This chicken piccata, made with boneless chicken breasts cooked in a buttery lemon and caper sauce, is on the table in less than half an hour. Easy!
This chicken piccata recipe is traditionally made with veal, but in real life, who serves veal very often at home? We certainly don’t. We make this chicken piccata variation all the time, and truthfully, the buttery lemon sauce and zing of the capers is just as delicious with chicken.
–Bob and Melinda BlanchardWhat does “piccata” mean in Italian?
You’ll see various types of meat referred to, on occasion, as “piccata,” and it typically refers to a type of preparation in which the meat is pounded flat and also doused with a lemony sauce which is quite frequently punctuated with briny capers, as here. Once you’ve got that mastered, move on to chicken saltimbocca, another Italian favorite.
☞ Contents
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- Four (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
- Place the chicken breasts between a couple pieces of plastic wrap and, using a meat pounder, flatten each breast to an even 1/4 inch thickness.
- Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour and shake off any excess.
- In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons butter. When the foaming subsides, add the chicken and cook until golden brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and brown the other side, 1 to 2 minutes. When done, remove the chicken from the pan and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice and capers, scraping up any brown bits and pieces left from the chicken. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
- Return the chicken to the pan, place it over medium heat, and warm gently for 1 minute, turning to coat both sides of the chicken with the sauce.
- Place the chicken on plates, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately. Originally published March 24, 2010.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Mmmmmmm. This was absolutely fabulous. I don’t remember ever cooking this, although I have seen recipes for it over the years. All conversation stopped at the dinner table. I’d serve it to any one, at any time, on any occasion.
This is an easy dish to fix on a busy weeknight, especially since most ingredients can be found in a well stocked pantry. I served this with roasted carrots and a salad. Next time I make this I’ll double the sauce recipe so I can drizzle it over rice. Definitely a keeper.
Simplicity and quiet elegance describe this traditional treatment of all those “white meats.” This easy-to-accomplish recipe is equally enjoyable using pork and turkey cutlets. Perfect for entertaining when time is short or for a special work-night meal at home, the ingredients are readily available and not a budget breaker. A keeper worthy of repeating.
This was incredibly simple to make. It helps to have your lemon juice, capers, and butter measured out before starting on the chicken. My chicken took a little longer to brown than the recipe indicated, so you may have to tack on a couple of minutes. This is a well-flavored, perfect weeknight dish.
This one is a definite keeper. Easy to make, and the result is delicious. One comment though: If you’re watching your cholesterol, this is not the dish for you.
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
This is an excellent piccata recipe, and I’ve tried a lot them. Since I’ve been making it for years, it’s high time I sing its praises. You can cut out one Tbsp of the butter at the end, and it still makes a great sauce. I see the recipe was updated in 2018 but I can’t figure out how it’s different—doesn’t matter, though, just make it!
Marion, delighted you enjoyed the recipe! And anytime we make any changes to the recipe, even if it’s a typo, the system shows it has been updated. This is the same good old recipe you’ve been making for years. (Perhaps with a typo or two corrected!)
Just made this recipe with chicken and pork. Was pleasantly surprised that the pork came out FANTASTIC. I must admit we all actually preferred the pork. Easy enough to prepare a nice meal in less than 30 minutes.
Loved this recipe!! I went on vacation with my family and made it for 10. Everyone loved in fact they asked for the recipe. I added mushrooms to the dish and it was yummy! Thanks for a great meal.
So glad you (and the whole family) enjoyed this dish. Nice touch adding mushrooms. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your great experience.
I love chicken piccata (better than veal) and this will be my new go-to recipe. It’s simple to throw together on a week night but delicious enough to serve to guests as well.
That photo looks amazing, I’m throwing this on the dinner menu next week. Its a good thing I picked up another jar of capers last week. I like that every ingredient is a staple in the kitchen. Thanks for posting!
You got it, Yasmine. Write us and tell us what you think.