Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe

This easy chicken piccata recipe is crispy, buttery chicken breasts dredged in a well-seasoned flour mixture, pan-fried, and simmered in a tasty lemony white wine piccata sauce with capers. It's so beautiful, it's delicious, AND it's easy to make – what's not to love?

Course dinner, Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 256kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Flour Seasoning

⅓ cup (41 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon (0.9 g) Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon (2 g) onion powder
1 teaspoon (3 g) garlic powder

Chicken Piccata

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally into 4 flat fillets
3 tablespoon (42 g) unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon (14 ml) cooking oil

Chicken Piccata Sauce

¼ cup (29 g) onion, minced
1 tablespoon (8 g) garlic, minced
¼ cup (59 ml) white wine
1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
½ lemon, juiced
3-4 tablespoon (26- 34 g) capers
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon (4 g) fresh parsley, chopped for garnishing

Instructions

Chicken Piccata

Whisk together flour, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder in a medium shallow bowl.
Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shake off any excess, and set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
When the butter has melted, add the chicken working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Cook, flipping once, until golden and cooked through – about 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the chicken's thickness.
Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat the process for the remaining pieces, adding more oil if needed.

Chicken Piccata Sauce

When you've finished with the chicken, melt another tablespoon of butter in the same pan.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about a minute or two.
Add the wine, chicken stock, and lemon juice and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan for extra flavor.
Cook until wine almost evaporates, occasionally stirring, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the capers.
Add the remaining butter, allow it to melt, and stir it into the sauce.
Do a taste test, then adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Return the chicken to the pan, including its juice, and simmer about 3 to 5 minutes more.
If desired, garnish with parsley and serve immediately with pasta and parmesan cheese.

Notes

Be patient and avoid adding thickeners to your sauce. It will thicken with time. If, for some reason, it doesn't, mix one teaspoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water until you no longer see any lumps. Then slowly pour it into the center of the pan while the sauce is boiling and whisk it in until thoroughly blended. Only use this as a last resort, though.
Freezing the chicken breasts for about 10-15 minutes before slicing them firms them enough to make the process easier.
Capers are optional in chicken piccata, but they are definitely a great addition. You can buy them in small jars in your local grocery store's Italian or pickled foods section. Go easy on them if you've never tried them before; they pack an intense flavor punch.
Adding white wine to this recipe lends another subtle layer of flavor. I usually go with a good-quality white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition