Easy Skillet Chicken Piccata
Easy Skillet Chicken Piccata is a delectable entree that you can have on your plate in 30 minutes or less. Who doesn’t love that?
This Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe is simply chicken dredged in seasoned flour and cooked in a scrumptious lemon, butter, and caper sauce! Family-friendly, restaurant-worthy, and delicious!
Why You Must Make
- Chicken piccata is the dinner I make when I have absolutely nothing planned. There are always capers and lemons in the fridge, a bottle of dry vermouth in the liquor cabinet, and chicken in the freezer.
- It’s easy, elegant, and tasty; you can’t beat that!
- Besides pushing all the capers to the side of his plate, even the picky husband enjoys this lemon chicken recipe.
My weeknight dinners are typically quick and, of course, flavorful. I keep my days pretty busy, even hectic at times, so I like to have a repertoire of meals that go from stove to table in less than an hour. This recipe is ready even faster than that! This super easy skillet Chicken Piccata is always at the top of the list.
Recipe Tips
I first found this recipe in our local Junior League cookbook, Winners, but now I just wing it.
- Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag and gently pound them with a meat mallet.
- Dip flattened chicken breasts in another Ziploc bag in which you place the seasoned flour. Using seasoned flour provides better flavor than just salting the chicken after it’s been cooked.
- I like using Wondra Flour made by Gold Medal to coat the chicken. It’s a granular flour and makes a nice crust. Find it near the regular flour in the baking aisle. It’s in a blue can.
- PRO-Tip: Sautéd in the combination of butter and olive oil provides flavor (butter) and an increased smoke point (olive oil).
- PRO-Tip: The last step is to deglaze the pan with white wine and lemon juice. This helps bring up the “fond” or crusty bits at the bottom or the pan which adds even more flavor. Plus, alcohol is a flavor enhancer, just like salt.
- If you’re concerned about adding wine, most of the alcohol will burn off during the cooking process. Feel free to leave out the alcohol if that’s your preference. Use chicken broth instead.
- Adding capers is up to you, but you should try them at least once! The pickled, salty berries are a delicious contribution to any piccata!
I hope you will add this to your weekday dinner repertoire. From start to finish, this lemon chicken piccata can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.
PS…no, Bill does not eat the capers. I don’t think the kids do either. More for me.
Frequently Asked Questions
Piccata is the Italian term for veal escalope, a classic dish made with seasoned and floured escalope that’s sauteed and served with a sauce made of pan drippings, lemon juice, and parsley. Chicken can be used instead of veal.
Note: Escalope is a French term for a very thin or flattened slice of meat or fish.
Any dish served “piccata” style is made with a lemon, butter, and caper sauce. Often a bit of white wine is used to deglaze the pan.
Typically made with a thin or pounded piece of meat like chicken, pork, or fish, but even vegetables can be made with a piccata sauce. The word piccata in French translates to piquant or a pleasantly sharp or appetizing flavor.
This easy chicken piccata is dusted in flour before frying to create a slight crust. Breading is usually a heavier crust made of bread crumbs, cracker crumbs or even nuts.
My dinner menus always have a protein source, vegetable, and starch. With this chicken piccata, I like to serve a simple vegetable like a roasted medley, roasted asparagus, carrots, or green beans. A green salad is a nice addition as well.
Garlic Bread or a Rice Casserole are also tasty side dish options. Mashed, Hasselback or roasted potatoes are nice additions, too. Keep the colors of your selections in mind and aim for a colorful vegetable to bring life to your plate.
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Easy Skillet Chicken Piccata Recipe
An scrumptious dinner that can be on the table in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded with meat mallet to flatten to an even thickness
- ½ cup flour (use All-purpose or Wondra* flour)
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 2-4 tablespoons butter
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup dry white wine (I use vermouth if I don't have a bottle of open white wine)
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- Minced fresh parsley to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large saute pan.
- Mix flour and seasoning salt in a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken breast and shake to coat the chicken in flour. Shake off excess, then place chicken into the hot pan.
- Repeat with the rest of the chicken and cook each till golden brown on each side and cooked through. Add more butter and olive oil if needed. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add wine to the hot pan and scrape up the drippings. Add lemon juice and reduce the liquid by half.
- Return chicken to pan and coat in juices. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with capers and parsley.
Notes
I used large capers in the photos, but use small capers when I make this piccata for my family. The larger ones are a pretty garnish if serving to company.
*Wondra Flour is a granulated flour made by Gold Medal. It's great for coating fish, chicken, etc. before sauteing.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
! chicken breastAmount Per Serving: Calories: 458Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 475mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 44g
47 Comments on “Easy Skillet Chicken Piccata”
This piccata is a great weeknight dinner! My family loved every delicious bite!
I love easy, flavorful dishes like this!
Lizzy,
I’d have to pick out the capers too. The vermouth is a great choice for the recipe. This looks like a delicious entree.
Annamaria
One of those meals that you can make in a flash . Simple yet scrumptious !
This looks like a perfect weeknight meal. And I’m pretty sure I’d be the only one eating capers here, too.
I love the flavors of this chicken… just need a fork now. 🙂
Chicken Piccata is one of my kids’ favorites, but of course the boys pick out the capers. Alexandra and I always end up eating them all. Your’s looks absolutely delicious!
I hate to sound like a broken record, but truthfully, honestly, pinky-promise: you had me at ‘piccata’! Such a classic and I’m with you on the capers . . . more for us, huh? Sadly, my husband Bill, devours them faster than I do! Great job Liz!!!! YUMMO!
This chicken dish looks lovely! Easy and delicious is perfect for those busy weekday nights–and every other night really!
I adore capers and can just imagine how flavorful this chicken dish sounds paired with the wine and lemon. Sounds fantastic!
Liz you are always seem to have some of my favorite recipes! I love Chicken Piccata, the combination of the capers with lemon is so lovely and it’s so easy to make! Have a wonderful week Liz.
This chicken piccata looks delicious and I like because it is so easy to make…indeed great for a weekday dinner.
Thanks for the recipe Liz and hope you are having a fun week 😀
Sounds good to me!
Chicken (veal too) Piccata is a favorite of mine! Thanks for sharing!
Ryan loves capers and I’m always looking for a new, easy recipe! Even more so now that we have the baby. Thank you for sharing Liz…and for your sweet words on my blog. They mean so much!
looks delicious- actually i would go a step further and say Belleicious! LOL! Seriously, a great and comforting chicken dish with TONS OF FLAVOR!
I love chicken Lizzy look amazing!!!
One of my favorites too Liz, that I too often forget about! With chicken in the fridge I’m most grateful for the reminder!
Love this preparation as I’m looking for some easy dinners coming back from my holiday 🙂 Will be trying it this week 🙂
Liz, the line up sounds so healthy and delicious. This looks so moist and well plated for a perfect weekday dinner.
Lizzy, I’ve been away from my computer all weekend long…just catching up with comments and as I opened up your blog…I said ‘wow’…seriously? Chicken Piccata is what I made for dinner last evening for my best friend here, locally for her birthday…coming up in a few days. This is what she requests every year! I make mine with white wine, but white vermouth works really well, which I have often used in the past.
Great choice for a Sunday, supper…delicious! xoxo
I had to smile when I read this post. This is my go to meal as well as I always have all the ingredients. 🙂
I’ve eaten this at a restaurant but I’ve never made it. I must try it. First I’m going to make a chicken breast with a pistachio and gorgonzola sauce. THEN I’ll try this. I’ve had my heart set on the pistachio dish for a week. John keeps saying, “Can we put that off and have….?” Tomorrow is the day.
This looks awesome, this is one of those classic dishes that just never get old 🙂
Perfect week night meal, I love capers too.
Well no capering about, you’ve given us a great idea with the capers, Liz. I’m looking around for simple, tasty dishes that my girls can make in the holidays since I can’t cook much right now with a back out. This is fabulous! Merci xo
I didn’t think Bill would like the capers! Years ago I made my husband a pasta and it had capers in it. He hated it. Had never had capers before. But…fast forward a few decades and he loves capers! I’m so thrilled because I love them xx
I always order this but have never made it. I heart capers! This is dinner one day this week!
Liz, Admittedly I haven’t made a chicken piccata in years. Now that the kids’ palates are growing up perhaps I might spring this on the table soon. Thank you for reminding me that simplicity is minutes away.
I too love capers!! Fried capers taste great too.
Your chicken piccata looks succulent and yum, Liz.
Quick ‘n easy yet elegant and accented with Vermouth. Perfect supper…And then if there are leftovers, I imagine the chicken makes yummy sandwich meat =)
It is looking great although without capers, which I love a lot.
Looks simple but perfect 🙂
Dear friend Liz
This recipe goes to my list of quick and delicious meals, sure to be cooked many times because I like all the ingredients and loved the end result.
As always, your suggestions are brilliant!
kisses
Before I remembered that I was actually supposed to post a Weekday Supper tomorrow, I was going to post chicken piccata. It is one of my favorite dishes. I’ll take Bill’s capers. I always triple up on them for my plate.
They don’t eat the capers? How can they not eat the capers? I love capers…nd this is one of my favorite chicken recipes, too. Do it with fish also.
In love with your warm, cozy photos 🙂
Loved that simple yet beautiful chicken recipe. (And you have one more follower) 🙂
Can’t believe that Bill doesn’t like capers! That is one of our favorite ingredients!! We love the salty briny taste! Adds so much flavor!
Pork Piccata is one of my fave dishes, but I’ve yet to try Chix. Bet it tastes great too, Liz!
I love chicken with white wine and lemon – always so satisfying!
Save some capers for me! I can eat ’em by the spoonful!
This is one recipe I’ll be making soon. And my husband doesn’t eat capers either. I’m with you – more for me to enjoy.
Simple and tasty is always best on a week night. I should add this to my repertoire too.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is one of those meals I know I’d love but still haven’t made… Gotta get on that!:@)
My favourite way of enjoying chicken breast! The lemon makes it so succulent and tender. Yum.
I just ate recently but I’m hungry again now. And for some reason, I want chicken.
Great looking basically delicious recipe! We love capers. This could be on the menu this week. Thanks Liz.