30 Minute Easy Chicken Piccata
This Easy Chicken Piccata is a comforting, lemony dish served over pasta. It’s filled with fresh, savory flavor and couldn’t be easier to make!
From weeknight staples like Classic Weeknight Balsamic Chicken or Skillet Chicken and Green Beans to zesty, flavorful favorites like Mexican Lime Grilled Chicken and Honey Balsamic Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, I’m always looking for ways to up my game, and this Easy Chicken Piccata does just that!
This dish can feel intimidating for some home cooks, but I promise it’s easy enough for a weeknight meal. Let me break it down, and in no time, you’ll be digging into this delicious, buttery, lemony chicken and pasta!
Ingredients in Easy Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata is a super simple and flavorful dish served over pasta. It’s made with lemon, butter, and capers for the most refreshing blend of flavors. I love ordering it at Italian restaurants, but it’s also super simple to make at home with some staple ingredients.
- Chicken breasts – Pound or butterfly each breast to 1/2-inch thickness
- Flour – The chicken gets dredged in flour and spices to create a great, subtly fried texture when cooked in oil. It’s total comfort food!
- Seasonings – The tripe threat! Pull out salt, pepper (or lemon pepper…yum!), and garlic powder.
- Grated parmesan cheese – I always suggest getting fresh, high-quality Parmesan if you can! I think it makes such a difference.
- Olive oil – You can also use avocado oil.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter so you have a bit more control over the salt level in the finished dish.
- Garlic – Start with three minced garlic cloves, but feel free to add more if you’re a garlic lover.
- Chicken stock – You could also try a dry white wine for the liquid in this dish.
- Lemon – I love using fresh lemon as a finishing touch in my favorite savory dishes. It really makes all the flavors pop.
- Capers – Find capers in the condiment aisle near pickles, olives, and sauces.
- Parsley – A sprinkle of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley adds a fresh finish and a splash of color.
I recommend using a stainless steel skillet for this recipe, if possible, for even cooking! (For more information on pots & pans, check out my guide to the best types of cookware for home cooks).
How to Butterfly Chicken
Many people are intimidated by this extra step, but it only takes a minute or two to pound your chicken into 1/2″-thick slices. This creates a cut that’s thin and cooks evenly, and it speeds up the frying time.
- Start with your chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Place your hand on top of the breast and, using a long, sharp knife, cut from the thicker end to the narrow point. Don’t cut all the way through to the other side, though!
- Open the chicken breast like a book…or a butterfly! Lay it flat and cover it with plastic wrap or a piece of parchment paper.
- Use a rolling pin to pound it into an even thickness. For this Easy Chicken Piccata, I like it to be 1/2″ thick.
What is Chicken Piccata Sauce?
Chicken Piccata is all about the sauce! The chicken breasts are dredged in flour and spices, cooked in a bit of oil, and served in a buttery, lemony sauce with capers. It’s the ultimate comfort food and I love to serve with with Skillet Broccolini or Oven Roasted Green Beans.
If you don’t want to serve it over pasta it would be delicious alongside my No-Fuss Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna!
Food Photography by Ashley Cuoco
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30 Minute Easy Chicken Piccata
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Easy Chicken Piccata is a comforting, lemony dish served over pasta. It’s filled with fresh, savory flavor and couldn’t be easier to make!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts pounded or butterflied to 1/2 inch thick
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper or lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock or a dry white wine
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2–3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese and stir to combine well.
- Dredge chicken on both sides in the flour mixture and tap off any excess. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces and set aside.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the oil then add the chicken without overcrowding the pan. Cook in batches if necessary. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Once chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Turn the heat to low on your pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice, bring to a boil then simmer until sauce has reduced by half.
- Add another tablespoon of butter and whisk until melted. Add the chicken back to the pan to warm through and sprinkle on the capers and parsley. Serve over rice or pasta to soak up all that deliciousness!
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Such a yummy and impressive meal, yet so easy! I needed a meal to impress my fiancé’s grandmother and this did the trick! She is still raving about it!
Such a win!!
Happy birthday Laney!! This looks delish and so easy!! I’ll be making this soon, probably tonight because I’ve chicken thawing and no plan!! Thanks!!
Thanks Shelly! I hope you love it!!