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    Recipes » Recipes

    Lemon Chicken Piccata

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jul 24, 2020 · Modified: Feb 25, 2021 by Dee

    Lemon Chicken Piccata made with pan fried chicken breasts in a tangy creamy sauce with capers is a quick and easy dinner you can make at home in minutes! via @meamel

    Lemon Chicken Piccata made with pan fried chicken breasts in a tangy creamy sauce with capers is a quick and easy dinner you can make at home in minutes!

    Jump to Recipe -
    chicken piccata in cream sauce with lemon slices in a skillet

    Why go out to eat when you can make this restaurant quality chicken piccata recipe at home? No joke. This chicken dinner is super easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make!

    I used to make this simple chicken recipe way back when, before the kiddos came along. It's definitely on the tangy side, and I didn't think my picky eaters would go for it.

    Now that they're older, I decided to try it on them. Guess what? They loved it, and we've had it twice in the last week!

    Here's what you'll need to make it:

    • Small, thin chicken breasts or larger ones cut in half
    • Salt, pepper and garlic
    • Flour
    • Butter
    • Olive oil
    • White wine or chicken broth
    • Lemons
    • Cream
    • Capers

    How to Make Chicken Piccata in Cream Sauce

    pan fried lemon chicken breasts in lemon cream sauce with capers in skillet

    First, you'll need to pound the chicken breasts until they're about ¼ inch thick. Just put them between wax paper or into large freezer bags and use the flat side of a mallet or a rolling pin.

    Then, season the chicken, and dredge it with flour. Pan fry the chicken breasts on both sides until they're golden brown, and remove from the pan while you make the sauce.

    Next, deglaze the pan with white wine, or use chicken broth if you don't want to use wine. Add lemon juice, cream and capers and put the chicken back into the sauce.

    chicken piccata with lemon cream sauce and capers in a skillet

    The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce and should be 165 degrees internally for safety. You can spoon the tangy, creamy sauce over the chicken before serving or let people add their own sauce.

    I highly recommend tasting the sauce before serving. You can add more cream or use chicken broth to help balance the flavors if you think it's too tangy.

    What to Serve with the Chicken

    We like to serve chicken piccata over egg noodles or pasta. I usually make pasta in my Instant Pot since my pan takes up a lot of space on the stove.

    If you don't want pasta, you can serve the chicken over rice or mashed potatoes. All equally good!

    overhead photo of chicken in lemon cream sauce with capers in skillet

    Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe

    chicken piccata in cream sauce with lemon slices in a skillet

    Lemon Chicken Piccata

    Published by Dee
    Lemon Chicken Piccata made with pan fried chicken breasts in a tangy creamy sauce with capers is a quick and easy dinner you can make at home in minutes!
    5 from 6 votes
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    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4
    Calories 386 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 small chicken breasts about 2 pounds total
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ½ cup all purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • ½ cup white wine I used Pino Grigio
    • 1 small lemon juice of, about ¼ cup
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • 2 tablespoons capers drained

    Instructions
     

    • Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper or into a gallon size freezer bag, and pound with the flat side of a mallet or rolling pin until they're about ¼ inch thick
    • Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder
    • Dredge chicken in flour, and shake off excess flour.
    • Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet, and add chicken breasts
    • Cook until brown on one side, then flip over and cook until brown on both sides. About 8 minutes, total. You may have to reduce heat or add more oil or butter if it starts to get too brown or dry.
    • Remove chicken to a platter and cover to keep warm
    • Pour wine or broth in the pan, and deglaze and scrape up browned bits with a flat spatula or wooden spoon
    • Add lemon juice, allow to simmer slightly, then stir in heavy cream, and mix until blended.
    • Lower heat, add capers, then add chicken back to sauce and cook until sauce is thick and chicken is 165, according to meat thermometer

    Notes

    You can use chicken broth instead of wine or in addition to wine if you want a thinner sauce.
    To make cooking process go faster, have all ingredients measured out and have everything set in place before you start cooking.
    Taste sauce before serving for additional seasoning or to add more butter, cream or broth if sauce is too tangy.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 386kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 27gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 591mgPotassium: 513mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 427IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    More Easy Chicken Recipes to Try

    • Instant Pot Cranberry Chicken
    • Skillet Apricot Chicken
    • Instant Pot Apricot Chicken
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. James says

      August 08, 2020 at 10:50 am

      Made this twice since this came out! A new family favorite.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        August 09, 2020 at 8:04 pm

        Thanks, James! I'm glad you liked the chicken piccata!

    2. Beti says

      July 28, 2020 at 10:18 am

      My family would really enjoy this!! It looks SO GOOD!5 stars

      Reply
    3. katerina says

      July 28, 2020 at 10:18 am

      YUM! This looks incredibly delicious!!5 stars

      Reply
    4. Toni says

      July 28, 2020 at 6:18 am

      Love this for weeknights! Such a delicious and easy to make meal!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 28, 2020 at 1:29 pm

        It really is easy. Thanks so much, Toni!

    5. Erin says

      July 27, 2020 at 6:41 pm

      This Lemon Chicken Piccata looks incredibly delicious!5 stars

      Reply
    6. Dorothy Reinhold says

      July 27, 2020 at 5:59 pm

      We LOVED this recipe. This will be going in our regular rotation.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 28, 2020 at 1:27 pm

        Thank you so much, Dorothy! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

    7. Allyson Zea says

      July 27, 2020 at 5:50 pm

      Oh this turned out so fabulous! Thank you for the easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 28, 2020 at 1:25 pm

        Awesome, Allyson! Thank you so much!

    8. Beth says

      July 27, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      This looks so delicious! My family is going to love this recipe! Can't wait to make this!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 27, 2020 at 3:09 pm

        Thanks so much, Beth. I hope you enjoy it!

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

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