This easy Chicken Piccata recipe is an elevated Italian-American classic with perfectly golden brown chicken in a buttery, lemony caper & shallot sauce that is so simple and quick to make at home. The recipe truly tastes restaurant-worthy while it only requires about 30 minutes to get dinner on the table!

My Favorite Elevated Weeknight Dinner

Chicken piccata has been on my list of recipes to develop for ages and I’m honestly kicking myself for not getting this recipe together sooner. It really is that good! The chicken breast stays incredibly juicy and the sauce is the perfect balance of buttery and rich while still having brightness and acidity. I could honestly drink it!

This is the kind of recipe I like to pull out when I have company but I’m short on time. The prep is minimal, but chicken piccata comes out so freaking elegant. The sauce is silky and buttery and clings to pasta in the best way–exactly the kind of dish I would want to serve to show off my kitchen skills!

Serve it up over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice and serve a salad on the side and this is truly a top tier dinner that no one would scoff at!

Chicken Piccata Explained

Chicken piccata is nothing more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and served with a sauce made of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine. Naturally, we’re jazzing things up with lemon zest, shallots, vermouth, and lots of fresh parsley!

The exact origin of this dish is unknown, although it certainly has its roots in Italian cooking. In Italy, it’s more common to see dredged veal pan fried than it is to see chicken, and it’s most likely an Americanized version of veal scallopini.

Key Recipe Ingredients

full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.

• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• butter
• olive oil
• flour
• shallots
• garlic
• capers
• dijon
• dry vermouth
• lemon juice & zest
• chicken stock
• parsley

Helpful Cooking Tools

• Braiser
• Cutting Board
• Sharp Knife
• Microplane Zester
• Measuring cup

How to Make Chicken Piccata Quick

Jenny’s Prep Tip: A little prep goes a long way for chicken piccata. Before you start, chop the garlic, shallots, and capers, slice the butter into small pieces, and measure the lemon juice, chicken stock, and vermouth. The French way, mis en place, is to have all the recipe ingredients prepped before you start cooking and it seriously makes everything come together so much more easily.

1. Season and dredge the chicken. Don’t skimp on the seasoning either! You want to make sure the meat is just as well-seasoned as the sauce. The flour helps the chicken get that perfect golden brown crust, but also helps the sauce thicken later.

Jenny’s Tip: Shake off any excess flour from the chicken. You want them to be well coated, but you don’t want the sauce to be floury and if there’s excess flour in the pan, it will likely burn.

2. Sear the chicken breasts until golden brown. The combination of butter and oil ensures flavor from the butter while the olive oil keeps it from burning. Plan to sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
3. Saute the aromatics. As the shallots, garlic, and capers cook in the fond left behind by the chicken, they’ll pick up those incredible flavors.
4. Deglaze the pan with vermouth. This allows the alcohol to cook off while also giving you a vehicle to scrape up all those beautiful browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Build the sauce. After you’ve scraped up the brown bits and the vermouth has mostly cooked off, you’ll build the sauce with the chicken stock and lemon juice and let it simmer for a bit. Then, you’ll stir in the pieces of butter, a little bit at a time, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Finish the chicken in the sauce for 4-5 minutes and dinner is done!

Serving Suggestions

Saucy, golden chicken cutlets practically beg to be served over a carb! I love serving them over a pile of spaghetti (pictured), bucatini, or angel hair—the light, buttery sauce clings beautifully to long, thin pasta.

Jenny’s Serving Tip: Remove the chicken cutlets from the sauce, spoon a bit over each piece of chicken and then toss your warm pasta in the leftover sauce in the pan before plating it up.

If i’m serving the chicken piccata over pasta, I always have a salad on the side like my little gem caesar or my fattoush salad. The crisp greens just pair so perfectly with pasta!

You could also serve the chicken over mashed potatoes (the potatoes absolutely love soaking up the sauce) or some buttery lemon-dill rice.

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If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.

More One-Pan Chicken Recipes to Try

Chicken Tinga Tacos
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
Whole Orzo Chicken Soup
Apple Cider Braised Chicken
Chicken Congee
Chicken Scarpariello

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