This is the BEST Chicken Piccata with tenderly fried chicken breasts sauteed in a lemon wine caper sauce for delicious flavor and the most enticing texture. You'll love this dish served over rice or pasta, plus it's easy to make in under an hour!
If you love this chicken piccata sauce you may like our Creamy Lemon Sauce or The Ultimate Guide to Marinara Sauce!
Jump to:
Chicken Piccata or Chicken Francese
Which do you prefer? Chicken Piccata or Francese? They are both delicious don't get me wrong. Chicken Francese is a little thicker and our Restaurant-Style Chicken Francese is really delicious but I find chicken piccata to be on the lighter side with a more delicate chicken.
Chicken francese is dredged in flounder and then dipped in egg and fried which makes for a thicker coating on the chicken while our piccata is only dredged in one layer of flour. It also has the capers which are more aligned with a piccata but can be added to francese as well.
Overall, these are very similar dishes, both flavorful and worth making. I prefer piccata because it is a little less messy than the francese because there is no egg involved.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken Breast. Always inspect your chicken breast when purchasing. Look to see if the chicken looks like it is peeling apart or poorly colored. You could substitute well-tenderized boneless chicken thighs here if you wanted.
- Shallot. Substitute finely minced onion if you like but the delicate flavor of shallot is definitely preferred.
- White wine. I prefer a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio for cooking. You can substitute equal parts chicken broth if necessary.
- Capers. You can leave out the capers if you don't like them, but to be honest they make the dish. It wouldn't be chicken piccata without capers. It would just be a Chicken Breast in Lemon Butter Sauce.
- Garlic. Finely minced garlic for a bit more flavor with the shallot is perfect for this dish.
- Lemon. Don't substitute lemon concentrate or artificial lemon flavor. It won't have the same effect. The natural sugars in the lemon help to thicken and intensify the flavor of the sauce.
*Please see more information about the ingredients in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
A great recipe that can be made in under an hour! Chicken piccata is a perfect weeknight meal.
Step 1: Butterfly the chicken breast and tenderize. Then season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Pour 1 cup of flour onto a plate and dredge the chicken through the flour until completely covered. Set on a separate plate.
Step 3: Add half the olive oil to a saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown or the chicken reaches 165 ℉.
Step 4: Do this in batches and set the chicken aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Add more olive oil when necessary.
Step 5: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped shallot and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Step 6: Then stir in the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Step 7: Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the capers to the sauce. Allow the lemon juice to simmer until it begins to thicken.
Step 8: Pour in the white wine, raise the heat to medium, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the brown bits left behind from frying the chicken.
Step 9: Add the butter to the sauce and stir until combined.
Step 10: Lower the heat to low. Return the chicken to the pan, flipping the chicken and coating it in the sauce.
Step 11: Top with basil and fresh lemon and serve! Chicken piccata is delicious over rice or pasta. This sauce is perfect for angel hair pasta or pairs perfectly with Lemon Spinach Orzo.
Pro-Tips
- Don't flour the chicken too far in advance. The chicken will soak it up and stick to the pan.
- Fry the chicken in batches and make sure there is plenty of oil with each batch.
- It's okay if some burnt brown bits are left behind in the pan while frying. This will flavor the sauce.
- Simmer the capers and lemon together until the lemon thickens to get the most intense lemon flavor added to the wine sauce.
- Only add the butter to the sauce when the heat is lowered. This way the sauce and butter emulsify and don't become separated.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken piccata is typically made from chicken dredged in flour fried and then tossed in a lemon, wine, and butter sauce with capers and basil or parsley. It's usually served with a rice pilaf or angel hair pasta.
Chicken piccata is made with lemon, white wine, and capers and has a bright and tangy flavor while Chicken Marsala is made with mushrooms and marsala wine and typically has a more savory or umami flavor. Marsala is a brown sauce while piccata is closer to a yellow sauce.
Your chicken piccata is bitter because you probably didn't simmer the white wine for long enough or you added the lemon before the garlic finished sauteing.
It's best not to. You're making chicken piccata and one of the only things that separates it from other lemon sauces is the capers. That being said, it's your dinner, make it however you want.
What to Serve with Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is a great main dish that can be served with so many delicious sides.
- Vegetables. You'll need some greens with this one so serve it with the BEST Garlic Parmesan Green Beans, Sauteed Rapini with Garlic, or Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan).
- Starch. You can serve it over rice, angel hair pasta, or Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes, but if you want to level up the pasta serve it with a side of Lemon Pasta with Spinach or Artichoke Pesto Pasta
- Salad. You could definitely serve it with a caesar salad with Traditional Caesar Dressing and Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons.
More Classic Italian Chicken Dishes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
The BEST Chicken Piccata
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large plate
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breast, butterflied
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoon capers
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon basil, julienned
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breast and tenderize it. Then season with salt and pepper. Pour 1 cup of flour onto a plate and dredge the chicken through the flour until completely covered. Set on a separate plate.
- Add half the olive oil to a saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches 165 ℉. Do this in batches and set the chicken aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Add more olive oil when necessary.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped shallot and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the capers to the sauce. Allow the lemon juice to simmer until it begins to thicken. Then pour in the white wine, raise the heat to medium, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the brown bits left behind from frying the chicken.
- Lower the heat to low, add the butter to the sauce, and stir until combined. Return the chicken to the pan, flipping the chicken and coating it in the sauce. Top with basil to serve.
Notes
- Don't flour the chicken too far in advance. The chicken will soak it up and stick to the pan.
- Fry the chicken in batches and make sure there is plenty of oil with each batch.
- It's okay if some burnt brown bits are left behind in the pan while frying. This will flavor the sauce.
- Simmer the capers and lemon together until the lemon thickens to get the most intense lemon flavor added to the wine sauce.
- Only add the butter to the sauce when the heat is lowered. This way the sauce and butter emulsify and don't become separated.
Vinny
Such a family favorite. This dish is so bright and delicious! Please leave a review below!