Lemon Chicken Piccata (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Lemon Chicken Piccata is a simple, yet impressive dish! Delicious chicken in a tasty lemon, butter and capers sauce. Made entirely in one pan, it’s perfect with pasta for a quick and delicious dinner.

Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe

This chicken piccata is the perfect romantic dish for a special occasion. You know they say “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” It’s true! And if you don’t believe me, I dare you to try it, cook him a meal like this!

My lemon chicken piccata is an impressive dish, yet it’s so simple to make. It’s amazing how you can turn a few basic ingredients into a fabulous and totally delicious dish!

It’s such an easy dish to make and so full of flavor! The ingredient list is incredibly simple and the entire meal takes just over 40 minutes start to finish. Plus, you only need one skillet, which makes cleanup a breeze! If you love the bright taste lemons, this dish is for you!

• Chicken Breasts – You want them boneless and skinless. You can also do this with boneless skinless chicken thighs, for the dark meat lover. If using larger breasts, make sure you cut them in half lengthwise, as seen in the video.
• Flour – All purpose flour for dredging our chicken through.
• Butter – I always use unsalted, this way I can control how much salt is in my food.
• Olive oil – Pretty much my oil of choice all the time, especially for dishes such as this. Substitute sunflower, safflower or avocado oil.
• Lemon juice – This is the star of this recipe, so you want to make sure is fresh lemon juice for best flavor.
• White wine – A dry white wine will work great such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
• Capers – This is another key ingredient in this recipe, they’ll give the dish more lemony, oily and salty flavor.
• Salt And Pepper – You’ll need a bit of salt and some black pepper to season our dish.

1. Prep Chicken: If the breasts are too thick, you’ll need to slice them in half lengthwise. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess.
2. Cook Chicken: In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of butter with the olive oil, over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet.
3. Add Ingredients: Remove skillet from heat. Add lemon juice, chicken stock or wine, capers and scrape up the brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Return the skillet to heat and bring to a boil. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add the chicken back to skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add remaining butter to the sauce in the skillet and whisk for about a minute. Sauce will thicken slightly.
4. Finish and Serve: Pour the sauce over the chicken garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

What Is Chicken Piccata?

Piccata is a method of preparing food where meat is sliced, coated, sautéed and served in a sauce. The dish is Italian as the name would imply, but it is originally made with veal. Here I chose to make mine with chicken breasts, thinly sliced, or butterflied.

What Type Of Wine Works Best?

It’s important to deglaze the pan, and the wine adds a nice depth of flavor. I would recommend using your favorite dry white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc! If you want a non-alcoholic version, you can substitute chicken broth! It will work just as well.

How To Serve

This lemon chicken piccata is perfect over buttered noodles or mashed potatoes. You can also serve this over rice, with a side of roasted broccoli or green beans.

I had Lemon caper chicken piccata at a restaurant recently and so enjoyed it. Found your recipe and it is every bit as good and exactly what I was looking for… AND I had everything needed on hand (even better)! Thank you!!!

Leftovers

You can store this chicken piccata easily in the fridge. In an airtight container, it will keep for3 – 5 days,just be sure it’s properly cooled before storing.

Freezing

If you’d like to make and freeze this chicken piccata ahead of time just place it in the fridge until it’s completely cooled. Store in an airtight container, then transfer to the freezer. It should last for3 months.

When ready to serve, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before popping it back in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you could heat it up in a skillet.

More Great Recipes To Try

• Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Fettuccine
• Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Chicken Francese
• Chicken Marsala
• Lemon Chicken Rice Bake
• Chicken Marbella

Recipe Originally Published December 2014.