Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian-American dish made with chicken cutlets and capers served in a delicious white wine and lemon butter sauce. This recipe is super easy to make and is packed with flavour!
Chicken Piccata is the easiest weeknight meal.
The chicken is dredged in flour which gives it a delicious coating and helps thicken the sauce. It's fried until golden then served in a zingy buttery sauce made with white wine, butter, fresh lemon and capers.
Traditionally in the US this dish is served with pasta but like in Italy we never eat pasta as a side dish, instead I like to serve my chicken piccata with a simple arugula salad and some grilled or roasted veggies like our Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli or Roasted Butternut Squash.
Ingredients - what you need
Chicken piccata is made with simple and easy ingredients. See the photo below that shows you everything you need plus some important tips.
- Chicken - I use 4 chicken breasts to serve 4 people. Each breast is cut in half to create a thinner chicken cutlet (2 per person). If your chicken breasts are large you might only need 2.
- White wine - use a dry Italian white wine if possible or white vermouth. You only need ½ a cup for the sauce so the rest can be served with your dinner.
- Stock - always use a low sodium stock so you can control the amount of salt that is added. I use organic chicken stock cubes for this.
- Butter - the butter adds a lot of creamy richness to the sauce, definitely don't skip it!
- Capers - make sure to use capers that are in brine and not salt. If they are salted you'll need to rinse them before use.
- Lemon juice - make sure you use freshly squeezed lemon juice, you only need a little because the capers a quite pickely but you can add more to taste.
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have thin cutlets. Cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap (cling film) and bash them gently with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are around ¼ inch (1cm) thick (photos 1-3).
Season the chicken with salt then dredge each cutlet in flour making sure to shake off any excess (photo 4).
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan, once hot fry the chicken cutlets in batches for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm (photo 5).
Turn the heat down low and add 1 tbsp of butter. Once melted add the wine and the stock then turn the heat to high and whisk the sauce until it starts to thicken slightly (about 5-6 minutes) (photos 6 & 7).
Add the remaining butter, capers, and lemon juice, stir until the butter has melted. Add the chicken back to the pan. If your pan or skillet isn’t big enough serve your chicken on a serving plate and pour over the sauce. Serve (photo 8).
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Cooking the chicken - fry the cutlets on a high heat so they get nice and golden on the outside. Each piece of chicken needs 4-5 minutes on each side and you'll probably need to cook them in batches.
- Keep the chicken warm - make sure to keep the chicken warm on a plate covered in foil while you make the sauce.
- Thickness of the sauce - this recipe makes a delicious lemon butter sauce that's pourable and not overly thick. If you'd like to thicken your sauce further then add in 2 tsp of cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp of water. Simmer until thickened.
Yes, you can make creamy chicken piccata by adding ¼ cup (60ml) of heavy cream to the sauce at the same time you add the chicken stock.
If you want to make this alcohol free you can replace the wine with more chicken stock.
More Italian recipes you might like
- Veal Marsala (Scaloppine al Marsala)
- Veal Saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Italian Chicken Cutlets with pesto and spinach
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken (a real Tuscan recipe)
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Chicken Piccata with Lemon and Capers
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- ¾ cup flour (100g)
- ½ cup dry white wine (120ml)
- 1 cup chicken stock (240ml)
- 2 tbsp capers in brine drained
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have thin cutlets. Cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap (cling film) and bash them gently with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are around ¼ inch (1cm) thick.
- Season the chicken with salt then dredge each cutlet in flour (½ cup) making sure to shake off any excess.
- Heat the olive oil (1 tbsp) in a large skillet or frying pan, once hot fry the chicken cutlets in batches for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Turn the heat down low and add 1 tbsp of butter (15g). Once melted add the wine (½ cup) and the stock (1 cup/240ml) then turn the heat to high and whisk the sauce until it starts to thicken slightly (about 5-6 minutes).
- Add the remaining butter (1 tbsp), capers (2 tbsp) and lemon juice (1 tbsp), stir until the butter has melted. Add the chicken back to the pan. If your pan or skillet isn’t big enough serve your chicken on a serving plate and pour over the sauce. Serve.
Notes
- Cooking the chicken - fry the cutlets on a high heat so they get nice and golden on the outside. Each piece of chicken needs 4-5 minutes on each side and you'll probably need to cook them in batches.
- Keep the chicken warm - make sure to keep the chicken warm on a plate covered in foil while you make the sauce.
- Thickness of the sauce - this recipe makes a delicious lemon butter sauce that's pourable and not overly thick. If you'd like to thicken your sauce further then add in 2 tsp of cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp of water. Simmer until thickened.
- Leftovers & freezing - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days or can be frozen. Thaw completely before serving and reheating.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Ruth
Absolutely delicious and so simple to make!!