Chicken Piccata
97 Comments
Updated May 23, 2024
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Chicken piccata is an Italian-American favorite and one of the easiest weeknight dinner recipes to make at home. Juicy chicken breasts are dredged in flour, seared with a golden crust, then simmered in a lemon butter sauce with a touch of capers and parsley. It’s a beautiful and tasty dinner that comes together quickly!
What is Chicken Piccata?
Without a doubt — chicken piccata is the perfect fusion of Italian cooking in America. Traditionally, piccata is an Italian dish consisting of thinly breaded veal (or other proteins) with a lemon butter wine sauce. But today we’re using chicken, and I’d say we’ve perfected this dish that’s dotted with garlic, capers, and fresh parsley. The more herbs and garlic, the better, right?
And while we’re big fans of this Tuscan chicken, this chicken piccata recipe is another Italian-inspired favorite. It’s juicy, lemony, and just what you need to give chicken breasts a fresh new lift at dinner.
Chicken Piccata Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients are straightforward, but there are a few substitution notes below.
- Chicken: You’ll need a couple of large boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Dredging Mixture: To get that golden crust you’ll coat the chicken in a mixture of flour, freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. I’m using arrowroot flour as a gluten-free option. But you could use almost any flour in this recipe, so choose your favorite.
- Chicken Piccata Sauce: This is the heart and soul of the recipe! The sauce consists of fresh lemon juice, a dry white wine, chicken broth, butter, garlic, capers, and fresh parsley. If you don’t want to use white wine, you could also substitute it with more chicken broth.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
How To Make Chicken Piccata
Slice the chicken. We’re going for a “scaloppine” type of dish here, which essentially means thinly sliced meat. So, you’ll need to slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, as if you were going to butterfly them. Thinner chicken also cooks faster – something we all love on busy weeknights!
Coat the chicken. Mix the flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish (using a plate can get a bit messy!). Then dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides.
Cook the chicken. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until perfectly golden. Then use tongs to remove the chicken pieces to a separate plate.
Make the sauce. Add the wine and garlic to the pan, letting it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until reduced by about half. Then add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and butter. Keep stirring the sauce until it begins to simmer again.
Add the chicken. Add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce on top until each piece is coated well. Then let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through. And for the finishing touch, sprinkle some fresh parsley on top!
Storage Tips
Don’t be alarmed if there are no leftovers over. Yes, it’s that kind of recipe. But if you need to store any away, here’s how:
- To store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure to save all the extra sauce left in the pan as well!
- To freeze: You might want to plan ahead and make a second batch to store in the freezer! It will keep for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
More Chicken Recipes
There are never enough chicken dinner ideas. So here are a few of my favorite chicken breast recipes to keep your weeknights a bit more interesting.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Butter Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast (or this Best Baked Chicken Breast)
- Creamy Cajun Chicken
Without a doubt, this chicken piccata will become a dinner favorite. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out in the comment box below!
Chicken Piccata
Description
Video
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour (or other flour)
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut the chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally.
- Coat the chicken: Mix flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish. Dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through with a golden crust. Use tongs to remove the chicken to a plate.
- Make the sauce: Add the wine and garlic to the pan, letting it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half. Then add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and butter, stirring until it begins to simmer again.
- Add the chicken: Add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce on top and let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until warmed through.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- As an alternative to slicing the chicken breasts in half, you could purchase 4 smaller chicken breasts and pound them thinner with a kitchen mallet.
Nutrition
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Excellent results, will make again. Will check out you cookbook.
Thanks so much, Naida! I’m happy you loved this chicken piccata. And I hope you enjoy all of the recipes in my cookbook as well!
Enjoyed this recipe, have your cookbook and look forward to your daily emails. How do you keep the grease from spitting all over the stove, counter and floor? Thanks
Glad you loved this chicken piccata, Debbie! As for oil splatters, I actually have a cover for the pan to prevent that from happening. You can find it linked in my Amazon storefront (which is linked in the Shop page).
I have always loved Chicken Piccata and this is my favorite recipe. I am a huge fan of your 6 chicken marinades and decided to marinate the chicken breasts using your Italian marinade recipe for 1 hour prior to breading. The result was a tender, juicy, flavorful chicken breast. I cant say enough about the sauce. The white wine was a nice update and there was plenty of sauce for the chicken. Paired it with air-fryer broccoli, a side salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. My husband complimented this dish more than once. Definitely will go on our menu often. Thank you!
What a great idea on using the Italian marinade before the breading portion, Lynn! I’m glad you love this chicken piccata recipe.
Everything about this recipe is designed to keep things simple and quick. I love it. The chicken was tender and full of flavor. Thank you for sharing this.
I’m so glad you love this chicken piccata, Michael!
Hi Lisa,
If I want to make this a few days ahead and refrigerate, or more, and freeze, how can I thaw and reheat without overcooking the chicken?
Should I store or freeze the sauce separately?
Thanks so much!
Hi Olwyn – if it’s frozen, just transfer it to the fridge the night before to let it thaw. There’s no need to store the sauce separately. Then, you can reheat it in the microwave until it’s warmed through. Enjoy!
Fantasticly (is that a word) moist lemony chicken dish made in 15 minutes. Superb
Thanks so much, Peter! I definitely think fantastically is a word. ;)
ingredients… do I miss the cream?
Hi there – There’s no cream in this recipe.
Made this a second time… it was SO good the first time! Easy to make and SO delicious! I doubled the recipe because it is SO good and I wanted leftovers! Made it with the zucchini and corn salad on page 139 in the book!
Hi Wendy – I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken piccata recipe!
This was delicious and delivered on Father’s Day! Although we also had a lot of smoke and I failed to pound the half breasts to make them more consistent in thickness but to no matter. The searing helped keep them moist and I used a thermometer to gauge their inner temp. Another Lisa Bryan winner!
Hi Elizabeth – Oh no! I hope the smoke alarm didn’t go off. But, glad the chicken piccata still turned out great!
Lisa, this is the best chicken piccata recipe ever! Such an easy weeknight dinner or great for company too!!! You’re a household name to us. My husband said the other day, “you need to meet her! 🤗👩🍳
Big fan,
Marie
Hi Marie – Thrilled to hear you and your husband enjoyed this chicken piccata so much!
Delicious! This was such an easy recipe to follow and so full of flavor. Definitely a new family favorite.
Hi Toni – I’m so glad you love this chicken piccata dish!
I used chicken broth (and not white wine) and it turned out great. I am one of those cooks who, when making a new recipe, will make it exactly how it is written. Then I tweak it more to my liking. This recipe does not need any tweaking, love it just the way it is.
Hi Monica – Happy to hear you love this chicken piccata the way it is!
Love this. So simple and on the table in under 30 minutes. Only way it would be easier if someone else cooked it. LOL
Hi Steve – Happy to hear you’re loving this chicken piccata recipe!
Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi John – Happy to hear you love this chicken piccata!
You don’t say when to add the sliced lemons, I would assume its part of step 5
Yes, those are mainly for decor at the end. :)
Made this tonight. My wife loved it. But she didn’t like the fire sergeant who came to check on our house because of all the smoke in the kitchen!! lol. Is there a secret to searing chicken and not creating so much smoke? i had the heat on medium and even lowered it but it still smoked alot at 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Really appreciate your site. TY!
Hi Michael – I’m glad you and your wife loved this recipe! In terms of the smoke, maybe you don’t have enough oil in the pan while you’re searing? And yes, try reducing the temperature as well.
Simple and delicious
Hi Ann – I’m glad you loved this chicken piccata!
Excellent flavor, easy to make… I was so impressed with myself that I could make this dish (I’m a beginner cook). :)
Hi Shelley – Glad your first try at making chicken piccata was a success!
I made the chicken piccata. It was so delicious. I don’t normally try new recipes on my husband, but I did and it was so easy and delicious.
Hi Valerie – I’m glad you both enjoyed this chicken piccata recipe!
Absolutely love this recipe. We made it for the first time last night for our friends and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We have an abundance of fresh lemon juice (that I freeze) and am always looking for recipes that use lemon juice. We had all the other ingredients on hand, including fresh basil. This is a keeper!
Wonderful! So happy you loved it. And I’m sure it was extra delicious with your fresh lemon juice and basil. :)
This chicken picatta is amazing. It has become a house favorite right alongside Lisa’s Tuscan Chicken. When making the picatta recently I discovered I didn’t plan well and was missing one of the ingredients-chicken broth. So I used a little extra white wine with some water-and it was still delicious. You know you have a good recipe when you can tweak it at the last minute and still have an amazing dinner.
Yay, so happy you love both of those recipes, Linda! And sounds like you nailed it with a great sub, way to go!
The chicken breast came out delicious and very moist. Lemony and juicy. Highly recommend!
Thanks so much, Sonnya!
SO delicious!!!! Already made it several times. Thank you, Lisa!
Love to hear that! I’m happy you enjoy the recipe, Elma.
Have you ever made it with thighs instead of breasts?
You can use chicken thighs if you’d like!
Love this recipe!!!! Thank you Lisa.
Thanks so much, Luiza!
There’s no way I could get 3 tabs from 1 lemon, for the sauce.
Shoud it have been 3 teas?
Thanks.
Jeanne Wilkins
Hi Jeanne – an average lemon will usually give you 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. But yours may have been a bit smaller or dryer. But it is indeed 3 tablespoons for the recipe. :)
This dish was so delicious and easy to prepare!! I found you during Covid and have been making so many of your recipes and enjoy them all! This dish my daughter wanted seconds! My mom also enjoys your recipes too!
Happy to hear you and your family have been enjoying Downshiftology recipes, including this chicken piccata!
This was SO good. When my husband who hates cooking said he was making chicken piccata for dinner I assumed this was over ambitious on his behalf 😂 but it was DELICIOUS.
Haha, too funny! It’s actually a really simple recipe, so your husband picked a good one. ;) Glad you both enjoyed it!
I’ve made this recipe twice! Both times without cheese & white wine, just swapped in more chicken broth as suggested. Will try it next time with white wine. Thank you, it was pretty easy to follow and delish! Love the tanginess of the lemon. Oh I also swapped out the parsley for fresh basil. Can’t stand the smell of parsley
This was so delicious. Easy to make! Was a hit with everyone!!
So happy you loved the recipe, Dawn!
I made this for the family and they loved it even though my son is not into chicken that much! Thank you so much for your recipes. We really enjoy them!
Happy to hear the whole family enjoyed this chicken piccata!
It was quick, easy and good.
Glad you enjoyed this chicken piccata recipe Ramona!
I love your recipes, have your cookbook. I would like to make this recipe for a dinner party this weekend. Could this dish be made ahead of time? Thanks so much.
You can make it ahead of time and reheat it. But if you’re making this for a dinner party, I say fresh is best.
i usually cook vegetarian but this recipe looked so easy to make and it was delicious! the capers were not overwhelming. i may have overcooked the chicken but it was still yummy lol. i ended up added a slurry to thicken the sauce as preferred. plenty of sauce for 2 breasts with extra leftover. i added onto some rice. this recipe is perfect for weekdays after a tire day of work.
Glad this recipe still turned out perfectly!
The absolute best ever. Thanks for a concise and easy to follow recipe.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken piccata recipe Catherine!
This recipe is unbelievably delicious and easy. Thank you so much for sharing!
Tasty!
Hello, what will you recommend as side dish? Thanks!
I’d say a side salad or a quick roasted vegetable dish would be great!
This chicken piccata recipe was a hit at the dinner table last night! Our family loves chicken and this easy dinner dish was delicious. Thank you Lisa for always providing great recipes that the whole fam will love.
Yay, I’m so happy to hear the whole family loved it! :)
Excellent recipe! Easy and delicious, restaurant quality. Simple, fresh ingredients. I’ll be making this one again. I paired this with spaghetti in order not to waste the beautiful sauce….:)
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. And yes, don’t let that sauce go to waste. ;)
I am New to Lisa’s channel and recipes. This is the first one that I tried and my family LOVED it. The easy to follow instructions were great and I actually had all of the ingredients. Lisa goes step by step and I love that there is also a video to watch Lisa making the recipe. I can’t wait to make this for a dinner party I am having. Five star!!
Thanks so much, Lori! And I’m glad you found the video helpful as you made the recipe. :)
Hi Lisa! Your recipe was easy to follow and delicious! Thanks for sharing all your yummy recipes!
You’re more than welcome, Beth! I’m so happy you loved this chicken piccata recipe. :)
I made it, I liked it a lot, moved on to the next. Salmon salad! Oh so good! Loved it, shared it, they loved, so good!
It’s a great recipe! The chicken is so juicy and the sauce is amazing! Thanks Lisa!
I’m happy you love it!
Turned out way, way too sour. Overall a good recipe, I would just not as much lemon next time.
You might have had an extra-juicy lemon as well. But you can certainly reduce the amount of the lemon for next time.
I am thinking about taking this FROZEN on a long RV trip out west. Recommendations on reheating??
Another fab one. Thank you so much, Lisa, for sharing the Chicken PICCATA. I very rarely cook chicken breast because I find it very dry. This one works perfectly on the first attempt, so flavorsome and balanced in taste. As you said, there is no leftover. I wish I had cooked rice instead of potatoes to go with the meal so I could use the sauce : P. My daughter has already ordered this for the following Monday’s dinner. Chicken breast is on the shopping list from now on. Thanks again xx
Glad this recipe turned out perfectly on the first try Jia!
Hi Lisa, thank you for the Chicken Piccata recipe. I made it tonight for dinner. It was a hit with my DH. The chicken was tender and juicy. The sauce, delish. I did adapt the sauce, as I didn’t have any capers and my parsley hasn’t grown enough to harvest yet. I replaced the capers with a dollop of white miso and the parsley I replaced with basil.
Glad this chicken piccata was a hit for dinner Cathy!
We had unexpected company tonight and I doubled the recipe. It was a huge hit and many requested the recipe. Your recipes are always spot on.
Glad this chicken piccata recipe worked out great for your dinner guests :)
Do you think chicken cutlets would work? I hate pounding chicken…The first time I made this, I didn’t have a recipe, just winged it…It was pretty good, but I’m sure can be delish with a few of your hints…
Yes, those would work as well!
I have made this recipe before and it is fantastic. I used to use panko but I now prefer a bit of flour.
I usually thicken my sauce but next time I will leave it a bit runnier. Love your recipes and your videos. I also love that you remind the cook to wash their hands after handling raw chicken. You seem to be the only video chef who does. I will try some of your other chicken recipes soon.
Thanks so much, Lindy! I’m happy you’re enjoying my recipes and videos. :)