This Chicken Piccata recipe has tender, golden chicken in a flavorful lemon butter sauce with capers, garlic, and a white wine reduction. It’s a restaurant-quality dinner that’s easy to make at home, with plenty of delicious sauce to serve over pasta!

Serve this with Creamy Herb Pasta, Parmesan Garlic Pasta  or Buttered Noodles.

A pot with crispy Chicken Piccata in a white wine butter sauce with lemon wedges and capers.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is one of my favorite ways to turn simple chicken breasts into a restaurant-worthy dinner. The chicken is lightly coated with seasoned flour and Parmesan, seared until golden, and finished in a bright lemon butter sauce with capers. 

Why you’ll love it: The thin chicken cutlets cook quickly and stay tender, while capers, fresh lemon, and a buttery white wine sauce deliver big flavor without overwhelming the chicken.

I use chicken broth along with a white wine reduction to build a generous amount of flavorful lemon-caper sauce that’s perfect for spooning over pasta. 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 Chicken Piccata

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.

Chicken being pounded thin to make Chicken Piccata.

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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.

Chicken coated in a Parmesan flour mixture next to a plate of seared crispy chicken for Chicken Piccata.

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.

Making sauce for Chicken Piccata with white wine, capers, garlic, and chicken broth.

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.

Chicken Piccata in a skillet before and after having cold butter swirled into the sauce.

Chicken Piccata FAQs

What is chicken piccata sauce made of?

  • Piccata sauce is known for its bright lemon flavor and salty capers. My version combines fresh lemon juice, capers, garlic, chicken broth, white wine, and butter for a rich yet balanced sauce.

Can I make chicken piccata without wine?

  • For an alcohol-free variation, replace the white wine with additional chicken broth. The flavor will be a little different, but the lemon and capers will still give the sauce its signature brightness.

How do I keep chicken piccata tender?

  • Cut the chicken into thin, even pieces and pound to about 1/4 inch thick. Sear in batches without crowding the pan, then finish cooking the chicken gently in the sauce.

Pro Tips for the Best Chicken Piccata

These simple techniques make all the difference between good chicken piccata and a truly restaurant-quality version:

  • 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.
  • About the capers: Their briny, tangy flavor is essential to classic chicken piccata. Drain them before adding, and taste the sauce before adding any extra salt.
  • 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. 
  • 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.
  • Be sure to try my Chicken Piccata Pasta next!
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 104!

What to Serve with Chicken Piccata

The bright lemon butter sauce is delicious with pasta, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread to soak up every last drop. Add a simple vegetable side for a complete dinner.

Storing and Reheating

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • To reheat: Warm the chicken and sauce gently in a covered skillet over low heat until heated through. Add a splash of chicken broth if the sauce has thickened in the refrigerator. Avoid boiling the sauce, which can affect its smooth texture.

A white platter with Chicken Piccata and lemon slices with lemon sauce and capers.

 

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!
  • Garlic Twister– This twister minces fresh garlic in seconds and is easy to clean and store.
  • 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.

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Chicken Piccata on with a lemon sauce topped with capers.

Chicken Piccata

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
4.98 from 186 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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This Chicken Piccata recipe features tender, golden chicken in a flavorful lemon butter sauce with capers, garlic, and a white wine reduction. It's a restaurant-quality dinner that's easy to make at home, with plenty of delicious sauce to serve over pasta!

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅓ 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
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

Prepare the Chicken:

  • Combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper on a large plate. Set aside.
  • Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. 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 the olive oil and 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:

  • Add the wine and 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 garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the capers, chicken broth, and lemon juice and stir to combine.

Combine the Chicken/Sauce:

  • Add the chicken back along with any juices from the plate.
  • Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Cover partially and 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, Buttered Noodles, or Creamy Lemon Pasta is great with this!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • About the capers: Their briny, tangy flavor is essential to classic chicken piccata. Drain them before adding, and taste the sauce before adding any extra salt.
  • 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. 
  • 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.
  • Be sure to try my Chicken Piccata Pasta next!
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 104!
Storing/Reheating
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • To reheat: Warm the chicken and sauce gently in a covered skillet over low heat until heated through. Add a splash of chicken broth if the sauce has thickened in the refrigerator. Avoid boiling the sauce, which can affect its smooth texture.
Nutrition information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe. Note that it includes all of the flour dredge ingredients but it's likely that there will be some left on the plate. 

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 102mg, Sodium: 1223mg, Potassium: 530mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 675IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean
Author: Stephanie
Perfectly seared chicken with a light Parmesan crust simmered in a flavorful lemon sauce and served with pasta. | The Cozy Cook | #Chicken #Piccata #LemonSauce #Dinner #Pasta #Italian #Spaghetti #ChickenPiccata #ComfortFood