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Chicken Piccata

Easy Chicken Piccata! Takes 20 minutes to make. Chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, served with sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and stock or wine.

Elise Bauer

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

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Elise Bauer
Updated February 10, 2021
Elise Bauer
Chicken Piccata
Elise Bauer

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

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 20 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!

How to Make Chicken Piccata

1:37

How to Make Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total), or 4-8 chicken cutlets
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine (such as a Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup brined capers
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Method

  1. Prepare chicken cutlets and pound them thin:

    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.

    chicken-piccata-method-a
    Elise Bauer

    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.

  2. Dredge cutlets in seasoned flour with Parmesan:

    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.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
  3. Brown cutlets in butter and oil:

    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.

    chicken-piccata-method-4
    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
  4. Add stock or wine, lemon juice, capers, reduce by half, stir in butter:

    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 2 tablespoons of butter.

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    Elise Bauer

    Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Chicken Piccata
Elise Bauer