This Lemon Chicken Piccata is a restaurant-quality meal that is easy to make at home! You will love this flavorful white wine reduction sauce that has just the right amount of lemon and butter! With this recipe, there is plenty of sauce to go around.
Serve this with Creamy Herb Pasta, Parmesan Garlic Pasta or Buttered Noodles.
Chicken Piccata
If you want to make a restaurant-worthy meal at home, get ready- you’re about to do it.
I’ll start by saying this: Preparing the chicken (i.e. Slicing, pounding, dredging, searing), is the most laborious part of this recipe. From there, it’s really quick and easy.
Unlike most recipes, this one includes the addition of chicken broth, which adds great flavor and helps create even more of that flavorful, gourmet-worthy sauce. It’s not overly loaded with butter and the flavor from the lemon is perfect but not overwhelming.
Check out my step-by-step shots on how to make this, PRO tips, storage info, and more:
How to Make it
See recipe card at bottom of post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cut the chicken into 2-3 thinner slices (I prefer 3 if using very large chicken breasts.) This cuts down on the pounding time. Flash freezing the chicken for 5 minutes makes it easier to slice.
Place the chicken in between saran wrap and pound it to 1/4 inch thin.
Pat dry and dredge in a seasoned flour/Parmesan mixture. Tap off excess. Heat olive oil and butter and sear the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side. Set aside and wipe pan, leaving a small amount of brown remnants in the pan.
Add white wine and garlic and let it bubble gently and reduce until there is very little liquid left. Add capers, chicken broth, and lemon juice.
Add chicken back to the pan, spoon sauce on top, and cover partially for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and swirl in 2 Tablespoons cold butter. Tilt pan to distribute sauce and spoon over the chicken. Serve with One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta or Creamy Lemon Pasta.
Pro Tips
- Chicken plumps up when cooked so be sure to really pound it thin (1/4 inch) beforehand. This also ensures even cooking and really tender chicken.
- Preparing the chicken is the most labor-intensive part of this recipe but is well worth it. After that, it’s smooth sailing.
- Use juice from a freshly squeezed lemon, it’s far more flavorful than from a bottle.
- Use fresh garlic from a clove, it’s much better than a jar.
- Use a high quality butter, I prefer Land O’ Lakes salted butter. Unsalted works as well.
- In this recipe, we add 2 tablespoons of cold butter to the sauce at the end, which is a technique that chefs use called “monter au beurre”, which creates a smooth, velvety finish.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 104!
What to Serve with Chicken Piccata
- Creamy Herb Pasta, One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta or Creamy Lemon Pasta
- Buttered Noodles
- Mashed Potatoes or Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Garlic Bread with Cheese or Buttermilk Biscuits
- Roasted Carrots, Green Beans, or Broccoli
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Chicken Piccata makes a great freezer meal as well. Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- This is the skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
- Meat Tenderizer. Essential for this recipe!
- Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing.
- Silicone Spatula– Makes it easy to scrape up any brown bits left in the pan and incorporate them into the sauce for more flavor.
Try These Next!
Get My Free Meal Plan!
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
Sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine, like chardonnay or pinot grigio
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons cold salted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
Cut, Pound, Dredge, and Sear the Chicken:
- Note: This is the most time consuming part, after this section, this meal is a breeze.
- Combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper on a large plate. Set aside.
- Cut each chicken breast into 3 thinner slices. Place in between saran wrap and use a meat tenderizer to pound it very thin, about ¼ inch thick. It will plump more once it’s cooked so pounding thin is key.
- Pat the chicken dry and dredge each side in the flour mixture. Tap off excess.
- Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Add a splash of olive oil and/or reduce heat as needed during cooking. Set the chicken aside on a plate and turn off heat when finished.
Prepare the Sauce:
- Carefully wipe the pan, but leave a few brown bits for added flavor.
- Add the wine and garlic. Set heat to medium. Bubble gently for 4-5 minutes, until just a small amount of liquid remains. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” any remaining brown flecks on the pan while the wine reduces. This will add flavor.
- Add the capers, chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and stir to combine.
Add the Chicken back and Finish the Meal:
- Add the chicken along with any juices from the plate.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and cover partially, cook for 3-5 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly and become more flavorful.
- Reduce heat to low. Add 2 Tablespoons cold butter and let it melt into the sauce. Tilt the pan to distribute the sauce throughout and spoon it over the chicken again. Remove from heat.
- Garnish with parsley and serve. My Garlic Parmesan Pasta or Creamy Lemon Pasta is great with this meal.
Notes
- Chicken plumps up when cooked so be sure to really pound it thin (1/4 inch) beforehand. This also ensures even cooking and really tender chicken.
- Use juice from a freshly squeezed lemon, it's far more flavorful than from a bottle.
- Use a high quality butter, I prefer Land O' Lakes salted butter.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 104!
Nutrition information is an estimate and includes all of the flour dredge ingredients but it's likely that there will be some left on the plate. Nutrition information is per serving, there are 4 servings in this recipe.
Delicious! To cut down on work time with slicing/pounding the larger chicken breasts, I use chicken cutlets for this recipe. For me, the recommended cook times remain the same to create a moist, buttery and flavorful dish. Great toppings for Stephanie’s Garlic Parmesan Pasta recipe. My favorite side is often a nutritious helping of Greens & Beans.
Hi Robert! I love that you use cutlets for this recipe and that you serve it with my Garlic Parmesan Pasta, that is THE perfect pairing for sure! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Not only was this simple
To make but it was absolutely delicious!!! The chicken was tender and cut like butter. The sauce was delicious too. Felt like restaurant quality food! Thanks for the step by step instructions! Making this often from now on!
You’re very welcome Angie! I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
My family LOVES this recipe! I’ve made it three times in three weeks and it is a hit with everyone. Thank you for an awesome recipe.
You’re very welcome Tracy, I’m so happy the family is enjoying the Chicken Piccata! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Great simple recipe. Refreshing to find a delicious sauce that isn’t heavy cream based. My two chicken breasts combined to 1.5lbs and there was more than enough sauce for the chicken and a bed of noodles. Adding this to the meal prep repertoire!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the Chicken Piccata Matthew! It’s a popular one in my house. Thanks for the great comments and review!😃
This is by far my favorite chicken piccata recipe I’ve tried! The balance of flavor within the sauce was exactly what I had in mind and was restaurant quality! I love some tangy lemon flavor, but most others call for too much lemon juice and lose the other elements. The only thing I’d change for myself next time would be to double the sauce so I can mix the sauce with some angel hair.
Wow I’m so happy this is the best you’ve ever tried Amana, such a great compliment!💖 I totally agree with your comments about the lemon flavor. Sounds perfect over angel hair, nice work! Thanks so much!💖
Hi Amanda!! I am sooooooo happy that you love this recipe as much as we do, doubling the sauce to serve with angel hair (my fav pasta!) is a great idea! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Can I use thin sliced chicken breast? If yes, should I still pound a bit to tenderize? Thank you!
Hi Julie! Yes you can, and I would still tenderize it a little!
Delicious and easy recipe! I make this often.
I’m so happy to hear that Heather, thanks so much for the great review!💖
So easy to make and was delicious. Taste just like this same dish that is served at a prominent restaurant in our town. I will definitely be making this again very soon! Thank you!
I’m so happy you liked it Beverly! I love making this one for company, it definitely has the wow factor! Thanks so much for the great comments and review😃
Delicious! Followed as instructed. My family chowed down!
I’m so happy the family chowed it down Beth! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😃
I kinda forgot about this recipe this winter…but found it when going through my saved recipes. I made it tonight. My family ate up with no leftovers. Thank you, my family enjoyed it.
I’m so happy you rediscovered this one Kristin! My husband actually just requested I make this again for him. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💕