Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is truly one of my family’s most favorite meals. What’s not to love? Tender chicken breasts sauteed in a buttery, lemony wine sauce, with tangy capers, all served over pasta. 

My Chicken Piccata Recipe

Not to toot my own horn too much, but my Chicken Piccata is one of those recipes that I make that my family only eats at home. It’s top on the “this is what I want for my birthday dinner” list, and I have heard more than once after they ordered it at a restaurant that they wouldn’t again, and that from that point forward, they would just eat it at home when I made it for them. 

Okay – so I tooted my horn a little bit. But friends, it’s just that darn good. 

What is Chicken Piccata?

Piccata is the method of cooking chicken or veal by slicing it and dredging it in flour and browning it before simmering it in a lemon butter sauce with capers. The meat turns out fork-tender every time. 

Chicken Piccata Pasta

When we eat chicken piccata, I always serve it over bow tie (Farfalle) pasta, but there is no right or wrong pasta to enjoy with your piccata. I think of this as a “one-pot” style meal, with everything included within. I typically don’t serve any other sides, with the exception of some good crusty bread to mop up all of that sauce! 

Once in a while, I will have a light Italian salad beforehand, but typically I am happy as can be with the pasta and chicken. 

What to Serve with Chicken Piccata 

Just because I love Farfalle pasta with my piccata, doesn’t mean you can’t venture outside my ideas. Other yummy foods that you can eat with Chicken Piccata are things like mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, rice and polenta. The sauce is so delicious, it’s delicious with anything!

Ingredients in my recipe for Chicken Piccata

Everyone has different ideas when it comes to tweaking their own recipe for piccata, adding what they enjoy to the basic lemon, butter, chicken caper pasta.  I was given my friend Julie’s recipe years ago, intermingled it with some tips I found on the Food Network, and after making it and adding and subtracting what we liked, I came up with what we consider to be the BEST Chicken Piccata recipe on the planet!

What you’ll Need:

• chicken breasts
• flour, salt & pepper
• butter
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• white wine
• capers
• garlic
• chicken stock
• fresh parsley

*you will find the complete printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add butter and olive oil.

First, Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Place in the skillet, and brown on both sides. Remove chicken from pan, set aside.

Next, add olive oil and garlic to the pan, saute for a couple of minutes.  Stir in wine, cook a bit more, before adding lemon juice, chicken stock and capers. Bring to a boil.

Add chicken back in, cover and simmer for a few minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley before serving over pasta. 

How to slice chicken for Chicken Piccata

If your chicken breasts aren’t super thick, you can prepare them as they are. Lately, I have been buying ones that are so thick that it’s necessary to cut them in half horizontally before making this recipe. If the chicken breasts you have purchased are thin, this method will be difficult. 

When they are thinner, the meat will turn out so tender, you will be able to cut it with a fork.

Love it? PIN IT!

Don’t forget where you found this scrumptious Chicken Piccata Recipe! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go so that you can find it easily. 

The first time I had chicken piccata was MANY years ago, “BC” (before children.)  My dear friend, Julie, and her then-fiancé, Adam, had us over to his house one night for dinner.  I remember her making Chicken Piccata, and how much I LOVED it!  

One other recipe I discovered that night? Depression Cake, still to date one of my most favorite chocolate cake recipes, ever! 

We had a GREAT time that night back in 1992. I will forever think of it at the mention of this dish or see a bottle of Black Opal Chardonnay. Julie and Adam are still two of our closest friends, almost 30 years later. Cherished, indeed. 

More Italian, Chicken and Pasta Recipes to Fall in Love With

Love Pasta? Us, too!! You can find all of my PASTA RECIPES HERE — or dig a little deeper into the world of Italian food with my ITALIAN INSPIRED RECIPES HERE.

We eat a lot of chicken, how about you? If you’re looking for new ways to enjoy chicken, you can find all of my CHICKEN RECIPES HERE. 

More Recipes to Love:

• BLT Pasta Salad
• Smoked Salmon Pasta
• Baked Chicken Pasta with Bacon
• Creamy Spinach Chicken

So, give my Chicken Piccata recipe a try.  Heck, call up an old friend, invite them over for dinner, uncork a bottle of wine, and talk about “the good ‘ol days!”

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Print Recipe

Chicken Piccata

Chicken breasts sauteed in a buttery, lemony wine sauce, topped with capers and served over pasta.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken Piccata

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 640kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• Thermapen Mk4 Instant-read Thermometer 

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally
• Flour salt and pepper, for dredging
• 1 stick of butter divided
• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 large lemon juiced (reserve other half to slice for garnish if desired)
• 1/3 cup white wine choose one that is not sweet, I used a Sauvignon Blanc
• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 1/3 cup brined capers drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 pound Farfalle Bow tie Pasta, cooked al dente, for serving

Instructions

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 of the stick of butter and 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Place in the skillet, and brown on both sides. (about 3-4 minutes per side.) Remove chicken from pan, set aside.
• Add the remaining olive oil and garlic to pan, saute for a couple of minutes. Add wine, cook for about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, chicken stock and capers. Bring to a boil. Add chicken back in, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Place pasta in a large pasta bowl or deep platter, top with chicken. Place remaining butter in sauce, whisk into sauce. Pour sauce over the chicken and pasta and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Adapted from The Food Network

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 450mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g

Don’t second guess if your chicken is done or not.  This Thermapen Mk4 is the best meat thermometer I have ever owned!

This recipe was originally posted on April 4, 2016. It was updated to improve user experience and re-shared on January 11, 2021.