Tender, juicy chicken cutlets swimming in a lightly thickened lemony sauce with garlic and capers seem almost too fancy for a weeknight, but trust me, it’s not. In fact, this is one of my favorite mid-week dishes to sneak in when the responsibilities of parenthood and business ownership have got me feeling a little ragged — what better time to jazz up a meal?
What’s the difference between this and other lemon chicken dishes?
Chicken piccata is an Italian-American dish made with pan-fried chicken cutlets and a lemon butter sauce. Some recipes call for dry white wine or shallots to create its notable savory, citrus flavor. However, what truly sets chicken piccata apart from other crispy pan-fried chicken recipes is the addition of capers. They add a briny taste that makes the dish truly unique.
Why I Love This Recipe
What makes it a winner is the minimal prep time. Plus, it’s ready in just 30 minutes! I feel good knowing my family is getting a high-quality source of protein and that I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen making it happen. I make this in batches almost every time to make sure we get to enjoy it on leftover night!
Read one of our 5-star reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This is delicious. Really appreciate replacing traditional white wine with chicken broth. This one is going into the rotation and your directions are spot on.”
Emmy
If you’re interested in sharing it with friends — it’s a great dinner party treat that never fails to impress, seriously — just double the recipe and use two skillets for the best results (rather than trying to make two batches one after another).
One of the beauties of this recipe is that you can mix, match, and add different ingredients to suit your flavor preferences and dietary needs. Here are a few variations I’ve tried and loved as I’ve made this dish over the years:
- Add sautéed shallots, mushrooms, or onions
- Substitute half of the chicken stock with dry white wine
- Add Romano, Asiago, or Parmesan cheese
Tips for getting it just right
Making your own chicken cutlets at home is easy to do if you’ve got a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, a cutting board, and some plastic wrap. You can find instructions for doing so below or you can purchase cutlets from the meat counter to save some time.
Pound the chicken into uniformly thin cutlets: Place a sheet of plastic on a cutting board. Arrange the chicken breasts on the cutting board and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken to ½-inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally. If they are still thick or uneven in thickness, use the meat mallet to pound them to a uniform thickness of about ½ inch.
Coat the cutlets well with seasoned flour: Really get in there and rub the flour into all of the surfaces of the cutlets, then lightly shake off any excess flour. This ensures a nice even browning and adds flavor.
Get the skillet hot: Make sure the pan is hot and the olive oil is shimmering before adding the chicken cutlets. Resist the urge to flip the chicken until it’s browned on one side and releases easily from the pan without sticking.
How to get a perfect brown crust
The key to achieving a crispy golden exterior is to sear the chicken over high heat without moving the pieces.
Make the sauce: Next, remove the chicken cutlets from the pan, then add broth. Be sure to scrape up the flavorful brown bits on the bottom of the pan – this is called ‘deglazing’ before adding the capers, and mustard and stirring to combine. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half.
Thicken the sauce and add the chicken back to the skillet: Add the lemon juice, stir and spoon the sauce over the cutlets. Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer a thicker sauce, try simmering it a little longer or stir in a tablespoon or two of extra flour or cornstarch.
What I pair this with
To round out this dish, I like to serve it over mashed potatoes with a side of grilled asparagus, sauteed asparagus, or green beans. It’s also utterly divine served with fettuccine, linguine, or your favorite pasta. In the spring, I love pairing it with our asparagus risotto. But it’s also delicious served over a bed of fresh arugula if you’re looking for a lower-carb dish.
How To Store
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I tried storing it in the freezer to see how it would keep — unfortunately, the sauce became very watery after thawing. My advice for long-term meal prep is to freeze the chicken but plan on making a new batch of sauce each time.
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Lemon Chicken Piccata
A true 30-minute dinner, this chicken piccata recipe is simple and so delicious. The chicken cooks perfectly tender and moist and gets topped with a slightly thickened lemony caper sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 chicken cutlets (~1 to 1 ¼ lbs)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (use gluten-free, if needed)*
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon butter** (see Notes for dairy-free option)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of ½ lemon)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Mashed potatoes and lemon wedges or slices, optional for serving
Instructions
- To make the chicken cutlets, slice the chicken breasts in half crosswise to create 4 cutlets. Lightly pound each cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap until they’re about ½” thick.
- In a shallow bowl, place the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
- Working one at a time, place the cutlets in the bowl and toss until coated in flour on all sides. Transfer the floured cutlets to a plate or cutting board. Discard any unused flour mixture.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the cutlets to the pan.
- Cook the cutlets, without moving them, until golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes. Then, turn each cutlet over and cook on the other side, without moving, just until the chicken is nearly cooked through (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer the chicken to a clean plate. Be sure to cook your chicken for as long as it takes to see no pink on the inside and get the internal temperature to 165 F.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the garlic to the skillet. Stir continuously to keep the garlic from scorching, about 30 seconds.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the broth, capers, and mustard to the skillet. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add the butter. Stir vigorously until melted (about 1 minute) and the sauce starts to look glossy.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and continue to simmer vigorously until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce lightly coats the spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir the lemon juice into the sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving plate or platter. Spoon the sauce over the top of the cutlets and sprinkle with parsley. Note: The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
- If desired, serve chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes. Garnish with lemon wedges.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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Notes
*For gluten-free flours, we like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour.
**To make this dairy-free: Use a favorite plant-based butter instead of dairy butter
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe (without mashed potatoes)
- Calories: 232
- Fat: 13 g
- (Sat Fat: 3 g)
- Sodium: 542 mg
- Carbohydrate: 3 g
- (Fiber: 0 g
- Sugar: 0 g)
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 78 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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Lip smacking goodness 👍 Thank you for the share. I’ll definitely make this one again. Hubby is very happy with tonight dinner.😉
We’re so happy to hear that, Fran! Thank you for the feedback and 5-star review!
Easiest chicken piccata recipe and so yummy! Served over pasta with a side of green beans. Will definitely do again!
We are so happy this will be a repeat on the menu Emily! We appreciate the 5-star review!
we’ve made this on repeat…delicious. Feels special and worthy of company.
That is such a perfect way to explain this recipe! Thank you for the great feedback and 5-star review!