Chicken Piccata
Updated Nov 02, 2025, Published on Jan 01, 2024
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Chicken Piccata is one of those dishes that everyone will love and comes together quickly and easily. It's a chicken recipe that has a perfect balance of decadence and freshness. The white wine, lemon, capers, and parsley provide acidity, saltiness, and freshness. Cubed butter is stirred into the sauce to provide a luscious richness. You can even take this dish to the next level by stirring in some tender pasta into the lemon sauce with an additional pat of butter. Place the crispy parmesan-coated chicken on top of the bed of pasta and spoon additional lemon sauce on top to serve.
Chicken Piccata Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Breast - I used boneless skinless, cut into thin pieces, and pounded to make even thinner cutlets
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil divided - use more as needed if cooking multiple batches
- 1 tbsp Butter unsalted; use more as needed if cooking multiple batches
Lemon Sauce
- 1 cup White Wine - use a dry white wine. You don't need anything too expensive, but I like using a wine I would also drink.
- 4 tbsp Lemon Juice - the juice of about 1 or 2 lemons
- 4 tbsp Butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes; plus another 1 tbsp if serving with pasta to mix into the sauce
- 1/4 cup Capers in brine - drained
- 3 tbsp Fresh Parsley finely chopped (or 1 tbsp dried but fresh is preferred
- 8 oz Pasta - optional
Recipe Instructions
Preparing the Chicken:
- Cut each chicken breast into approximately 3 pieces and pound them to 1/4 inch thickness between plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Drizzle chicken on both sides with 1 tbsp of olive oil, spreading it evenly.
- In a shallow bowl, mix flour, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken, pressing to adhere, and shake off excess.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in batches for about 4 minutes until golden, flipping once. Add more oil and butter as needed.
Preparing the Lemon Sauce:
- If serving with pasta, cook it to al dente according to package instructions.
- Once the chicken is cooked and set aside, pour white wine into the same pan over medium-high heat. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any stuck bits, letting the wine simmer for about 3 minutes until reduced by half.
- Add lemon juice and simmer for an additional minute. Reduce the heat to low and add cubed butter, stirring until thickened and glossy (about another minute).
- Stir in capers and parsley. If serving with pasta, set aside about 1/4 of the lemon sauce for drizzling over the chicken.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the remaining sauce in the pan. Stir in 1 tbsp of butter until melted and combined.
Assembling the Dish:
- Divide the pasta among plates, placing the cooked chicken on top. Drizzle with the set-aside lemon sauce.
- Serve with fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, and additional lemon juice as desired.
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This dish combines crispy parmesan-coated chicken with acidic, salty, and buttery sauce creating a perfect balance of delicious flavors. Whether you're preparing it for a weeknight dinner or a special gathering, this recipe is sure to become a favorite in your recipe rotation!
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Chicken Piccata
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated; more to serve
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil, divided; add more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Butter, unsalted; add more as needed
Lemon Sauce
- 1 cup White Wine, dry
- 4 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 4 tablespoon Butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes; plus another 1 tbsp if serving with pasta
- 1/4 cup Capers, in brine - drained
- 3 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp dried but fresh is preferred); more to serve
- 8 oz Pasta, optional; to serve
Instructions
Chicken
- Cut each breast into about 3 pieces. Place each piece between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound to 1/4 inch. You can use the bottom of a heavy sauce pan to pound the chicken.
- Drizzle chicken on both sides with about 1 tbsp of olive oil and spread it across the chicken with your fingers.
- Mix flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat chicken, pressing to adhere, then shaking off excess.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to the pan in an even layer. Cook about 4 minutes until golden, flip, and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove to a plate and cook the remaining chicken in as many batches as needed depending on the size of your pan. Add additional olive oil and butter as needed.
Lemon Sauce
- If serving with pasta, cook to al dente according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, once the chicken is cooked and set aside, pour the white wine into the same pan over medium high heat. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any stuck bits. Let the wine simmer for about 3 minutes until reduced by about half.
- Add the lemon juice and simmer for another minute. Reduce the heat to low. Add cubed butter and stir to melt until thickened and glossy, about another minute.
- Stir in capers and parsley. If serving with pasta, remove about 1/4 of the lemon sauce to a bowl for drizzling over the chicken. Then transfer the cooked pasta to the remaining sauce in the pan. Stir in 1 tbsp of butter until melted and combined.
- Divide the pasta among plates. Place the cooked chicken on top of the pasta. Drizzle with the set aside lemon sauce. Serve with fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, and additional lemon juice as desired.
Video
@carolbeecooks Have you tried chicken piccata? It has a simple list of ingredients such as lemon, butter, white wine, and capers yet is FULL of flavor and one of the best chicken recipes in my opinion! #chickenpiccata #pasta #chickenrecipe #easyrecipe
♬ original sound - Carolyn | Easy Recipes
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
