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This chicken piccata recipe is a classic dish that’s simple and bursting with flavor! Tender chicken cutlets are pan-fried to golden perfection, then bathed in a vibrant lemon butter sauce.

Chicken Piccata recipe in pan with capers and lemon butter sauce
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Why we love this recipe

Here’s a classic dish that impresses every time: chicken piccata! Tender, golden-brown chicken cutlets are bathed in a vibrant lemon-butter sauce with pops of briny capers.

This classic Italian American dish has captured hearts and stomachs around the world, and it might be one of our very favorite chicken dinners—ever. Don’t be intimidated by its fancy name; this chicken piccata recipe is surprisingly simple to make at home!

What we love about chicken piccata

Chicken piccata is a dish where chicken cutlets are pounded, dredged in flour, pan fried and served with a lemon butter sauce. You might think the dish is Italian in origin, but it turns out it’s not a well-known traditional dish in Italy! It’s more likely a creation by Italian immigrants that moved to America in the 1930’s and it was originally made with veal, a cheaper protein in those days.

Piccata is our go-to dinner because it’s so versatile: it comes together in about 20 minutes and you can vary the protein based on what you like or have on hand. It works with many types of meat and fish, like chicken, veal, salmon, swordfish, scallops or shrimp.

Chicken Piccata recipe in pan with capers and lemon butter sauce

Tips for butterflying chicken

The most important part of chicken piccata is using chicken cutlets, or you can butterfly the breasts yourself. Chicken breasts are often very thick, making them tricky to cook evenly. Slicing the chicken breast in half horizontally (butterflying it) makes thinner pieces that cook quicker and more evenly, are easier to eat, and are better seasoned.

You can buy a chicken breast already butterflied, which is marked on the package as butterflied or “cutlets”. If you buy regular chicken breasts, you can butterfly them yourself:

  • Place your hand over the top of the chicken breast. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the breast horizontally, leaving the edge intact so it can open up like a book.
  • Unfold the chicken breast, then cut along the fold to separate the two halves (each half is a cutlet).
  • For chicken piccata, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and lightly pound the chicken with a mallet or heavy pan to make it an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Butterfly Chicken

How to make chicken piccata: step by step

This chicken piccata recipe is quick and simple to make. Because the chicken is pounded to an even thickness, it cooks extremely quickly. Here’s an overview of the process (or jump to the recipe below):

  1. Prepare the chicken: Make chicken cutlets (breasts sliced in half horizontally) and use a mallet or heavy skillet to pound them to an even 1/4” thickness.
  2. Season the chicken: Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with the kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour spread on a plate, shaking off the excess.
  3. Pan fry: Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until browned on both sides.
  4. Make the sauce: In the same skillet, reduce the heat to low and add minced garlic and capers. Cook about 1 minute, then stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and white wine or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the butter and cream (if using). Simmer 1 minute, then return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.
  5. Serve: Remove the chicken to a serving plate and top with sauce and chopped parsley.
Chicken piccata recipe

Tips for the piccata sauce

Every home cook or chef makes their piccata sauce slightly differently. Here are a few notes about this sauce and a few substitutes you can make if desired:

  • White wine vs chicken broth: We like this sauce with white wine base, which adds tangy, crisp notes to the sauce. If you don’t want to open a bottle, chicken broth or vegetable broth work too.
  • Heavy cream: The traditional chicken piccata sauce typically doesn’t use heavy cream. However, adding a hint gives the sauce a creamier body (otherwise the sauce is clear). We like adding the cream, but it’s not necessary for flavor.
  • Capers: Do not, we repeat, do not omit the capers in this recipe! They add briny, salty pops that make this a standout recipe.

Sides to serve with chicken piccata

What to serve with chicken piccata? This classic Italian American dish goes well with many different sides, like rice, pasta, green beans or a crisp salad. Here are a few side dishes for chicken:

Chicken Piccata recipe in pan with capers and lemon butter sauce

Variations: try it with salmon, scallops, and more

The piccata concept is incredibly versatile! You can make piccata sauce to go with many different proteins. Here are a few ideas:

  • Salmon: Lightly season and coat salmon in flour, then make pan seared salmon. Remove it from the pan and make the piccata sauce in the recipe below.
  • Scallops: Make pan seared scallops, then remove from the pan and make the piccata sauce.
  • Swordfish: This is a classic Italian variation! Make pan fried swordfish then make the piccata sauce.
  • Tilapia: Make pan fried tilapia, then remove and make the piccata sauce.

Dietary notes

This chicken piccata recipe is gluten-free with gluten-free 1 for 1 flour.

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Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata
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5 from 1 review

This chicken piccata recipe is a classic Italian American dish that’s simple and bursting with flavor! Tender chicken cutlets are pan-fried to golden perfection, then bathed in a vibrant lemon butter sauce.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 cutlets (about 1 ½ pounds, organic if possible)*
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-for-1 flour)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup capers, drained
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus zest of ½ lemon
  • ½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream, optional
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. If using breasts, slice them in half horizontally (if you bought cutlets, skip this step). Place chicken cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap and place them on a cutting board. Using a mallet or heavy skillet, pound them to an even 1/4” thickness.
  2. Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with the kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
  3. Spread the flour in a shallow plate. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off the excess.
  4. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until browned on both sides. When the internal temperature is 165°F, or the center is no longer pink, remove to a plate.
  5. In the same skillet, reduce the heat to low and add minced garlic and capers. Cook about 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant, then stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and white wine (or chicken stock). Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits from the pan for extra flavor.
  6. Reduce to a simmer, then add the butter (and optional heavy cream). Simmer until thickened slightly, about 1 minute, then return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, allowing the chicken to soak up the sauce.
  7. Remove the chicken to a serving plate and top with a drizzle of the sauce and chopped parsley to garnish.

Notes

*This recipe makes 4 modest servings, so if you’ve got very hungry eaters or more people to food, consider making 1.5 times or double the recipe. If so, use a very large skillet and pan-fry the chicken in batches.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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7 Comments

  1. jenni beran says:

    I am planning on making your Chicken Piccata recipe, and wondering if you think I could substitute plant based butter for dairy butter?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      That should work! The flavor will be a bit different but should still be delish.

  2. Myrna Gonzalez Childress says:

    Could you sub Greek yogurt instead of the heavy cream? I think it would be super helpful to the tanginess if not using white wine.

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I’m not sure! Let us know if you try it.

  3. Sarinee says:

    Thank you for the marvellous recipes. God bless the couple

  4. Jerri Hatch says:

    I love your recipes but would greatly appreciate the nutritional information being at the end of every recipe. I have to watch my weight!
    Thanks

  5. Sabrina says:

    I love this dish, and capers are what does it for me, a true classic that i haven’t had in a while let alone made so thank you