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.
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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.
This recipe is amazing and a keeper. I double the sauce and lemon and just mix in angel hair pasta. My family LOVES it and we have enough left over for a meal this week. Grateful for this post!
That’s so great to hear Teresa!😍 I’m so happy your family loved it and you have enough left over for a meal this week. This is a great meal for leftovers! Thanks so much for the great comments and review, much appreciated!
My daughter loves chicken piccata! She has been disappointed the last few times she has ordered it out at different restaurants. I saw this recipe come across my instagram and decided to surprise her. It is now her new favorite recipe! Other than doubling the sauce I didn’t change a thing. We made it with spaghetti squash to make it a little healthier. Thank you! It was delicious and easy to make.
I’m so happy to hear your daughter enjoyed the Chicken Piccata Stacy! My husband loves this one so much. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a great review!❤️
So delicious! First time making this and it was outstanding. Directions were super easy to follow and it really did pair perfectly with your garlic parm pasta. Can’t wait to try out your other recipes! Thank you!
Yayyy! I’m so happy you like the Chicken Piccata! It’s one of my husband’s favorite meals that I make. I’m extra happy to hear you made it with my garlic parm pasta, yummmmm 😋! Thanks so much for the great comments and review Doreen!
Delicious!
Thanks Harriett! I’m so glad you enjoyed the Chicken Piccata!😍
This is a delicious recipe, it’s become a regular in my dinner rotation. My family devours it!! I double the sauce ingredients (except the lemon juice-‘that stays at 2 TBS), and serve over angel hair pasta. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
You’re very welcome Christine, I’m so happy your family devours this one! It’s one of my husbands favorite dishes. Serving over angel hair pasta is a great call. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!😃
Thank you! This recipe and the instructions were easy to follow and turned out great. I will make it again. I would only reduce the salt a bit. I used low sodium chicken broth but still found it a tad salty.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it Marjorie. Thanks so much for the great review!
This recipe was easy to follow and turned out great. My family loved it. Will definitely be making it again. Thanks!!
You’re very welcome Samantha, I’m so happy your family loved the Chicken Piccata! Thanks so much for the great review!😍
This turned out so good! It was my first time making chicken piccata- and I am so glad I picked this recipe. No need to search for another – ever! Thanks!
That makes me so happy to hear Sanja, sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for the great comments, It’s great to hear this is a keeper!😃
I want to make this for a dinner party. How much can I prep ahead of time? Or should I even bother because it’s one of those recipes that has to be served right away.
Hi Marg, this is a recipe that’s best if made and served right away, however if you want to make it ahead of time and try baking it to reheat it, that’s a possibility, although you don’t want the chicken to dry out and I don’t have a specific make-ahead process that I’ve tested for this.
This was absolutely perfect! It came together effortlessly, and was so delicious. I made it with angel hair pasta (perfect to catch the sauce with) and your roasted broccoli as a side. Definitely will be making this again (but doubling it to ensure I have leftovers LOL – my husband and son devoured it!!!). Thank you for another great recipe .
Hey Jenny!! I am so happy that you enjoyed the chicken piccata! My husband does a happy dance every time I make this recipe, LOL. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you are the best!! -Stephanie