Oven Roasted Chicken Piccata is a show-stopping dish that’s perfect for entertaining or a cozy weeknight dinner. Crispy-skinned, whole roasted chicken is seasoned to perfection and smothered in a lemon-caper pan sauce.
Oh, and did I mention that this whole recipe comes together in one skillet? It’s one of those dinners that feels devastatingly impressive while actually being really easy to throw together!
“Amazing flavor and very easy! Family loved it! Even my critical husband! He said it’s a keeper and do over for sure!” – Yolanda, So Much Food reader
Table of contents
You’ve Just Found THE Recipe for Entertaining
Everyone needs a fancy recipe to whip out when company calls, and this oven chicken piccata is one of my all-time favorites! A whole roast chicken is a classic entertaining recipe that presents beautifully, feeds a crowd, and is fairly low-effort (not to mention low-budget!). Once you add the lemon caper piccata sauce, a humble roast chicken becomes a total show-stopper.
While this recipe feels impressive, it’s actually very hands-off. The bulk of the work comes from spatchcocking the chicken so that it cooks evenly and quickly.
To build flavor in our bird, we’re briefly dry-brining it before searing it skin-side down in the skillet that it will roast in. This recipe is half chicken-under-a-brick and half chicken piccata! When we sear the chicken, it’s weighed down with another skillet to get a truly crispy skin. Then, we flip it, roast it to perfection and make a drinkable lemon-caper pan sauce from the drippings.
I love serving my roasted chicken piccata alongside some herby mascarpone mashed potatoes and a large salad with a bottle of wine for a complete meal!
Tools Needed
Ingredients and Substitutions
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities, and method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Whole chicken. Since it’s the star of the show, opt for a high-quality whole chicken from your local butcher or meat counter. You’re looking for a 4-5 lb whole chicken.
- Lemons. You’ll need several lemons for zesting, juicing, and slicing to roast the chicken with.
- Shallots. Shallots add a mellow onion flavor to our pan sauce. You could swap in regular onion, but make sure to dice it really finely so that it melts into the sauce.
- White wine. Opt for a dry white wine here, something bright and acidic like Sauvignon Blanc. If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can use a bit of chicken stock.
- Capers. Capers add acidity and brininess to the sauce that is so, so good. If you’re averse to capers, finely chop some green olives and add them in.
- Butter. Finishing the pan sauce with cold butter results in an extra silky and creamy piccata sauce.
- Herbs. Finish the pan sauce with a bit of chopped parsley or chives, and you’re all set!
How to Spatchcock a Chicken for Roasting
“Spatchcocking” refers to the removal of the backbone prior to cooking. Doing so causes the bird to lay flat and thus everything cooks at the same rate (AKA no more dry white meat!).
Roasting a whole chicken in this manner also reduces the cooking time drastically and helps you get dinner on the table faster with less effort. Your oven roasted chicken piccata will never end up dry when you use this method!
- Pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken on a large cutting board and pat dry with paper towels.
- Cut along the spine. Arrange the chicken breast-side down on the cutting board with the legs facing towards you. Using good-quality kitchen shears, cut along one side of the chicken spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the chicken meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine.
- Press on the breast bone to flatten. Flip the chicken so that the breasts face upward and the chicken legs face outward. Using the palm of your hands, press along the breast bone. You might hear a small crack. This should flatten the chicken completely.
Watch this helpful video below to spatchcock like a pro! Remember to freeze the backbone and save it for making homemade chicken stock.
How to Make Whole Roasted Chicken Piccata in the Oven
- Spatchcock the chicken for even roasting. I’ve provided a detailed tutorial on how to do so in the section above!
- Dry brine your bird. This is a fancy way of saying you need to season it liberally with salt and pepper, then place it in the fridge uncovered for at least 4 hours. (Put the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy cleanup.)
Jenny’s Tip: Dry brining is the secret to achieving super crispy skin on your roast chickens. All that excess moisture is drawn out of the skin, leaving it super dry and ready to crisp up in the hot oven.
- Sear until deeply golden. Since we spatchcocked the chicken, it will lay perfectly flat in the skillet. I always weigh mine down with another skillet so that every inch of the bird is touching the hot skillet on the bottom for maximum crispness and golden brown color.
- Roast until it registers 165ºF. Remove the top skillet, flip the bird over, and arrange the lemon slices around it. The chicken needs to roast at 400ºF for about 35 minutes, then it needs to rest for a few minutes so the juices can redistribute.
- Make the piccata sauce. All of the drippings at the bottom of the skillet are a flavor goldmine! Place the skillet on the stove over medium heat and doctor up those drippings with a little butter, shallot, capers, white wine, and lemon.
- Finish the chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with the sauce. Top with fresh herbs and more lemons for squeezing.
What to Serve on the Side
What’s a dinner party without sides? Here are my favorites to serve alongside whole roasted chicken piccata for a truly show-stopping meal.
- Mashed potatoes. Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Sour Cream and Onion Mashed Potatoes
- Side salad. Italian Chopped Salad or Kale Caesar Salad
- Dessert. Coffee Panna Cotta or Nutella Lava Cakes
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! 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. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Whole Chicken Recipes to Make
- Whole Chicken Orzo Soup
- Beer Can Chicken
- Dutch Oven Roast Chicken
- Pollo Asado (Mexican Grilled Chicken)
- Herb-Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
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Oven-Roasted Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 lb whole chicken, (any bird between 4 – 5 lb. is fine)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, sunflower, etc)
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into thick slices
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced capers
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup minced parsley and chives
Instructions
- Spatchcock the chicken. Place the chicken on a large cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange the bird breast-side down on the cutting board with the legs facing towards you. Using good-quality kitchen shears, cut along one side of the chicken spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the chicken meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine.Flip the chicken so that the breasts face upward and the chicken legs face outward. Using the palm of your hands, press along the breast bone. You might hear a small crack. This should flatten the chicken completely.
- Dry brine the chicken. Season the chicken liberally all over, including the underside and under the skin. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil and transfer to the fridge uncovered for at least 4 hours, up to 48 hours.
- Preheat an oven to 400ºF.
- Sear the chicken. Heat a large cast iron skillet (at least 11" in diameter), over medium heat. Add the neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, lay the chicken in the skillet skin side down and weigh it down with another skillet or heavy pot. Let the chicken cook for 10-12 minutes, until deeply golden brown.
- Roast. Remove the skillet weighing the chicken down and gently flip the chicken over so that it's sitting in the skillet skin side up. Arrange the lemon slices around and under the chicken. Transfer to the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes, until the thickest parts of the breasts and legs register 165 F on a meat thermometer.
- Let it rest. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest. Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat.
- While the chicken rests, make the piccata sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of the cold butter to the pan and use a silicone spatula to work up any browned bits. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the capers and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Use a spoon to work up any more remaining brown bits from the skillet. Reduce the heat slightly and whisk in the remaining cold butter, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk constantly so that the butter emulsifies into the sauce. Add the lemon zest and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish and serve. Place the chicken on a serving platter and pour the lemon caper sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Amazing flavor and very easy! Family loved it! Even my critical husband! He said it’s a keeper and do over for sure!
So happy to hear you loved the recipe!
This was delicious! The sauce was fantastic!
I will make again!
So happy to hear it! Thank you Stephanie!