30 Minute Easy Chicken Piccata is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, but it’s also elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. The lemon-garlic, butter sauce will have you licking your plate!
Table of Contents
This chicken piccata is great served alongside some buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or even mashed cauliflower for a low carb option. I’ll also either serve some roasted broccoli, radicchio salad or this fennel & celery salad. Or, click here for even more yummy sides for chicken.
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This was kid approved – my kids ate every bite. I served over pasta. Easy, perfect weeknight meal that will become a regular recipe at my house! Thank you!!
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What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken Piccata is a traditional Italian dish that’s simple, elegant and so delicious. In Italian, Piccata translates to piquant or piquancy, which means tart or zesty. This dish does have a tart sauce made from lemon, white wine and capers, but it’s also silky, creamy and totally decadent. Piccata sauce is not only delicious on chicken! I also love this Cod Piccata, Pork Piccata and Shrimp Piccata.
Plus, this lemon chicken piccata can be yours in just 30-minutes!
Because the chicken is pounded thin, it cooks extremely fast. You make those thin cutlets by cutting a chicken breast in half, horizontally, and then pounding each half thin using a meat mallet. Don’t be intimidated here. Just place your chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten the breasts out to about 1/4 inch-thickness.
Then comes the dredging in flour. This is what helps get those chicken cutlets nice and golden and a bit crispy on the outside. To “dredge,” pour the flour into a shallow dish and dip each chicken breast into the flour, shaking off any excess flour and gently coating each of them in the mixture.
Dredging complete, now comes the sauce. That yummy, delicious lemon picatta sauce. It’s tangy, buttery, and briny and I pretty much lick the skillet clean every time I make it. I honestly can’t get enough of it…
One word of caution when you’re making the sauce. Be sure not to overcook your garlic or it can become bitter.
It helps to let your skillet cool down a bit after frying up the chicken. You don’t want the skillet scorching hot. Instead, now you want your skillet heated to medium. Also, don’t let the slices cook for any longer than the 30 seconds called for. They turn golden in an instant.
Once they’re reached that color, immediately add in the white wine, chicken stock and lemon juice and watch it sizzle away and reduce until that magical consistency is reached.
Plus, can we talk about the capers? Those capers! I had to hold myself back on this recipe. I’m a bit obsessed with them. It took everything I had in me not to add the whole jar into this chicken piccata.
Whole jar aside, this sauce is still a bit heavy on those briny little guys. If you’re not into them, feel free to cut back on them a bit, or, go ahead and just dump that whole jar in there… You will be my spirit animal.
Recipe FAQs
In Italian, Piccata translates to piquant or piquancy, which means tart or zesty.
Chicken Marsala is served with a slightly sweet Marsala wine sauce and typically has mushrooms. Chicken piccata is served with a lemon-butter sauce that is flecked with capers and parsley.
The word “piccata” is used to describe the sauce used in the recipe. Whereas “scallopini” refers to the cut of meat – scallopini is a thinly sliced cut of meat, and can be veal, pork or chicken.
Chicken piccata will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over moderate heat or in the microwave.
What to serve with chicken piccata
- Click here for MORE side dishes to serve with chicken piccata
I tend to serve this lemon chicken piccata up with some instant pot rice. It’s also great served alongside some buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or even mashed cauliflower for a low carb option.
But, the most important accompaniment (as always) is the wine!
I’ve tried several different wines with this dish. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc. But, most recently, I’ve fallen in love with pairing this chicken piccata with Chardonnay. Its hints of lemon, baking spices and the creamy finish just make it the perfect match for the lemon sauce on the piccata!
Erin’s wine pairings
- Chardonnay has hints of butter and citrus that pair amazingly well with this Chicken Piccata.
- Sauvignon Blanc has bright citrus and herbal notes that pair nicely with the lemon and parsley found in this dish.
- Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc are a nice match with their crisp minerality and citrus notes.
- For something unexpected, and budget friendly, try a Vinho Verde.
- MORE → the 8 BEST Chicken Wine Pairings.
More piccata recipes
More 30-minute recipes
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Full Recipe
Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut half horizontally and pounded to 1/4 inch thick)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup dry vermouth ( or white wine)
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons capers (drained)
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken in it. Shake off the excess.
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and keep warm under a tent of foil. Warm the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in the pan and repeat to brown the remaining chicken. Place that chicken under your foil tent as well.
- Reduce the heat to medium and melt 1 Tbs. of the butter in the pan. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice and broth, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 Tbs. butter, the capers and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This post for Easy Chicken Piccata was originally published in December, 2014. The recipe remains unchanged. However, the photographs and content have been updated.
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