Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian dish.  Tender chicken breasts are simmered in a fresh lemon caper white wine sauce. Serve this simple chicken dinner recipe dish over pasta or sauteed spinach for a guaranteed family favorite! 

An easy chicken dinner is my go-to weeknight meal idea. Chicken piccata was one of the first meals I learned to make out of culinary school. I worked in an Italian restaurant during and after culinary school, and learned from chefs with true Italian roots. It was such an amazing experience, and I want to go back all the time. You’ll love this easy chicken piccata recipe! It’s truly one of my favorite dishes to make.

Ingredients Needed for this Dish

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken cutlets

2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 small shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and black pepper

3 tbl capers

The juice of one lemon, or 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

8 oz linguine or angel hair pasta, cooked

Olive oil

Fresh parsley for garnish

Piccata is a traditional Italian dish.  Piccata is a dish that includes meat, usually veal or chicken, that is sliced thin, dredged in flour, then cooked in a delicious white wine sauce with lemon juice, butter, and capers! I add a little garlic and chicken stock to mine as well!

How to Make Chicken Piccata

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to warm plate.
2. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. Into the pan add the shallots and cook until almost translucent. Add the garlic and cook about a minute, making sure not to burn.  Add the flour and mix well with the fat, adding more if needed.  Cook for one minute.
3. Deglaze the pan with white wine, using a whisk, incorporate the liquid into the flour mix until there are no lumps.  Add chicken broth
4. Add the lemon juice and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from the pan for extra flavor.  Season as needed with salt and pepper
5. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Serve with linguine or angel hair pasta, pour sauce over chicken and pasta and garnish with basil if desired.

This sauce is reduced to enhance all the amazing flavors of the piccata sauce. It’s a sauce that I want to eat with a spoon! 

How To Sear Chicken

The first step to making this easy chicken piccata is pounding the chicken breasts until they are an even thickness. I like to use a meat mallet or meat tenderizer, but I’ve used a wine bottle in a pinch! If your chicken breasts aren’t already sliced thin, cut them in half. Sear the sides of the chicken breast to brown the outside in a large skillet or sauté pan. Because they are sliced thin, they’ll only need a few minutes for the chicken to get a nice golden brown color.

How to make a chicken piccata sauce

Once the chicken has been seared, remove it from the pan to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.

Next, add two tablespoons of butter and another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan that you cooked the chicken in. You’ll want to incorporate all the brown bits and flavor of that chicken into the sauce. To the butter and oil, add the shallots and cook until almost translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, making sure not to burn. 

Next, you’ll create a roux by adding the flour and mixing it well with the fat, adding more oil if needed. 

What is a roux?

A roux is a combination of equal parts flour and fat, in this case, oil and butter. When you make a roux and cook it for long enough, the flour will brown adding great flavor to your piccata sauce!

Cook until the flour has browned, and then deglaze the pan with white wine. Deglazing is a fancy word for pouring cold liquid into a very hot pan to get up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom.

Then by using a whisk, incorporate the liquid into the flour mix until there are no lumps.  Add chicken broth and continue to whisk until everything is incorporated.

Lastly, add the lemon juice and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Make sure you taste the sauce and season as needed with salt and pepper!

Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, letting the chicken soak up all those delicious flavors from the sauce!

Click here to check out the short web story for this recipe!

What should you serve with this dish?

These salads and starters are the perfect accompaniment to chicken piccata

Asparagus salad with tomatoes and basil

Sweet corn arancini

Classic Tomato Bruschetta with pesto

If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out my linguine with asparagus and lemon cream sauce!

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