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Easy Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe

This healthy and easy Chicken Piccata recipe is intensely flavorful, with sautéd lemons and garlic. It’s a fail-proof Italian chicken recipe that’s an absolute keeper.

chicken piccata in a pan
This chicken piccata is healthy and easy to make.

Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe

Easy, Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe

Easy, Healthy Chicken Piccata

If your regular chicken dinner routine craves some jazzing up, you’ve. come to the right place. We’ve got non-boring chicken on the menu for your busy weeknight dinner. As is our motto, we’re making food that tastes extraordinary using ordinary ingredients. Simple yet scrumptious. We’re talking scrumptious meals in 30 minutes, with 10 ingredients or less in one single pan. No compromise on flavor.

chicken piccata cooking in a pan
Cook chicken in plenty of this savory lemon caper sauce,

Buying Capers

This Chicken Piccata recipe is made up of a handful of ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Unless you serendipitously have a jar of capers sitting in your pantry, it might be the only ingredient you’ll need to buy for your chicken piccata dish. Luckily, it’s usually easy to find a little jar of briny capers on your grocery store shelves.

Capers are reminiscent of pickles, in miniature morsel form. In fact, you’ll usually find little jars of capers next to jars of pickles and olives at the grocery store. Because jars of capers are typically brined in salt, water, and vinegar, they keep really well in your fridge after opening (unopened jars can keep for a long time in your pantry.) These tiny capers provide the  salty/tangy flavor that’s classic in chicken piccata.

Just a light sprinkling of capers adds huge flavor, so you’ll have plenty left over in your little jar to keep for all your future chicken piccata nights.

Key Steps

Step 1: Always pat dry chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Pound chicken down to an even thickness throughout.

Step 2: Season chicken on both sides.

Step 3: After cooking the chicken, make the sauce in the same skillet, using up the browned bits, which add a ton of flavor.

Step 4: Generously pour sauce over chicken while hot and serve immediately.

What to Serve with Chicken Piccata

Besides the briny kick of capers, this chicken piccata is intensely flavored with plenty of garlic, onion, and fresh lemon slices that are sautéd until gloriously browned. It’s a winning combination that results in tender, luscious chicken in one single pan.

There’s plenty of intensely flavorful sauce for dipping this rustic rosemary bread into, or you can serve all the goodness over this super easy spaghetti aglio e olio. Some other favorites include:

Whether it’s a casual, quick weeknight dinner or you’re hosting a weekend meal for friends, this chicken piccata is destined to be an instant hit.

chicken piccata in pan
Serve chicken piccata with potatoes, rice, pasta, or vegetables

Commonly Asked Questions

What is chicken piccata?

Chicken piccata is an Italian dish made with chicken breasts that are pounded thin, then dredged in flour and cooked in a lemon and caper sauce.

What can I serve with chicken piccata?

Chicken piccata pairs well with various side dishes such as pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a fresh salad. Some people also enjoy serving it with crusty bread to soak up the flavorful sauce.

Can I use something other than chicken breasts for chicken piccata?

Yes, you can use other cuts of chicken such as chicken cutlets or chicken thighs if you prefer. The cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken, so adjust accordingly. We recommend staying with skinless/boneless cuts, for best flavor and ease of preparation.

Can I make chicken piccata ahead of time?

While chicken piccata is best enjoyed fresh, you can make certain preparations ahead of time. For example, you can pound the chicken breasts and refrigerate them until ready to cook. You can also prepare the sauce in advance and store it separately, though you won’t get the flavor benefit of incorporating the browned bits from cooked chicken. If you do cook this dish in advance, we suggest assembling the dish just before serving to maintain the best texture and flavor.

More to Cook and Eat

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chicken piccata in pan

Easy Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe

4.96 from 75 ratings
This Easy, Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe isn’t just another chicken dinner recipe. Chicken Piccata is an deliciously intense with flavorful dish with sauteéd lemons and garlic. This is an Italian chicken recipe you’ll want to add to your dinner rotation now.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • ½ cup flour
  • 3 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup regular chicken broth
  • 1 TB capers, drained
  • 1 TB salted butter
  • kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Optional garnish: freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Place chicken breasts on cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound to even thickness. Use paper towels to dab off excess moisture from chicken.
  • Sprinkle each piece of chicken with a thin layer of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Place flour in a shallow dish. Coat each piece of chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
  • In an extra large skillet, heat 2 TB olive oil over medium high heat until oil is hot. Add chicken to skillet (cook in batches if needed, to avoid overcrowding.) Cook for 2-3 minutes of each side or until no longer pink in center; don’t overcook. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a separate plate; keep warm.
  • Without cleaning the skillet out, add 1 TB olive oil to same skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add onion and garlic, stirring 1-2 min until fragrant. Add lemon juice and lemon slices, scraping pan if needed to loosen any browned bits. Cook until lemon slices are nicely browned. Add broth, capers and butter, stirring just until butter melts. Pour lemon mixture over chicken and serve. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.

Notes

  • Though piccata and capers go hand in hand, feel free to go light on the capers if your eaters (or you!) don’t like them. You can even omit them and still have a delicious dish.
  • This dish is fantastic served with this 15 Min Spaghetti Aglio e Olio or Garlic Rosemary Bread
  • If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ❤️ 

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.2g | Protein: 9.1g | Fat: 14.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 28.9mg | Sodium: 181.8mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 2.6g
Course: chicken, Dinner, Main
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Low Lactose
Method: Stovetop

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Recipe Rating




64 comments

    • Ann
    • 5 stars

    This was my first time making chicken piccata. Loved it! Will definitely make this recipe again! Thanks for the share!

      • Amy Dong

      You’re so welcome, Ann!

    • Cathleen
    • 5 stars

    I am always looking for new chicken recipes to add to my repertoire. This one is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

    • Luke Ratford
    • 5 stars

    Winner winner chicken dinner; this recipe was awesome; the family loved it 🙂
    Perfect amount of capers, garlic and lemon just giving that great kick.

      • Amy Dong

      Yay, so glad to hear that!

    • Burt
    • 5 stars

    I made it tonight, and my wife declared it a winner!

      • Amy Dong

      Awesome, thank you, Burt!

    • Laura
    • 5 stars

    This was delicious……does it freeze well

    • Laura
    • 5 stars

    This is now a family favourite….how well does it freeze? I would love to make it ahead for one of my easter dishes.

      • Amy Dong

      Thank you so much, Laura! You can freeze it airtight and reheat in oven 🙂

    • Eric
    • 5 stars

    This is unbelievably easy and super tasty. My whole family loves it!

    • Sarah White
    • 5 stars

    What a great dinner! The dish is quick, tasty, and a keeper. We loved it.

      • chewoutloud

      SO happy you guys loved it, Sarah!

    • Holly
    • 5 stars

    Love, love, love this recipe

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, Holly!

    • Debbie
    • 5 stars

    We adored this chicken piccata ! This is a new family favorite for sure , it was so flavorful. I loved the brine from the capers , it went so well with the garlic and freshness of the lemon. You are so right , this dish is going into our meal rotation,

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, Debbie! SO happy you guys loved it 🙂

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