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    Home » MAINS » MEAT & POULTRY

    Classic Chicken Piccata with Parsley and Capers

    Published: June 13, 2022 · Updated: November 21, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    If you think that chicken is one of the most boring things to have for dinner, you are in for a surprise! Bursting with zesty lemon, sharp capers and the silky butter sauce, Classic Chicken Piccata with Parsley and Capers is the answer to your cravings for flavour! A one-pan dish that is inexpensive to make, quick enough for a weeknight dinner and goes equally well with rice, potatoes or a simple green salad, this is our go-to recipe when our tastebuds are in need of a good old Italian feast!

    Take Me To:
    • Inspired By Friends
    • What is Chicken Piccata?
    • What Ingredients Will You Need?
    • Is Chicken Piccata Breaded?
    • Chicken Piccata With or Without Wine?
    • Tips for the Best Lemon Caper Sauce:
    • How to Make Classic Chicken Piccata?
    • What To Serve Chicken Piccata With?
    • Other Chicken Dinner Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Inspired By Friends

    Wildly popular across the US, Chicken Piccata is one of those dishes that we have been having for years without knowing that it is actually an Italian classic. As a matter of fact, we have been referring to this meal as Chicken with Caper butter and, silly me, I always thought it was my own creation! Little did I know, that Chicken Piccata is almost exactly what we eat at least once a month!

    What inspired me to share this recipe with you was… well… the best sitcom of all times – FRIENDS!

    Rachel: “Why don’t you wanna see Janice?”

    Chandler: “Okay, last night at dinner, when the meals came, she put half her chicken piccata on my plate and took my tomatoes.”

    Classic Chicken Piccata in a stainless steel pan held by a striped oven glove.

    What is Chicken Piccata?

    Piccata is an Italian dish, that is originally made with veal. However, a version of it, using chicken has become a more popular dish enjoyed around the world. Meat or poultry cutlets are traditionally covered with flour, fried in a pan and then covers in a lemony stock-based sauce. Variations of the sauce often include capers, fresh herbs and white wine. And if you don’t like capers, why not try our Chicken Limone, also known as Pollo Al Limone.

    What Ingredients Will You Need?

    All ingredinets for the Classic Chicken piccata on a chopping board labelled.

    Is Chicken Piccata Breaded?

    Chicken Piccata with a wildly popular dish and, just like with everything else, there are numerous versions of the recipe. I have seen and tried, recipes that use breaded chicken. However, I recommend simply rolling your chicken in seasoned flour only, and here’s why.

    Crispy breadcrumb coating on a chicken is a wonderful thing, but the beauty of the chicken piccata is covering the chicken breasts in a lemony sauce. Once you’ve done that, your breaded chicken will start going soggy and lose all the crispy exterior. We suggest sticking to a simple flour coating, that helps keep the chicken moist whilst frying, as well as thickens the sauce.

    Chicken Piccata With or Without Wine?

    We hardly ever use wine in this Classic Chicken Piccata recipe, because the lemon juice and capers add so much flavour that this recipe doesn’t leave anything to be desired. BUT… If you have some leftover dry white wine, it is a wonderful addition to the sauce.

    What we suggest doing is replacing half of the stock with dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pecorino, and the cooking as per the recipe method.

    Chicken with lemon and capers is served with rice and asparagus on a blue plate.

    Tips for the Best Lemon Caper Sauce:

    • Chop the onion and garlic very finely: the sauce for Classic Chicken Piccata should not be chunky. If you chop (or ever mince) onion and garlic very finely, they will almost disintegrate whilst cooking and create a silky smooth sauce.
    • Use small capers. Capers are bursting with sharp vinegary flavour, so you ideally want to use small little pearls that make into each bite and not overpower other flavours. Our favourite varieties of capers are surfines and capucines.
    • Use unwaxed lemons, and add the zest at the end of cooking, otherwise, your sauce will be overly bitter.

    How to Make Classic Chicken Piccata?

    Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, so that you have two thin flat pieces.

    Mix the flour with a generous pinch of salt and pepper on a large plate. Roll the chicken pieces in flour to cover.

    Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken (you may need to work in batches) and cook for 3-4 minutes (depending on the thickness) on each side until cooked through. Place the cooked chicken on a plate, cover and set aside whilst you make the lemon caper sauce.

    Add the finely chopped onion to the pan used for chicken and fry on low heat for 4-5 minutes, until softened, but not browned (add a drop of oil if needed). Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

    Pour in the hot stock, increase the heat and let it bubble for 5 minutes until reduced by about half.

    Reduce the heat to low again and add the butter, capers, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Wait for the butter to melt, then add the cooked chicken to the sauce cover for the chicken to warm up for a minute. Stir in the lemon zest.

    Scatter the parsley all over and garnish with lemon slices!

    What To Serve Chicken Piccata With?

    We think that this Italian Classic goes equally well with white rice, couscous and mashed potatoes! As for some vegetable sides, we recommend serving Classic Chicken Piccata with:

    • Lemon and Garlic Tenderstem Broccoli
    • Sauteed Spring Greens With Lemon & Thyme

    Other Chicken Dinner Recipes

    Looking for other ways to turn chicken breasts into a fantastic meal? We have you covered. Some of our most cherished chicken recipes are below:

    • Quick & Easy Honey Chicken
    • Panko Chicken (Baked)
    • Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry
    • Poutine with Chicken and Garlicky Greens

    Recipe Card

    Chicken with lemon, caper and parsley butter sauce in a large steel pan.

    Classic Chicken Piccata with Parsley and Capers

    If you think that chicken is one of the most boring things to have for dinner, you are in for a surprise! Bursting with zesty lemon, sharp capers and the silky butter sauce, Chicken Piccata with Parsley and Capers is the answer to your cravings for flavour! A one-pan dish that is inexpensive to make, quick enough for a weeknight dinner and goes equally well with rice, potatoes or a simple green salad, this is our go-to recipe when our tastebuds are in need of a good old Italian feast!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 2 portions
    Calories 589 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 chicken breasts approx. 350g
    • 100 g plain flour
    • 60 g unsalted butter
    • 2 tablespoon oil
    • 1 small brown onion
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 100 ml chicken stock hot
    • 1 lemon
    • 35 g capers
    • 10 g parsley finely chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, so than you have two thin flat pieces.
    • Mix the flour with a generous pinch of salt and pepper on a large plate. Roll the chicken pieces in flour to cover.
    • Heat oil in a large non-stick flying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken (you may need to work in batches) and cook 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness on each side until cooked through. Place the cooked chicken on a plate, cover and set aside whilst you make the lemon caper sauce.
    • Add the finely chopped onion to the pan used for chicken and fry on low heat for 4-5 minutes, until softened, but not browned (add a drop of oil if needed). Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
    • Pour in the hot stock, increase the heat and let it bubble for 5 minutes until reduced by about half.
    • Reduce the heat to low again and add the butter, capers, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Wait for the butter to melt, then add the cooked chicken to the sauce cover for the chicken to warm up for a minute. Stir in the lemon zest.
    • Scatter the parsley all over and garnish with lemon slices. We love Chicken Piccata with rice or creamy mashed potato.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 54gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 200mgSodium: 565mgPotassium: 1113mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1139IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mirlene

      June 14, 2022 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      My family loved this chicken piccata! Made this the other night and nothing was left! Going to make this again next week.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 14, 2022 at 8:56 pm

        Mirlene, thanks so much for the feedback – it’s the best compliment to know you will make it again!

        Reply
    2. Joyce

      June 16, 2022 at 5:44 pm

      5 stars
      My husband and I loved this! There was so much flavor! We are definitely making this again, thank you so much for sharing!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 17, 2022 at 7:55 am

        You are most welcome! So glad you both liked it 🙂

        Reply
    3. Cam

      June 30, 2022 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      This chicken piccata is incredible! The butter sauce is so silky and there was so much flavor overall in the dish.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 01, 2022 at 7:53 am

        Thanks, Cam! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Michelle

      July 05, 2022 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      Gorgeous take on a classic! We love this recipe and would definitely make again

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 05, 2022 at 3:08 pm

        Thanks, Michelle! 🧡

        Reply
    5. Gina Abernathy

      July 30, 2022 at 11:44 am

      5 stars
      Love this dish so much. It’s easy and also full of flavor. Nice for a weeknight but also fancy enough for company.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 30, 2022 at 5:08 pm

        Thanks, Gina! Glad you like it 🙂

        Reply
    6. Natalie

      August 14, 2022 at 6:46 pm

      5 stars
      Having kids that love chicken makes me always search for new varieties of it. And I must say we fell in love with your chicken piccata, thanks!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        August 15, 2022 at 6:07 am

        It’s so great that your kids are adventurous and keen to try different recipes 🙂

        Reply
    7. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      August 22, 2022 at 5:42 pm

      5 stars
      This meal is a real treat. I love the salty tang of the capers and the fried chicken breast. Such a tasty combination – thank you.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        August 22, 2022 at 9:47 pm

        Thanks, Amanda! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Eric

      September 12, 2022 at 10:47 am

      Cooked this meal on Friday. The nuances and combination of flavours together with smoothness of sauce make it winner. Don’t know why we waited so long to cook this. So so good.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 13, 2022 at 7:51 am

        Thanks so much for trying our recipe and taking the time to leave such kind feedback! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Jovita

      September 18, 2022 at 9:38 pm

      5 stars
      My family ate every last bite. So delicious and juicy. Loved the addition of capers!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 19, 2022 at 5:06 am

        We love capers! So glad you did too! 🙂

        Reply

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    A photo of Ieva lookinf at Seb, both smiling.

    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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