A simple and delicious 30-minute meal, creamy lemon chicken piccata is quick and easy. To achieve the best flavor, soft and tender chicken breast is dredged in flour, seared, and tossed in a light and creamy lemon sauce with capers and garlic. This crowd-pleaser is made in a single skillet and served over a bed of pasta. The ideal weeknight dinner.
What Exactly Is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken piccata is a traditional Italian dish in which sliced and pounded chicken breast is coated in flour and cooked in a light lemon sauce with capers. Along with easy chicken parmesan (parmigiana), creamy tortellini soup with sausage, and shrimp fettuccine alfredo pasta bake, it is one of my favorite Italian dishes.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this simple chicken dinner:
- 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts (1 pound total), sliced in half and carefully flattened with a rolling pin to 14 inches thick.
- Chicken seasoning consists of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- All-purpose flour – some for dredging the chicken and some for the sauce.
- To sear the chicken, use vegetable oil.
- butter
- garlic
- chicken broth – or 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder + 1 cup water.
- A lot of creams
- Capers and lemon juice are traditional chicken piccata ingredients that give it a distinct flavor.
- Fresh parsley and lemon wedges serve as garnish.
- Dry pasta, such as spaghetti, linguine, or mashed potatoes, for serving (optional).
You will also require a skillet. A meat thermometer is also useful for checking the doneness of the chicken.
Making the Best Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Flatten the chicken:
- Carefully cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise (horizontally) and place one at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a ziploc freezer bag.
- Flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin until they are about 14 inches thick.
- Don’t pound the breasts too hard or they’ll tear apart.
- Flattened chicken breasts of uniform thickness are ideal.
- Season and dredge the chicken: Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning on both sides. Then, coat both sides of the chicken in a shallow bowl of flour. Place on a plate.
- Sear the chicken in a large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes or until the oil sizzles and shimmers. Sear the chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. The chicken’s internal temperature should be 165°F. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet. Place the chicken on a plate and serve.
- To make the lemon sauce, melt the butter in the same skillet and sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and flour until the sauce is smooth and uniform. Combine the heavy cream, capers, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the sauce until it has thickened to the desired consistency, about 2-3 minutes. If the cream curdles due to the lemon juice, stir until smooth.
- Return the chicken to the pan and toss well to coat it. Allow the chicken to cook for another minute in the sauce before garnishing it with lemon wedges and parsley.
- Refrigerate the chicken piccata with the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat briefly on medium-low heat or in the microwave until warmed through.
How to Make Piccata Chicken
I serve creamy lemon chicken piccata over linguini pasta with a drizzle of sauce on top or mashed potatoes or garlic mashed cauliflower.
I’d serve the meal with a light salad, like a Mediterranean orzo salad or a Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad, and a side of bread to soak up the sauce, like cheesy garlic dinner rolls or pull apart garlic bread.
Learn more: Spaghetti Squash Egg-in-a-Hole Recipe