Learn how to make a bright, lemony, and flavorful chicken piccata! This Italian classic is made of juicy chicken breasts cut thin and cooked in a vibrant butter, lemon, and caper sauce.

skillet pan with lemon chicken piccata in it on gray background with lemon slices and fresh parsley arranged around it.

Chicken piccata has to be one of the quickest Italian chicken recipes and one of the tastiest! I love that this dish uses humble ingredients, but the flavors are deep and impressive and develop quickly.

“Piccata” comes from the word “Piccato,” which refers to the dish’s preparation. Generally, it’s made of chicken, but you can also use veal, pounded thin, then breaded with a little flour for a golden color. Everything is cooked and served with a simple yet flavorful lemon caper sauce!

This recipe is bright, fresh, and a little tangy. And better than any restaurant could make!

Ingredients

Chicken breasts: slice two chicken breasts in half to create 4 cutlets.
Oil: I like using avocado or olive oil.
Butter: I like to pair butter with the oil to add more flavor and richness, and this also browns the chicken nicely too. A little extra butter is also used at the end to imulsify the lemon sauce.
Lemon: for this recipe you’ll use the whole lemon – zest and juice.
Flour: this adds a nice browning to the chicken and also helps thicken the sauce. You can use all-purpose or white whole wheat, or opt for a gluten-free flour blend.
Chicken broth: I recommend using low-sodium broth and adjusting the salt to your desired taste.
Capers: these little salty gems add a lot of saltiness and tangy flavor to the dish. So you will need to salt this dish a little less than you would think.
Garlic: I like using fresh garlic and adding a little bit of garlic powder for additional flavor.
Parsley: I recommend using fresh parsley to sprinkle over your finished dish.

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

1

First, whisk sauce ingredients together in small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
2

Use a rolling pin or smooth side of a meat hammer to pound the chicken until 1/2 to 1/4 inch in thickness. Place chicken breasts in ziplock bag or between two sheets of parchment paper for this step.

hand stirring glass measuring cup of sauce in it on gray background.

hand using rolling pin to pound chicken in between parchment paper.

3

Next, season the chicken with salt & pepper on both sides and dip into flour.
4

Then, heat oil and butter in a pan and brown chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Chicken should be cooked fully. Remove chicken breasts from pan.

hand dipping chicken breast into white bowl of flour on gray background.

5

Add chicken broth and caper mixture. Deglaze the bottom of the pan to get the chicken bits in with the sauce.
6

Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, whisking often. When its slightly reduced, whisk in a tablespoon of butter. Then add the chicken, let it cook for a few more minutes with the sauce until it’s fully cooked through (internal temperature should be 165F). Season with parsley and serve with the sauce!

liquid being poured into a silver sauce pan with wooden spoon in it.

Tips for Success

Always rinse the capers. Since capers are marinated in a very salty brine, I always rinse them for a piccata because it’s typically too much salt if they’re not rinsed.

Salt the dish less because of the capers. Because piccata uses capers, which are naturally very salty, I find this dish doesn’t need a ton of salting. I season the chicken with a little salt, but only a small pinch of salt is needed for the lemon sauce because the capers add most of the salt.

Be cautious about reducing the sauce too much. If you like a lot of sauce, be mindful of simmering too long, or the sauce can evaporate quickly. You can also cover the dish while it cooks to trap moisture, which will help prevent the sauce from evaporating too much.

close up on slice of chicken piccata in sauce with lemon slices and fresh parsley leaves.

Wine Pairings

If you’re looking for a wine pairing for this dish, I recommend a nice Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Grigio, or any semi-dry white blend.

Pairing Suggestions

Pasta. We love to serve this with our Cherry Tomato Pasta, or any pasta shape tossed with the lemon sauce is delicious. Whenever we serve this with pasta, we always like to pair it with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bread. Drew’s homemade sourdough is a favorite for dipping in the sauce, or a crusty Italian loaf!
Vegetables. We love to pair this with a seasonal vegetable, but our favorite veggies with this are asparagus or broccolini! You can also serve this with a nice Italian salad or greens with a light vinaigrette.

More Chicken Dinners to Try