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Chicken Piccata is a simple, classic dish brimming with tangy, rich flavor. Easy enough to whip up for weeknight dinners as well as an elegant dish to serve to guests. Video.
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Chicken Piccata’s roots are a little hazy but are thought to have been created in America by Italian immigrants. It implements a classic Italian cooking technique, scaloppine, which refers to a particular way of preparing meat and fish to cook quickly and evenly by being pounded flat. The chicken cutlets are then sautéed and topped with a quick sauce made in the same pan from all the flavorful drippings.
Chicken Piccata is layered with simple ingredients. White wine, savory shallots, tangy lemon, briny capers, and creamy butter create the luscious sauce that tops the tender seared chicken, creating a perfect balance of flavors making it clear why this dish is a loved classic.
Chicken Piccata | 60-Second Video
Table of Contents
Ingredients In Chicken Piccata
Ingredient Notes
- chicken breasts– boneless thighs are fine too.
- shallots– add more savory depth.
- capers– essential briney element for this dish, can substitute olives.
- white wine– we like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
faqs
The Italian word piccata translates to be pounded flat, referring to a particular way of preparing meat and fish to cook quickly and evenly, which is then sautéed and topped with a lemon, caper, butter sauce.
Scaloppine, which basically means thinly slice meat sautéed or fried and then a quick sauce made in the same pan from all the flavorful drippings.
White wine, chicken broth, capers, garlic, shallots, lemon juice and butter.
How To Make Chicken Piccata
STEP ONE– Slice chicken breasts in half length-wise. Use a sharp knife and try to cut in one smooth motion rather than sawing, which will leave jagged, torn meat.
STEP TWO– Place the chicken in a plastic bag and lightly pound until even thickness, 1/2 inch or less. Generously season both sides of the cutlets with salt.
STEP THREE– Place flour in a shallow bowl, lightly dredge chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Using flour helps the chicken brown quickly without overcooking it.
STEP FOUR– Cook the cutlets in two or three batches. Add olive oil and a teaspoon or two of butter to a skillet. Fry the cutlets over med-high heat. Add more oil and butter if needed for each batch. Set chicken aside.
STEP FIVE– In the same pan, sauté the shallots and capers for 3 minutes. Add garlic, sautéing another minute. Add wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, simmer for 3 minutes.
STEP SIX– Add chicken broth and black pepper, heat to a simmer and whisk in butter until emulsified. Add chicken and heat 2-3 minutes until chicken is warm and registers 165 on a thermometer. Add lemon juice and parsley. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken.
Serve with extra lemon wedges. We often add more fresh herbs like basil and thyme when available.
What To Serve With Chicken Piccata
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Enjoy!
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Chicken Piccata
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 – 8 cutlets 1x
- Category: chicken
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A simple, classic Italian dish brimming with flavor- Chicken Piccata is easy enough for weeknight dinners or elegant enough for entertaining.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts (or pre sliced cutlets)
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup all- purpose flour ( or sub GF flour blend)
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil (lite olive oil, not extra virgin)
- 4 tablespoons, 2 oz, butter, plus more for cooking chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large shallot, 1/2 cup, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped small
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts in half length-wise ( if extra large). Lightly pound to an even thickness, about a 1/2 inch. Generously season both sides of the cutlets with salt.
- Place flour in a shallow bowl, lightly dredge chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
- Cook the cutlets in two or three batches. Add olive oil and a teaspoon or two of butter to a skillet. Sear the cutlets over med-high heat for about 3 minutes, turn them over for another 30 seconds to a minute. The chicken will get heated and finish cooking in the sauce, so we are just going for a light sear. Add more oil and butter if needed for each batch. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, without cleaning it, sauté the shallots and capers for 3 minutes. Add garlic, sautéing another minute. Add wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add chicken broth and black pepper, heat to a simmer and whisk in butter until emulsified. Add chicken and heat 2-3 minutes until chicken is warm and cooked through.
- Add lemon juice, parsley and adjust salt and pepper.
Notes
For a special touch you can sear lemon slices by placing then on a hot skillet for about 30 seconds each side or until they get lightly charred on the edges. Add a slice or two to each serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cutlet
- Calories: 265
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 253.8 mg
- Fat: 12.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.6 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 26.9 g
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
Keywords: chicken piccata, best chicken piccata recipe, chicken piccata recipe, classic chicken piccata
This was absolutely fantastic! I didn’t bother to pound my chicken, just sliced the breasts in half carefully and they were pretty close to even and cooked very well. In used a Pinot Grigio for the wine and it was fantastic in this dish. Overall, a very quick dinner to make that feels fancy. We served with roasted potatoes seasoned with herbs de Provence and a salad.
★★★★★
Nice Adianne, so glad this worked out for you!
I love this recipe and want to make for entertaining. Some guests are vegan. What could I make with this sauce instead using chicken for the vegans?
Hi Fi- you could use Tofu filets or if you are not opposed to vegan “chicken”- there are some plant-based products you can purchase that mimic chicken but are vegan.
Thank you. Good idea
This was delicious the adult kids loved It. We will make it again.
★★★★★
Great!
OMG, this was sooo good. I cant wait to make it with the original ingredients. Didn’t have capers so used spanish green olives. Didn’t have parsley so used some cilantro. And… used thighs instead of breasts. Put it all on GF pasta and WOW! Thank you for the ideas <3
★★★★★
Love your substitutions here! Glad you enjoyed it!
Bang easy to make and supremely flavourful. As ever, thanks for adding another dish to our notebook of fave recipes. M&M
★★★★★
Yay- happy you liked this and thanks for sharing on Instagram- I think just saw it!
Would anything change if I used turkey instead of chicken?
I don’t know? If you can prepare the meat the same way (thinly pounded breast) it would probably be good!
So delicious! My favorite dish I’ve made in a while. Thank you!
★★★★★
Awesome, so great to hear!
What kind of pan is this? It kind of looks like a Le Creuset dutch oven but more shallow. Have been looking for something like this for a while!
3.6 quart Lodge casserole dish 🙂
This dish was delicious! Will absolutely make this again and again.
So glad you enjoyed Evelyn!
This was delicious! Added a little extra lemon juice. I baked some potato fries on the side that I dipped into this juicy, lemony, caper sauce and everybody was licking fingers. Thanks!
★★★★★
yum, love it!
I really liked this one. Would make it again! I like the tangy-ness. It reminds me of a recipe from home – Chicken French (a popular upstate NY recipe). Thanks Sylvia!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed Anne!
Can this be made ahead please? and warmed up on the day?
Thanks!
It is really best served right away. You could get everything chopped and prepped ahead, then cook quick before serving.
This was so yummy! I substituted GF flour and still so good!
Oh good to hear Vickie!
Is it possible to make this without wine? Maybe replace it with something? (I have a wine allergy!)
Yes, you probably won’t miss it. If it needs more tang just add extra lemon juice.
When do I add the lemon wedges to get the nice sear on them that’s shown in the photo? That’s missing from the recipe.
Hi Alan, I just added instructions in the notes of the recipe card. 🙂
Thank you!
I followed this recipe, without modifications, and the chicken was so tender, and flavorful! I was super impressed! I’ve made this using different recipes – and it came out okay – but the results from this were truly perfect. I didn’t make enough for leftovers, but I will next time! Thank you.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this Joy!
This looks so flavorful and delicious. Do you think it would work with tofu?
I think so! You would want to cut the tofu thin and season it well before searing.