Chicken Piccata
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Whip up classic chicken piccata—crispy chicken cutlets drenched in a zesty lemon-butter and caper sauce. It’s the quick, easy supper guaranteed to bring smiles all around the table.
When it’s 5:30 PM and I’m staring blankly into the fridge at a package of boneless chicken breasts, wondering what to make for dinner, chicken piccata often comes to the rescue. A dish of crispy chicken cutlets bathed in a lemony butter and caper sauce, chicken piccata is one of those quick and easy Italian suppers that makes everyone at the table happy. You can serve the crispy chicken plain for the pickier eaters or lavish them with the zesty sauce for those who love a burst of lemony, briny flavors.
Capers can be polarizing, falling squarely in the love-’em-or-hate-’em category, so feel free to leave them out if you’re not a fan. Chicken piccata pairs well with many easy sides, such as buttered angel hair pasta, roasted carrots, Parmesan smashed potatoes or couscous. That means you can go from “What’s for dinner?” to “Dinner’s on the table!” in less than 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
“I have already made this recipe twice this week! A fast favorite in our household.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Piccata
- All-purpose flour: The first step in the three-part breading process. Used to lightly coat the chicken, it prepares the surface for the next layers, ensuring the crust adheres well during cooking.
- Eggs: Step two in the breading process. The floured chicken is dipped in beaten eggs, creating a sticky base for the breadcrumbs to cling to.
- Seasoned Italian bread crumbs: The final step in the breading process. These crumbs stick to the egg-coated chicken, providing a flavorful, crispy coating once cooked.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Used for frying, it adds a subtle, fruity flavor to the dish while cooking the chicken to a golden perfection.
- Chicken stock: Forms the base of the sauce, adding depth and richness.
- Lemon juice: Adds a bright, acidic contrast to the rich sauce.
- Capers: Offer a burst of tangy, briny flavor that’s characteristic of piccata sauce.
- Butter: Swirled into the sauce for a silky finish, adding richness and gloss.
- Fresh Italian parsley: Provides a fresh, herbal note as, brightening up the whole dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by prepping the chicken breasts. First slice each chicken breast in half horizontally.
Place the chicken breasts in a large sealable plastic bag and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound them to an even 1/4-inch thickness. This ensures that they cook quickly and evenly. (I use a sealable plastic bag to pound the chicken because it can also be used in the next step to easily coat the chicken with flour.)
To the bag, add the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; seal and shake to combine.
Add the chicken to the bag.
Then seal and shake to coat the chicken evenly.
Beat the eggs in a large, shallow bowl. In another large, shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Using tongs (or your hands), dip each chicken breast first in the egg mixture, turning to coat evenly and letting any excess egg drip off, and then into the bread crumbs, turning to coat evenly. This 3-step breading method (flour + eggs + bread crumbs) ensures that the coating adheres.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Flip the chicken and cook until the second side is golden, about 2 minutes more.
Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven while you make the sauce. (Note: the chicken should be almost fully cooked at this point. Don’t leave it in the oven for more than 5 minutes or it will overcook.)
Discard any excess oil from the pan. Add the stock, lemon juice, and capers and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the pan. Gently boil for about two minutes, until slightly reduced.
Off the heat, swirl in the butter.
Add the parsley.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Remove the chicken piccata from the oven and transfer to plates. Spoon the sauce over top and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken Piccata can be partially made ahead to save time. You can bread the chicken and refrigerate it for up to 4 hours before cooking. However, for the best texture and flavor, I recommend cooking the chicken and preparing the sauce right before serving.
The breaded (uncooked) cutlets can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze the chicken on the baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour, then transfer to a resealable freezer bag or layer in an airtight container with sheets of parchment between the cutlets. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.
Breading might fall off if the chicken isn’t properly prepped before coating or if the pan isn’t hot enough when you start cooking. Ensure the chicken is dry before coating in flour, dip thoroughly in the egg wash, and then press firmly into the breadcrumbs for a good coat. Also, make sure your pan with oil is hot enough so that the chicken sizzles upon contact—this helps the breading set quickly and stay attached.
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Chicken Piccata
Whip up classic chicken piccata—crispy chicken cutlets drenched in a zesty lemon-butter and caper sauce. It’s the quick, easy supper guaranteed to bring smiles all around the table.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons brined capers, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Using a very sharp knife, slice each chicken breast in half horizontally. One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a large sealable plastic bag and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound them to an even ¼-inch thickness. (If your chicken breasts are very small, you can skip the step of cutting them in half horizontally. I use two ¾-lb breasts to make 4 portions.) Save the bag.
- To the bag, add the flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; seal and shake to combine. Add the chicken to the bag; seal and shake to coat the chicken evenly. Beat the eggs in a large, shallow bowl. In another large, shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with ¼ teaspoon salt. Using tongs (or your hands), dip each chicken breast first in the egg mixture, turning to coat evenly and letting any excess egg drip off, and then into the bread crumbs, turning to coat evenly.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the chicken to the pan and cook for until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until the second side is golden, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven while you make the sauce. (Note: the chicken should be almost fully cooked at this point. Don't leave it in the oven for more than 5 minutes or it will overcook.)
- Discard any excess oil from the pan. Add the stock, lemon juice, and capers and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the pan. Gently boil for about two minutes, until slightly reduced. Off the heat, swirl in the butter, followed by the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to plates. Spoon the sauce over top.
- Make Ahead: The chicken can be breaded and refrigerated up to four hours ahead of time.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The breaded cutlets can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze the chicken on the baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour, then transfer to a resealable freezer bag or layer in an airtight container with sheets of parchment between the cutlets. Defrost in the refrigerator before cooking.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 585
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 47 g
- Sodium: 758 mg
- Cholesterol: 229 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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I love this recipe! Super easy and super fast. Moist and flavorful chicken (I thought the amount of flour was a typo but NOPE). I totally screwed up the sauce because I used pimento olives in place of the capers (it’s all I had) and I didn’t measure the lemon properly so I used way too much. Sauce was brown and muddy and yucky. Easily solved by making a honey dijon dipping sauce and cutting the filets into chunky fingers. Will absolutely add this to my easy, whip up dinner menu.
I always thought of Chicken Piccata as something I only ate when going to a restaurant. But now I can have it at home anytime I want thanks to your recipe. It was much easier to cook at home than I thought it would be. Definitely a recipe I will use again & again. And I do love capers. So that alone is a good enough reason to use this recipe. Turns out perfectly every time.
Fantastic recipe! Thank you! Delicious and so easy to make!
On my rotation now. Perfect!
Jen, I love all your recipes and actually have a file on my computer called “Jen’s recipes”, I have both your books and yours are the ‘go to’ recipes I make for week nights and company.
This is a fantastic recipe. It was delicious and easy. I followed all directions exactly as written but used Panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs because that’s what I had. It came out perfectly. The sauce is so good that next time I will double it.The presentation is beautiful and I will add it to my weeknight and company recipe list. Thank you
Nancy
my husband made this dish with the carrots and thyme as a side…one of the most delicious meals he’s ever made!! thank you for yet another wonderful recipe!! 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! It comes together fairly quickly and I love that it uses simple ingredients that I usually have on hand. I don’t rinse the capers, but other than that follow the recipe exactly. Delicious!
Made this for my husband tonight and he loved it! Thank you for the simple and tasty recipe and clear instructions.
Came out perfect. I forgot to rinse the capers but they were great. Pretty fast to pull together. I served it with roasted cauliflower. Spouse got a spoon to finish off the sauce.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I forgot to rinse the capers and didn’t have parsley, but the sauce was still great. Will definitely make this again!
Overall it’s a great recipe but the sauce is too watery. I think adding some Wondra will do the trick.
Loved this! I also had to hold back on the sauce for my kids. The only adjustment I made was to use Panko breadcrumbs because that’s all I had. I really love the lemon butter sauce. Thanks for another winner, Jenn!
Hi Jenn, I love all of your recipes that I’ve tried and can’t wait to try this one! I probably sound like a crazy person with my friends when I repeatedly share how much I love your blog and cookbook lol.
Would you ever consider developing a recipe for chicken Milanese? It’s one of my favorite meals to order at our local Italian restaurant, I would love to be able to make it at home, and I know your version would be the best! I’m sure you have plenty of ideas for recipes to develop but wanted to put in a plug for that one if you are ever searching. 🙂
Thanks for all you do!
Hi B, Thanks for your nice words about the recipes — so glad you like them! I will add chicken Milanese to my list of recipes to potentially develop. Thanks for the suggestion as I’m always looking for new inspiration!
Thank you for taking the time to reply!
SO SO good. I have always been disappointed with the outcome of chicken piccata – when cooking myself or ordering at a restaurant. The chicken always seems soggy (I think from cooking breaded chicken in the sauce). I followed this recipe exactly, which is typically hard for me to do, but by now I am used to trusting Jenn’s instruction exactly. This was no exception. We will absolutely add to our rotation!
P.S. If you haven’t already – try out the beef and broccoli recipe!
Another amazing once upon a chef recipe! I followed your directions exactly, and for once, didn’t overcook chicken. My whole family was happy. Thank you for always being our go-to.
Delicious! The recipe was easy to follow, especially after the guided step by step pictures which were very helpful. The chicken was moist and flavorful even though my capers were outdated. Looking forward to making it again with the capers. Thank you.
With a few changes, I loved this recipe! I doubled the sauce and replaced 1/2 cup of the chicken broth with Pinot Grigio wine. I added a splash of heavy cream to the sauce and only about 2-3 tbs. of lemon and only 5 tbs. of butter (all for sauce doubling). Finally, I took some of the sauce out and mixed it with a little flour then put that sauce back with the rest to thicken the sauce a bit. My hubby loved it but next time he wants some Parmesan cheese added at the end.
This was so delicious! Will definitely be making again and again. I started the lemon sauce with a roux to make it thicker, and it was so tasty! Wouldn’t change a thing.
I really enjoy making this meal. It’s quite tasty but also easy enough – and quick enough – for a weeknight, but still fancy enough to serve to company. I use a meat thermometer to be sure the chicken is cooked through rather than putting it in the oven.
We made this for dinner this week and it was delicious. My 14 and 11 year old loved them too. Chicken was juicy and the coating was crispy. The sauce was delicious. We’ll make it again.
OMGEEEEE. Here is another recipe that I have made twice in the last week. My family went on and on for two straight days about how amazing this chicken was.
This took me a little longer to prep since I’m not a professional, however it was so worth it. This is the kind of meal you’d serve to dinner guests. It’s that good!!! The chicken is so unbelievably moist, and so tender you can cut it with a fork. The sauce really takes it to another level. You have the flavor of the chicken bits that were left in the pan, along with the stock. Then you add lemon and capers which brings a wonderful tartness to the sauce. Lastly the butter which makes it rich and brings it all together.
This will become a family staple that’s for sure.
Thank you again Jenn, this is delicious recipe.
Who doesn’t love lemony chicken! I made this dish and my husband says am now a pro at delicious lightly breaded chicken! I loved the crispy chicken with the seasoned lemon butter sauce. I would recommend letting the sauce thicken slightly more than I did. I doubled the lemon for a bit more lemon taste. Capers add a fun saltiness to the recipe. I would also recommend the mashed potatoes Jenn suggests; I used egg noodles and they couldn’t quite take advantage of the sauce!
This is a great recipe, goes together fairly quickly, even quicker if you don’t double the recipe lol I love lemon and the capers make it a dining out experience. I took the panko and mixed it liberally with Italiano seasoning. A real hit with the meat eaters in my family! I love your book but I still look forward to seeing my emails with recipes. Great Idea, thank you very much!
This is one of my go-to weekday recipes when time is limited. The chicken is always tender and flavorful. Pairs beautifully with a variety of sides. Wonderful as a casual meal or at an elegant dinner party. Jenn, I don’t know how you do it – superb recipes every time; I can hardly wait for your next book.
I love chicken piccata! However, I felt something was missing from this recipe. For a truly savory sauce you should deglaze the pan with some dry white wine before adding the butter off heat.
I have made this recipe numerous times and it’s a crowd-pleaser! We like extra sauce, so I usually double up on the sauce ingredients. Also, I buy the thin-cut chicken breasts and use those instead of slicing the chicken breasts in half and pounding them.
My family was suffering from chicken fatigue, so I decided to leap in and try this recipe! They loved it. I agree that it is probably not a weeknight choice if you work outside the home, but right now, I work from home and cook to relax! Making sure you get the chicken thin is key. The sauce really makes this dish! I plan to make it to use with my baked salmon!
This is just one of the dozen or more chicken recipes from Jenn that I use…there’s at least one a week in my rotation! Being in lockdown for 10 months (I live in the UK) has meant no dining out and this Chicken Piccata lets us pretend for a night that we aren’t at home. I have teenage boys so I double the recipe and have found that the lemon juice doesn’t need to be fully doubled to sustain the lemon flavor, so I make up for it with addition chicken stock. The capers don’t need doubling either as they’re so flavorful and strong.
Our favorite side to have with it is orzo pasta, which I absolutely double because the taste and texture of the orzo with the sauce is amazing!
I’ve made this one a few times now. Always pleased with the results. About the only thing I do differently is add more capers because I love them so much.
I thought this was delicious. It’s a bit messy to make, but worth it. My sons loved the cutlets without the sauce. I thought the sauce was flavorful without being overpowering. I’ll definitely add this to my regular rotation of meals.
My favorite Italian dish! This recipe is spot on with my memorized recipe, but I like to add a little cream to the sauce sometimes and even a little white wine for extra taste. But you have to be careful with too much wine or it will become sour. Beautiful presentation with the extra parsley, I hadn’t thought of increasing parsley but definitely add a lot of capers (nonpareils)!
Love that this recipe is straight forward and easy to follow especially with photo examples. I particularly love capers and it adds more flavor to the Piccata. Instead of butter is there a healthier substitute?Although butter makes the dish absolutely delicious.
Easy and yummy!
Chicken picatta is a favourite in our home. However as others stated this is not a 30 minutes is not enough time in time to finish. As many times as I’ve made it, I’ve never made it in 30 minutes. The recipe is laid out nicely with photos at each step.
This chicken has it all – taste, presentation, and ease of preparation. I paired it thin, ribbony slices of grilled zucchini.
This dish is very good although it leaves lots to clean up! I used 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken broth and added 1 chopped shallot. I believe it gave it a bit more depth. Friends and family gave it two thumbs up.
This is the one dish my daughter requests when she comes home to visit and the dish she asks me to make again before she leaves–it is THAT delicious! The chicken comes out tender and moist every time. I prep the chicken before hand and have everything measured and ready to go before I start cooking because it goes pretty fast. I have served with egg noodles, buttered angel hair pasta and mashed potatoes. It is also delicious the next day sliced into strips and served on top of a favorite simple salad tossed with oil and vinegar dressing.
Well written directions. Very delicious and company worthy!
First time was more difficult trying to time recipe with
accompanying veges.
Second try was much easier.
Thanks for a great recipe I never would have made if it weren’t for
this one.
Two thumbs up for this recipe (well, four thumbs if you include my wife’s, too). I fixed it last weekend, and will definitely make it again.
I added a little lemon zest to the sauce, and was too lazy to flatten the fairly small chicken breasts that were in our ‘fridge. The sauce had a very nice lemon flavor, and the chicken was fully cooked but nicely moist.
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it turned out great. We had left overs so I froze them and had them a week later and it was still delicious. However, not as good as the first time, but that is to be expected. It’s a great recipe if having company.
This is the best piccata recipe I have found. It has a perfect blend of ingredients, especially the lemon. I have used this recipe over & over again.
Great easy peasy recipe! Made hubby happy. Thank you, your site is straight forward and easy to follow ❤️
Donna Edwards
Loved the flavor. Very easy to make. The whole family liked it and finished it.
This is my family’s favorite chicken recipe by far. That says a lot in a family with three kids with unique food preferences.
My family loves this recipe and it is very easy! It works with gluten free breadcrumbs also. We pour the extra sauce on our veggies!
Jenn is my go to for recipes.
Thanks!
My son and his wife stopped by near dinner time and fortunately I had fresh lemons, capers and chicken. I love capers so it was a no brainer to try this recipe! I had made veal piccata before and I have no idea why I never thought to try chicken but it was so delicious. Suffice it to say there were no leftovers from this meal. I served it with a side of spaghettini in butter and olive oil and black pepper and a butter lettuce salad with EVOO + aged balsamic. It’s a keeper. Thanks, Jenn!
I love chicken picatta. This one is especially good. If you want to make it a “lighter” dish, you could dredge the chicken in just flour and forego the eggs and breadcrumbs on the chicken. I also often will add some white wine to my sauce and let that reduce as well.
Another winner from Jen.
I modified this recipe using gluten free flour and breadcrumbs. My husband is Celiac.
It was still delicious.
My husband and I make this recipe over and over again. It is one of my favorite meals. Sometimes we leave out the parsley if we don’t have any on hand and often times use chicken tenders to skip the pounding step, but otherwise we make it exactly as written and it comes out perfectly every time! A restaurant-worthy meal that we can make at home – thank you!
If you prepare/measure out your sauce ingredients ahead of time, you really can make this in a snap. I use ramekins (or small berry bowls) for my lemon juice, butter, etc. Besides being quick and easy, my husband has declared it his favorite recent meal.
My whole family loves this dish. The kiddos skip the caper sauce but the chicken is still great on its own. I didn’t have fresh parsley but the sauce was still delicious. Served this with garlic mashed potatoes and the sauce tasted amazing on that too!
Delicious!!!
Your version of chicken piccata is one we come back to time and again – thank your for writing recipes with careful enough instructions to make it foolproof for your audience.
Excellent recipe easy to follow. Easy to follow step by step. I make this chicken piccata often with the side of mashed potatoes