives you perfect even cooking in 5 minutes a side.
- Slice large breasts in half horizontally before pounding. Each big breast becomes two cutlets that cook fast and evenly.
- Season the chicken before flouring, not after. Garlic salt and pepper directly on the chicken sticks better than seasoning the flour, and you get more flavor.
- Shake off excess flour after dredging. A light coating creates a crispy crust. Too much flour gets gummy and falls off into the pan.
- Use a butter-oil combo for searing. Butter alone burns too fast at high heat. The olive oil raises the smoke point and the butter delivers the flavor.
- Let the pan get really hot before adding the chicken. You want to hear a strong sizzle when the chicken hits. Lukewarm pan equals soggy crust.
- Do not crowd the chicken. Cook in batches if your pan is small. Crowded chicken steams instead of sears and loses that gorgeous golden crust.
- Add the heavy cream off the heat first, then return to a gentle simmer. High heat can cause the cream to separate. A gentle warm-up keeps the sauce silky.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What if I do not want to use wine?
Use an extra quarter cup of chicken broth in its place. The dish is still excellent, you just lose a tiny bit of that tangy wine note. Some cooks add a squeeze of extra lemon to compensate.
Can I make this without capers?
Capers are the signature ingredient that makes piccata piccata, but if you really do not have them, finely chopped green olives give a similar briny pop. The dish without them is more like a lemon-butter chicken (still delicious).
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes. Boneless skinless thighs work, just pound them thin like you would breasts. They will be slightly juicier and a little more forgiving if you overcook them.
Can I make it dairy free?
Skip the heavy cream and use additional chicken broth in its place. Use olive oil in place of the butter throughout. The sauce will be thinner but still tasty.
How do I keep the chicken warm while making the sauce?
Tent it with foil on a plate or pop it in a 200 degree oven. The sauce only takes a few minutes to come together, so the chicken will not lose much heat. Returning it to the pan at the end warms it back up too.
What can I serve with chicken piccata?
Angel hair pasta tossed in butter is classic. Mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, or crusty bread for soaking up the sauce all work. For a vegetable, roasted asparagus, sauteed green beans, or a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette are perfect.
How long do leftovers keep?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth to bring the sauce back together. The chicken will not be as crispy as fresh, but the flavor is still excellent.
Made this recipe?
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