Chicken Piccata Recipe
Published February 14, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious chicken piccata recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and is the perfect date night meal to serve up.
If you love simple chicken recipes, then this is hands down for you. Like my Chicken Cacciatore Recipe, It has few ingredients and is incredibly delicious. From the lemon flavor to the tender perfectly cooked chicken boneless breasts, to the rich buttery sauce, this one my friends is a guaranteed people pleaser.
What Is Chicken Piccata
This is a simple recipe consisting of lightly floured pan-seared chicken breasts that are served up with a simple beurre blanc pan sauce with capers and lemon juice. it’s is a classic Italian recipe traditionally using veal.
Piccata is a cooking technique where you pan-fry thin slices of meat that is served with a sauce.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for chicken piccata are simple and can easily be found at your local grocery store.
- Chicken Breasts
- Flour
- Shallots
- Garlic
- White Wine (Pinot Grigio)
- Capers
- Lemon Juice
- Butter
- Sea Salt and Pepper
The Sauce
The chicken piccata pan sauce is essentially a beurre blanc, which is a white wine butter sauce, with the addition of lemon juice, capers, and parsley. It is very similar to the sauce I use in my Pan Seared Scallops Recipe.
How to Make the Best Chicken Piccata
Slice the chicken breasts in half width-wise and gently pound them in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap so that they are about a ½” thick.
Coat the chicken breasts in salt and pepper seasoned flour until coated and pat off any excess flour.
Pan sear the chicken breasts in olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and set them aside.
Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and quickly sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Deglaze with white wine and add in the capers.
Squeeze in lemon juice and cook until the liquid is almost gone or, “au sec.”
Remove the pan from the burner and stir in the butter by moving the pan in a circular motion to mix it in.
Finish the sauce with parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
What Kind of White Wine Do You Use
The wine that would be classically used in this recipe would be a Pinot Grigio but any other dry Italian white wine would work.
Is There a Substitute for Capers
There is no perfect substitute for capers in a chicken piccata however you could simply use sliced or chopped green olives, like in a Puttanesca sauce.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can precook the chicken but you will not be able to make the sauce ahead of time as it will break.
How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to Freeze: Cover and keep frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.
How To Reheat: You can place the chicken in the sauce back into a pan and heat over low heat until hot.
chef notes + tips
- If your sauce breaks add some cold heavy cream to help emulsify it back together.
- You actually do not need to flour the chicken ahead of time if you’d like to keep this gluten-free.
- You can absolutely use a spoon or whisk to mix in the butter to the sauce at the end.
- Try pounding out the chicken in a plastic zip bag 2 at a time if that is easier.
What To Serve It With
This would go excellent with these amazing side dishes:
More Amazing Chicken Recipes
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 7-9 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 peeled small diced shallot
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup capers
- juice of ½ lemon + 1 tablespoon
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pads
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half widthwise.
- Place them in between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap or in a large plastic zip bag and gently pound them with a mallet until they are about a ½” thick. Set aside.
- Add the flour to a bowl and season very well with salt and pepper and mix together.
- Coat the chicken breasts on both sides in the flour and pat off any excess flour. Set on a plate.
- Add the olive oil to a large frying pan over high heat. Once the oil begins to very lightly smoke add in the chicken breasts and immediately turn the heat down to medium.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned and halfway cooked through and flip over.
- Turn the heat down to low and cook for a further 4-5 minutes or until cooked throughout.
- Remove the chicken breasts and set aside.
- Add the shallots and garlic to the pan where the chicken was cooked and saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until very lightly browned over low to medium heat.
- Add in the wine, capers, and juice of ½ lemon and cook until the liquid is almost gone or about 1-2 tablespoons are left.
- Remove from the heat and add in the butter and swirl the pan in a circular motion until completely melted.
- Finish with parsley, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pour over the cooked chicken breasts and serve.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can precook the chicken but you will not be able to make the sauce ahead of time as it will break.
- How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to Freeze: Cover and keep frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.
- How to Reheat: You can place the chicken in the sauce back into a pan and heat over low heat until hot.
- If your sauce breaks add some cold heavy cream to help emulsify it back together.
- You actually do not need to flour the chicken ahead of time if you’d like to keep this gluten-free.
- You can absolutely use a spoon or whisk to mix in the butter to the sauce at the end.
- Try pounding out the chicken in a plastic zip bag 2 at a time if that is easier.
Chicken Piccata is my favorite Italian dish, and this is my favorite recipe for it.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
My family loved this recipe!! Definitely adding to my meal rotation. Thanks, Chef!!
My pleasure!
I usually serve this with angel hair pasta, but I was thinking of doing it with lemon orzo. What do you think?
Sure
Easy, tasty, excellent.
This is staying on my “good ones” list
Thank you!
I’d never made this before. Was simple, easy to follow instructions and delicious!
Excellent!
Made this.
Everything that isn’t Mexican food intimidates me to the fullest. I finally put on my big girl panties and followed Chefs recipe and it was divine.
I must add that Chef Billy is now my go to on all things food! I don’t even bother googling recipes anymore. So bomb!!
thanks for giving it a shot!!
This is easy and delicious! I make it all the time now and everyone is always impressed!
so good!!
Loved this! Made with pasta & salad. Asparagus
Amazing!
This is so tasty! It’s easy and quick! I make this often!
Thank you!
This is the best Chicken Piccata recipe I have found, and I’ve tried several of them over the years. However, I would love more sauce and wonder if it is necessary to reduce it so much before removing it from the stove to swirl in the butter. What are your thoughts?
Thank you!
Amazing! Thanks for giving it a shot!! Feel free to add more butter.
After reading others reviews if chef Parisi’s Chicken Piccata, I moved the recipe to the top of my must try list. I was not disappointed. Easy to make, packed with flavor, I will be making this again soon for out of town guests. Delicious!!!!
Awesome!
Love, love, love the blast of flavors from such an easy entree. Prep takes the longest, do not even think of starting until every ingredient is ready to go. So quick to put together – easy enough for a weeknight favorite, fancy enough for your special guests.
Great
A great classic recipe and you make it easy for us. I will make this again and again.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
If this is ever on the menu at a restaurant, I have to order it. And now I can make it at home thanks to this recipe. Amazing – easy and delicious! Thanks!
My pleasure!
Made this the other day for my family! It was perfection.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
I made this Chicken Piccata tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I love how easy your recipes come together. No fuss, no muss just yummy goodness. I served it over mashed potatoes. This will definitely be in the rotation.
fantastic.
All I have to say is I would give this dish a 100 stars!!
Chef Billy thank you for getting me back in my kitchen. And cooking. Again I love I love how you are teaching me. The importance of unsalted butter in most recipes as we can adjust it for ourselves and in this dish the chicken piccata definitely need unsalted butter Ask the capers and the lemon add enough
thanks for giving it a shot!!
Outstanding! I follow Chef Billy on Facebook and his approach is so very much relateable. This is one of my favorites and is executed to perfection by Chef Parisi.
excellent
First time making chicken piccata. The recipe was so easy and delicious. I was always a chicken thigh person but this now has me picking up more chicken breast pieces. This recipe is so fast and easy. I served this with brown wild rice. Thanks again for another great recipe.
Love it!
This is my favorite piccata recipe ever.. I get tons of compliments every time.
Amazing!
This is my go-to recipe for special family dinners. I make it exactly as Chef Parisi describes and it’s perfect every time. His easy-to-follow instructions don’t just teach viewers how to make a meal, but he goes further to provide the ‘why’ behind important techniques.
Excellent!
Very nice wish there was a little more sauce for the chicken
You can add in more butter if you’d like.
This recipe is full of flavor! I made it for may husband and then shared it with neighbors, who loved it! I so enjoy watching your videos. You make things seem
doable from non chefs. Please continue to provide them.
Excellent! Thanks for making it.
Best cjicken piccata I’ve ever eaten. I’ve made this recipe my own! Love!
Fantastic
Loved this recipe! Easy and tasty!!
One of my favorites and a go-to recipe now!
My partner absolutely loved this recipe! Thanks Chef Billy!
This was delicious and easy to prepare! I did leave out capers since I am not a fan, but it was still very flavorful.
Absolutely delicious and so easy! I’m going to make this again and again. We loved it.
Easy and delicious
Great video and very tasty!
Hi Chef Parisi,
I’ve watched so many of your videos that I feel like I know you. You are my go to web chef. I loved the chicken piccata recipe. I didn’t use as much butter, but it was still delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes! Sandra
Delicious, I will make it again.
Hi! I made this tonight. It was so delicious. My husband doesn’t normally eat anything with lemon, but this had the perfect amount, more like a fragrance than concentrated lemon, and we loved it. I left out the shallots (personal preference), but still so flavorful! I love your videos, you make it easy to follow along and I appreciate that you give technique tips that I can apply to other cooking events.
Just made this last night. Super easy, with little prep work. The mix of flavors is amazing!! Can’t wait to make it again!!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I served it with a brown butter pasta, cheddar bay biscuits and a tossed salad. Thank you Chef for sharing another great recipe and techniques.
Really great recipe chef Billy!
I followed your recipe to the T and my family really enjoyed it. All clean plates! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion for cooking with the world. Please keep up the great teaching!
This time around I had and used all the ingredients! It was so yummy that one of the men at the table ate three pieces! Curious, is there any substitute for the butter that you would recommend (cholesterol concern)?
nothing will work outside of maybe margarine, but that won’t help your diet needs.
Since I have been following your channel and cooking the recipes you feature, I have not eaten any better food outside my kitchen. I enjoy the way to teach how to prepare and cook your different meals. My friends and family have enjoyed everything I have served them, and I really enjoy preparing the different foods you have shown on your channel. Thank you so much for your time and expertise. You have really made me a better cook, and I always look forward to you next recipe.
Thanks for giving all of these recipes a try, I appreciate it!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious. Everyone loved it. I love any thing with lemon in it. So yummy, thx chef!
I made this recipe last evening and it was over the top magnifico! People were actually wowed by the presentation and the taste was absolutely perfection. Thank you for teaching me how to prep, cook, and present a dish! You are truly a master at your craft! I’m grateful to be one of your Commis chefs. 🙂
Can you share the type/brand of pan you use in this recipe? It looks like carbon steel.
It is, it’s a DeBuyer