Chicken Piccata – tender, boneless chicken simmered in a lemony, white wine sauce with capers and artichokes. Simple 30 minute meal I’ve been making for decades! Scales from family to empty nesters. Elevated flavor for entertaining.
I’ve been making my easy 30 minute version of Chicken PIccata for almost 20 years! I’ve tested it many, many times on family and friends and it’s always a hit.
The buttery lemon caper sauce and tender chicken feel elegant so it’s top of my list for entertaining – but simple and quick enough for weeknights. This recipe is scalable – perfect for singles and families.
What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken Piccata is a popular Italian-American dish with tender, thinly sliced chicken breasts pan fried to golden served up in a bright, lemony sauce with white wine, capers and artichokes.
The secret to good Chicken Piccata:
- tender chicken
- perfect amount of lemon in the sauce
- skip the heavy cream – you don’t need it
Ingredients needed to make Chicken Piccata:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- all purpose flour
- butter
- olive oil
- chicken stock or chicken broth
- dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc recommended)
- lemon – fresh lemon juice
- capers
- artichoke hearts
- fresh chopped parsley
How to make Chicken PIccata:
Slice or pound pieces of chicken to thin cutlets then season both sides with salt and pepper.
Add 3 tablespoons of the flour to a shallow dish then dredge the cutlets in flour.
Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken without overcrowding cooking about 3-4 minutes per side until golden then remove to a plate (chicken may not be cooked through at the thickest point).
Reduce heat to low, add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir to combine and cook 1 minute. Pour in wine to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Let wine reduce by half then slowly pour in chicken stock and the juice from 1/4 of the lemon. Whisk continuously to combine and thicken the sauce.
Taste and add a little, pepper or lemon juice as needed.
Transfer chicken to the skillet, add drained capers and artichokes, reduce to low heat and simmer 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Spoon sauce over the chicken, sprinkle parsley over the top and serve right away.
Subs and variations:
Chicken bone broth for added protein to this dish
Veal – same recipe for Veal PIccata
Chicken thighs can be swapped for chicken breasts
What to serve with Chicken Piccata:
Simple angel hair pasta
Kale Crunch Salad
Leftovers and storage:
Cool completely and store in the fridge an airtight container or dish covered with plastic wrap. It’ll keep fresh 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for a quick lunch.
Why you’ll love this recipe as much as I do:
- It’s an easy Chicken Piccata recipe.
- Whips up in 30 minutes.
- Scales from -1-2 people to 4-6.
- Ideal for weeknights – restaurant quality flavor for entertaining.
More easy chicken recipes (click for full recipes):
Cheesy Baked Chicken with Mushrooms
Chic fil-A Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich
Air Fried Chicken and Potatoes
Enjoy!
PIN this recipe and save for later! ↙️
Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 -1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 5 tablespoons flour divided
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup dry white wine example: pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
- 1 fresh lemon use 1/4 to 1/2 - to taste
- 3 tablespoons capers drained
- 6 ounces artichoke hearts drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons of the flour to a shallow dish or plate then slice chicken breasts horizontally (or pound) to thin cutlets.
- Season the chickenon both sides with salt and pepper then dredge in flour.
- Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken without overcrowding searing both sides to golden (about 3-4 minutes per side) then transfer to a plate. Chicken may not be cooked through at this point.
- Reduce heat to low then add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour to the skillet. Stir and cook 1 minute. Pour in wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce by about half.
- Pour in chicken stock and juice from 1/4 of the lemon and cook over medium heat letting the sauce thicken. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if you'd like, squeeze in a little more lemon juice.
- Return the chicken to the skillet then stir in drained capers and artichokes and cook 5-7 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through), spooning some of the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with parsley and then serve right away.
Chicken Piccata is one of my favorite dishes….love capers! This dish looks amazing. Pinned. It is so nice to pass on our favorite recipes. That is sharing love! Thank you for sharing. Happy Easter to you and your family!
Your kind words mean so much, Mary – thank you! Happy Easter to you and your family too!
Absolutely my favorite dish to order out. I’ve got to try this ’cause it looks very yummy! Great pictures and step by step too.
Luv it.
Thanks you Bette! Yes definitely give it a try! It was always a restaurant favorite of mine too so I made a version with all the things I loved best from different restaurants. Could eat it almost every day!
This was my first attempt at chicken piccata and it turned out perfect !! Made this tonight for friends and it was super simple with a ton of flavor. A nice elevated dish that isn’t difficult to make. Will definitely be making again!!
Hi Lauren – Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Chicken Piccata is one of my favorites – quick enough for weeknights but definitely gourmet level for entertaining. 🙂
The Chicken Piccatta was delicious! I have made this before from a different recipe but this one was better! Thanks Bernie!
Hi Marilyn – thank you so much! Really glad you enjoyed it – it’s one of my favorites 🙂 — Bernie