Chicken Piccata is a quick dinner comprised of a crispy pan seared chicken breast with a Lemon Butter Caper Sauce. This chicken has a bright, lemony sauce that’s just on the right side of tangy. It’s incredibly easy and amazingly tasty!

Close up of plate of Chicken Piccata

I realise it sounds totally obnoxious to call this a “better” Chicken Piccata. I should clarify and say that this is a better one to me. This dish is a wildly popular Italian-American classic that I’ve tried making over the years following other recipes. I’ve just never been impressed with the results though, leaving me feeling that I’m somehow missing out on the enjoyment of this dish. I always found the lemon sauce mouth-puckeringly sour to the point of wincing. I also felt it just didn’t have enough interesting flavour in it to carry a somewhat bland chicken.

So many recipes also called for an insane amount of butter and oil. Sometimes up to half a cup! What the … ??

My butt cannot afford that much fat for what’s supposed to a quick, midweek meal!

So this is my version of Chicken Piccata. The sauce is not as sour – I dial it in to just the right amount of lemon tang. I use less fat than most recipes too, and reduce the white wine through cooking to add complexity in the sauce. And as for the chicken? Add a dusting of parmesan. It makes it so much tastier!

Freshly cooked Chicken Piccata in a skillet
Lemon Butter Caper Sauce for Chicken Piccata
Lemon Butter Caper Sauce for Chicken Piccata

What goes in (my) Chicken Piccata

So here’s what you need:

Ingredients in Chicken Piccata
  • Chicken breast – 2 breasts will serve 3 to 4 people once we cut each piece into 3 and pound into thin steaks. You could also use thigh fillets (skinless boneless) or tenderloins;
  • Lemon – You need a fresh lemon here. Kind of defeats the purpose if you try to make this with bottled lemon juice!
  • White wine – Use any dry white wine that’s not too woody, too sweet or fruity. Chardonnay is particularly great because it adds a good amount of flavour.

    The wine doesn’t make the sauce taste winey at all because we reduce it right down to cook the alcohol out and just leave behind the concentrated flavour that adds depth to the sauce.

    Don’t use an expensive wine. The flavour and aroma that you pay for is largely lost during cooking. It’s pretty well documented these days by notable food authorities (such as New York Times Cooking) that you do not need to use expensive wines for cooking.

    Substitution: If you can’t consume alcohol, use low sodium chicken stock/broth;

  • Capers – Use capers in brine, drained. The capers in salt (ie no liquid) are a little too salty to use here;
  • Butter – For cooking and also for the sauce;
  • Olive oil – For cooking the chicken; and
  • Flour & parmesan – For dusting the chicken. Don’t skip this. It gives the chicken a crust that the sauce clings to. Without it, the sauce just slips off the chicken. (PS The additional of parmesan here is a trick that makes this Chicken Piccata a standout!).
Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken for Chicken Piccata
Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken for Chicken Piccata

How to make Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is a straight forward, pretty quick recipe:

 

Close up of cut pieces of Chicken Piccata

 

 

 

  • Ingredients

    For the Chicken:

    • 450g / 16oz chicken breast (2 large pieces), skinless and boneless
    • 4 tbsp flour (substitute cornflour/cornstarch for gluten-free)
    • 2 1/2 tbsp parmesan, finely grated
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp pepper
    • 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tbsp unsalted butter

    For the Lemon Butter Sauce:

    • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
    • 2/3 cup dry white wine (substitute low-sodium chicken stock for non-alcoholic version)
    • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
    • 3 tbsp capers in brine, drained
    • 1 1/2 tsp parsley, finely chopped (plus extra for garnish)

    Instructions

    Step 1: Prepare the Chicken

    1. Cut each chicken breast into three pieces. Place them between two sheets of cling wrap or parchment paper and pound to an even thickness of about 1/2 cm (0.2 inches).
    2. Drizzle the chicken with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and spread evenly on both sides.
    3. In a shallow dish, combine flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Coat each chicken piece in the mixture, pressing to adhere. Shake off any excess.

    Step 2: Cook the Chicken

    1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and let it melt.
    2. Place the chicken pieces in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side until golden. Flip and cook the second side for 1 minute until golden.
    3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

    Step 3: Prepare the Sauce

    1. Pour out and discard any excess fat from the skillet. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to clean it lightly.
    2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add white wine. Let it simmer rapidly until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
    3. Add lemon juice and simmer for 1 minute.
    4. Reduce heat to low, then add butter cubes. Swirl the skillet to melt the butter without letting it foam. The sauce should be glossy, slightly thickened, and translucent.
    5. Stir in capers and parsley.

    Step 4: Serve

    1. Return the chicken to the skillet, spooning the sauce over the pieces to coat.
    2. Garnish with additional parsley and serve immediately. Pair with steamed vegetables, pasta, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Plate of Chicken Piccata ready to be served

Crispy Parmesan Chicken:

  • Cut each breast into 3 pieces. Then place between 2 pieces of cling wrap or paper and pound to 1/2 cm / 0.2″ thickness.
  • Drizzle chicken with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and spread with your fingers on both sides.
  • Mix flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Coat chicken, pressing to adhere, then shaking off excess.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Then add butter and let it melt.
  • Place 3 pieces of chicken in the skillet. Cook 3 – 4 minutes until golden, then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove onto plate, repeat with remaining chicken.

Chicken Piccata Sauce:

  • Pour out and discard excess fat in skillet, then give it a quick wipe with paper towels (no need to clean thoroughly).
  • Still on medium high heat, add wine. Let it simmer rapidly until it reduces by half – around 3 minutes.
  • Add lemon and simmer 1 minute.
  • Reduce heat to low. Add cubed butter and swirl pan to make it melt but not go foamy. Sauce should be glossy, translucent and slightly thickened.
  • Stir in capers and parsley. Serve chicken with Sauce, sprinkled with extra parsley if desired!

Servings – If you use 2 large breasts (450g/16oz), you will serve 3 comfortable. If you use 2 smaller ones, this will serve 2 people.

1. Chicken – can also use tenderloin (no need to cut) or thighs (skinless, boneless, cut in half then pound).

2. Parmesan – or use store bought sandy type grated parmesan.

3. Wine – Any white wine that’s not too woody or sweet will work great here. Chardonnay in particular adds really good flavour. Sub low sodium chicken stock/broth for a non alcoholic version.

Don’t use an expensive wine. The flavour and aroma that you pay for is largely lost during cooking. It’s pretty well documented these days by notable food authorities (such as New York Times Cooking) that you do not need to use expensive wines for cooking.

4. Capers – best to use capers in brine, rather than the dry capers in salt (bit too salty for this dish).

5. Nutrition – assumes 2 tbsp fat is discarded after cooking chicken and 1.5 tbsp flour / parmesan is discarded after coating.

Calories: 358cal (18%)Carbohydrates: 5g (2%)Protein: 33g (66%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 122mg (41%)Sodium: 800mg (35%)Potassium: 616mg (18%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 365IU (7%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 30mg (3%)Iron: 1mg (6%)