Need a 30 Minute Dinner That's Still Impressive? Choose Chicken Piccata (2024)

Easy Dinners
Quick Dinners
Skillet
Chicken Breast
Italian

A fast, simple yet impressive meal for weeknights or weekends.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated January 09, 2024

167 ratings

In This Recipe

What Is Chicken Piccata?
See Also
Chicken Francese Creamy Chicken Piccata Recipe - Foodness Gracious The Surprising Story Of Piccata, Marsala, And Parmigiana - Frankie Bones Make This Veal Scallopini With Lemon and Capers in 15 Minutes
About Chicken Piccata
Topping Variations
What to Serve With It

26 Easy Chicken Breast Recipes You'll Make on RepeatFEATURED IN:

Sometimes it amazes me how a simple combination of basic, on-hand ingredients can yield such delightful results.

Need a 30 Minute Dinner That's Still Impressive? Choose Chicken Piccata (3)

What Is Chicken Piccata?

Chicken piccata is nothing more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and served with a sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine.

It can be prepared in 30 minutes or less and is so easy and delicious it should be part of every home cook's repertoire. It's perfect for a quick midweek meal!

Need a 30 Minute Dinner That's Still Impressive? Choose Chicken Piccata (4)

Chicken Piccata: An Italian Classic?

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 veal piccata than chicken piccata, and there's a chance that the use of chicken is an Americanized version of the Italian veal dish. But, the flavors in this chicken dish are certainly Italian/Mediterranean—olive oil, wine, lemon, brined capers, Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs.

Topping Variations to Try

Capers aren't everyone's cup of tea, so feel free to leave them out even though they do add a briny bite to the dish. Or, if you don't have capers but do have meaty green olives in the pantry, you can chop them small and add them to the dish. They'll give that briny bite.

Try these other chicken piccata variations:

Add sautéed garlic, mushrooms or onion, or a combination.
Use half chicken stock and half dry white wine.
Substitute Romano or Asiago for the Parmesan.
Go all out on the variations and try Chicken Piccata Pasta or Sole Piccata.

What to Serve With Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is often served with pasta or a grain like rice to soak up the delicious sauce. If you're planning to serve it this way, we recommend doubling the sauce ingredients.

Whether you're pairing it with pasta or serving it low-carb style, these side dishes help turn the dish into a meal:

Green Beans With Shallots and Pancetta
Roasted Baby Carrots
Sautéed Asparagus With Morels
Broccoli Rabe With Caramelized Onions
Peperonata (Sautéed Peppers and Onions)

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Chicken Piccata

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time17 mins

Total Time27 mins

Servings4 servings

If you’re planning to serve chicken piccata over pasta or a grain (or just like it extra saucy), double the sauce ingredients.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds, skinless chicken breast halves, or 4 to 8 chicken cutlets
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock, or dry white wine (such as a Sauvignon Blanc)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup capers, drained
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Method

Prepare the chicken cutlets:
To make chicken cutlets, slice the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. If the breast pieces you are working with are large, you may want to cut them each into two pieces.
If the pieces are still thick after butterflying, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness.
Dredge the cutlets:
Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Rinse the chicken pieces in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture until well coated.
Brown the cutlets:
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces, do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate.
Cook the other breasts in the same manner, remove from pan. Place the breasts on a rack over a roasting pan and keep warm in a 225°F oven while you prepare the sauce.
Add the stock (or wine), lemon juice, and capers:
Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half.
Whisk in the remaining butter:
Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Serve immediately:
Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
583	Calories
33g	Fat
14g	Carbs
56g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	583
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g	42%
Saturated Fat 12g	58%
Cholesterol 179mg	60%
Sodium 698mg	30%
Total Carbohydrate 14g	5%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 56g
Vitamin C 6mg	30%
Calcium 77mg	6%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 511mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.