The ultimate easy meal that will impress family or guests is this Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata! The chicken is lightly breaded and pan-fried resulting in tender, juicy chicken with a crisp coating and served with a creamy lemon caper sauce.
For busy families, 30-minute meals are lifesavers, but it’s an even bigger bonus when they seem fancy or impressive, like this Chinese Chow Mein, Mongolian Beef, and Hibachi Chicken.
We’re going for amazing homemade Italian here, and I can tell you right now that Chicken Piccata (pick-ah-tah) wil be a winner every time! If you’ve ever had it at a restaurant you may have had chicken or veal and it’s typically breaded, fried and served with a creamy sauce. It’s a popular recipe found at many Italian restaurants (sometimes called Chicken Limone) but it’s SO easy and yummy made at home. Serve it over mashed potatoes or angel hair pasta with roasted veggies on the side.
What I LOVE about Chicken Piccata:
- 30 minute meal
- Kid friendly. My kids LOVED this meal (capers and all!). They were literally licking their plates clean. And I’d dare to say it is just as delicious as the version at Brio, and very easy to make.
- Fancy but not fancy. This easy meal looks like you spent days in the kitchen but it comes together so fast!
How to Make Lemon Chicken Piccata:
1. Slice chicken Breasts. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally (“butterfly” cutting them) so that you’re left with 4 thin chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Dredge Chicken. In three separate bowls, prepare a beaten egg, flour, and breadcrumbs for dredging. Coat the chicken on both sides in the flour, then egg wash, and then breadcrumbs.
3. Pan fry. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside onto a plate.
4. Make sauce. To the same pan, add chicken broth, cream, juice from both lemons, and capers. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Allow the sauce to cook and bubble for about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to pan and coat with sauce.
5. Serve the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes or hot cooked pasta.
Serve with:
- Roasted Vegetables
- French Green Beans
- Side salad
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts
- Homemade Rolls
- Homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks
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Chicken Piccata
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 lemons
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup capers
- hot cooked pasta or mashed potatoes for serving
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally ("butterfly" cutting them) so that you're left with 4 thin chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper.
- Beat the egg in a shallow bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Add the flour to another shallow bowl, and the breadcrumbs to a third shallow bowl.
- Coat the chicken on both sides in the flour, then egg wash, and then breadcrumbs.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside onto a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add chicken broth, cream, juice from both lemons, and capers. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Allow the sauce to cook and bubble for about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to pan.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes or hot cooked pasta.
- Serve with a side of Roasted Vegetables, steamed broccoli or green beans.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
I originally shared this recipe December 2015. Updated February 2020 with process photos and instructions and a new video.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Joan says
So good!
LINDA OLIVER says
I crave lemon chicken Piccata as one of my comfort foods. Before making my usually recipe, I quickly googled “best chicken Piccata recipe, to check out finding a new twist. I choose this recipe because I have never made with cream.
I made this almost exact to the recipe with exception of using half & half instead of heavy whipping cream; because I did not have on hand. Nor did I have chicken breast, but had organic chicken tenders (I buy in multi=packs from Costco) and pounded to very thin. I use coarse black pepper & kosher salt. EXCELLENT Recipe! 5 STARS! Will try heavy whipping cream next time.
Debbie McCoy says
This tasted just like a dinner we had aat a 5 star restaurant! My husband said, This is his new favorite dish! I’m so glad I found your website! Thanks, Debbie
Katherine says
Loved! This recipe was so good!!! It would differently be a meal I would make for a family and friends.
I will agree with the other reviews that it was 5 star restaurant quality. I used Panko bread crumbs & fettuccine noodles.
Lysa Mathews says
I will make this again and again. This was so good I got seconds! Perfect!!
Angelina says
This recipe definitely deserves 5*s! I am however, somewhat of a ‘tweakier’, not b/c my family is fussy, but b/c “I’m” a fussy cook-as far as the ingredients I like to use when feeding my family tasty & (reasonably) healthy meals. I made this dish a while ago using Unbleached AP Flour, WW Panko Breadcrumbs (which I seasoned), & Half & Half. I also rinsed & blotted the Capers before adding them in, ’cause I’m careful about our daily sodium intake. Even with these tweaks, the dish was a huge hit with my family, and I don’t feel that they jeopardized the integrity of this dish. It was delicious, well received, & is going into my monthly rotation file.
Sarah says
I love this recipe and have made it maybe four times now. I pound out my chicken instead of butterflying because I find it easier (and a bit therapeutic after a day of work). After making it several times I got a little over confident and was just eye balling the amount of capers, pouring directly from the jar, and I don’t recommend that because I got ALL of the juice from the jar. Luckily we don’t mind the extra salty and capery taste – but unless you really want to lean into that, pour your capers into a separate container first.