Chicken piccata is a classic Italian-American chicken dish, with thin boneless chicken cutlets dredged in seasoned flour and pan-fried until golden, then served with a lemon, butter and caper sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes.
It’s hard to beat the delicious simplicity of chicken piccata. Thin chicken cutlets are dredged in flour, then quickly pan-fried until golden, and served with a chicken broth, lemon and caper sauce that is finished with cold butter for a silky sauce.
Thin chicken cutlets and a quick and easy lemon pan sauce mean chicken piccata is ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Chicken – Many grocery stores sell thin chicken cutlets, so they are specified and recommended for best results. If not, start with a boneless chicken breast and cut it in half horizontally into cutlets.
Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is recommended for the best and brightest flavour.
Shallot – If shallots are not on hand, substitute finely diced onion together with a bit of minced garlic, as specified in the Recipe Card.
Capers – Capers are classic, but if you aren’t a fan, simply omit them.
How to make classic chicken piccata: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by trimming the tenderloin from the chicken cutlet.
Step 2: Remove the tenderloin and serve for another use (makes great chicken strips!)
Step 3: Lay the chicken on a board, cover with plastic wrap and pound to 1/2-inch thickness.
Step 4: Dredge the chicken cutlets in seasoned flour.
Step 5: Add to hot oil in a skillet.
Step 6: Cook both sides of the chicken until golden.
Step 7: Remove the chicken to a plate and place the oven-safe plate into the 200F oven to keep warm.
Step 8: Briefly cook the shallot to soften, then add the broth.
Step 9: Add the lemon slices to the skillet and cook until the broth reduces by half.
Step 10: Add the lemon juice to the skillet.
Step 11: Add the capers to the skillet and cook together briefly.
Step 12: Add the cold butter to the skillet and swirl in the sauce until melted and the sauce thickens. Stir in the parsley, pour over the chicken and serve immediately.
How to make classic chicken piccata: video
What to serve with chicken piccata
Chicken piccata is lovely served over long pasta, such as spaghetti, spaghettini or angel hair pasta. Hot buttered noodles or rice would also be nice. Mashed potatoes are another option.
Alongside the carb, think green vegetables, such as steamed green beans, sautéed spinach, roasted asparagus, broccoli or broccolini. This roasted broccoli Caesar salad would be a great side, or go for a simple green salad, such as this simple feta and almond salad.
Finally, a crusty Italian bread wouldn’t be out of place to sop up the last bits of the sauce from the plate.
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Get the Recipe: Classic Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 1 large fresh lemons
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets, *see Note 1 below
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, or similar cooking oil
For the piccata sauce:
- 1/2 small shallot, finely diced or 2 Tbsp finely diced onion combined with 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1-2 Tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1-2 teaspoons of dried parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200F. (to keep the chicken warm after pan-frying)
- Cut the lemon in half lengthwise. Juice one half of the lemon to yield the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice needed for the sauce, and set aside. Trim the ends off the other half lemon, then cut it in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/4-inch thick slices and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: Trim the tenderloin piece from the 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (*see Note 1 below) (see the step-by-step photos) and retain it for another use (makes great chicken strips!). Place the chicken cutlets onto a cutting board and cover loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet (using the flat side, not the tenderizer side) or a rolling pin to pound the chicken pieces into an even 1/2-inch thickness. Set aside.
- Add the 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to a plate and season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and stir to mix. Set aside.
- Heat the 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (or similar cooking oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken: When the oil is shimmering, coat both sides of the prepared chicken with the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess flour. Add to the hot oil in the skillet. Cook the chicken until lightly browned underneath, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook the second side until lightly browned, another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove the chicken to a heat-proof plate (or baking sheet) and place into the preheated oven to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
- Make the sauce: Reduce the heat under the now-empty skillet to medium and add the 1/2 small shallot (finely diced or 2 Tbsp finely diced onion combined with 1 clove of garlic, minced). Cook, stirring, until just softened, about 30 seconds. *if using the onion/garlic substitute, add the onion first and cook for 30 seconds, then add the garlic and cook for a further 15 seconds.
- Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet, together with the lemon slices. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the broth reduces by half. Add the 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed) and 1-2 Tablespoons capers (drained) to the skillet and continue cooking for another minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the 2 Tablespoons cold butter to the pan. Swirl the pan to move the sauce around until the butter melts and thickens the sauce. Stir in the 1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped or 1-2 teaspoons of dried parsley) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken and serve immediately.
Notes
Watch how to make it
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
