This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
Instead of making Chicken Piccata with just a dusting of flour, I reimagined it with a crunchy panko-crusted coating instead. I’m a classically-trained chef, and I had a vision for something like crispy Chicken Parmesan but with a buttery-caper-lemon sauce instead of the marinara. And the crowd goes wild – people are raving in the comments! All my culinary school training paid off when I converted this recipe to its best possible version, and I know you’ll love it too.
Serve the breaded chicken piccata with a buttery, briny lemon-caper sauce and your favorite side dish. Choose something that can play a supporting role well such as buttered pasta, angel hair pasta, mashed potatoes, or lemon rice pilaf, and don’t forget extra lemon wedges for even more fresh flavor.
This easy weeknight dinner is ready in 30 minutes or less, or faster if you have time to bread the chicken earlier in the day. With meals like these, who needs takeout?
Table of Contents
Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Chicken breast cutlets: Most grocery stores stock chicken cutlets, but if you can’t find them, set the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Working with one breast at a time, place your palm on top of the breast and slice it in half horizontally, cutting all the way through. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Bread crumbs: Panko bread crumbs, also known as Japanese bread crumbs, keep breaded and fried foods extra crispy. You can also substitute fresh bread crumbs you grind yourself.
- Lemons: Zest your lemon before you cut it in half for juice. On average, one lemon has 2 tablespoons of juice in it, so plan on using 2 to 3 lemons for this recipe.
- White wine: Dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, works best. You can use chicken broth, too.
- Capers: Pickled capers add briny character to this recipe that’s hard to replicate with anything else.
What is the best meat tenderizer?
To get your chicken super flat and tender for cooking, I love using the Oxo Steel Meat Tenderizer! It’s my top choice in my roundup of the best meat tenderizers and the one I personally use for cooking and in my test kitchen. You can get it for $16.80 at Amazon.
How to make Chicken Piccata
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Top with a wire rack coated with nonstick spray or olive oil. Cover a cutting board completely with a piece of plastic wrap. Arrange chicken cutlets in a single layer on the plastic wrap-covered cutting board. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, about 1/4-inch. Remove top layer of plastic wrap and season breasts with salt and pepper.
- In a shallow dish, add flour. In a second shallow dish, add eggs and beat lightly. In a third shallow dish, combine panko, grated Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine. Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge in flour and shake off excess. Dip in eggs and tap gently on side of dish to remove excess. Add to panko mixture and press gently until crumbs adhere. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Line rimmed baking sheet or large plate with 3 layers of paper towels. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil until just smoking, about 400 degrees (this can take a few minutes). Add 2 cutlets and fry until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain cutlets well on a paper towel-lined plate and transfer them to a prepared wire rack in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 cutlets.
- To make the sauce, wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter until foaming. Add lemon juice, white wine, and reserved lemon slices. Simmer over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Off heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to a serving bowl and spoon over the sauce, serving with lemon slices and fresh parsley.
Chicken Piccata Recipe Tips & Variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 cutlets, 4 ounces each, and enough lemon-caper sauce for all.
- Make ahead: The cutlets can be pounded out, breaded, and stored covered in the refrigerator one day in advance. Unfortunately, they cannot easily be frozen and then reheated in a pan or oven.
- Chicken thighs: You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breast. Just pound them out in a similar fashion.
- Chicken Milanese: Breaded chicken cutlets (the same as Piccata) but served with a fresh arugula salad instead of the lemon butter sauce.
How to store Lemon Piccata Chicken
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, on the stove, or in a toaster oven.
Can you freeze chicken piccata?
Uncooked piccata cutlets do not freeze well, so I suggest you precook them if you want to freeze them. Then label, date, and freeze the fully-cooked cutlets for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat to 165 degrees in the oven.
Best Chicken Piccata Recipe FAQs
Piccata translates as “larded,” but it seems to be translated from the French word “pique” which means “sharp.” In this way, piccata is used to describe food that is prepared with lemons and capers which have a sharp flavor.
At most restaurants, chicken piccata is served with long, thin pasta such as Angel hair pasta, Fettuccine, or Linguini. You can serve it with any pasta you want including butter noodles, or try lemon rice pilaf or plain cooked rice. It’s also so good with mashed potatoes!
Piccata sauce is made with butter, fresh lemon juice, white wine (or chicken broth), and capers.
The cutlets can be pounded out, breaded, and stored covered in the refrigerator one day in advance. You can cook the cutlets ahead of time, too (technically up to 3 days in advance), but they taste the best when they are cooked the same day you are going to enjoy them.
Chicken Piccata Side Dishes
Vegetable Recipes
Roasted Broccoli
Italian Recipes
Garlic Bread
Vegetable Recipes
Roasted Root Vegetables
Salad Recipes
Caesar Salad
Join Us
Lemon Piccata Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 16 ounces chicken breast cutlets (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- lemon zest from 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon (see note 3)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons), slice and reserve lemon halves for serving (see note 3)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth (see note 4)
- 1 tablespoon capers (see note 5)
- fresh parsley minced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Top with a wire rack coated with nonstick spray or olive oil.
- Cover a cutting board completely with a piece of plastic wrap. Arrange chicken cutlets in a single layer on the plastic wrap-covered cutting board. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/4-inch. Remove top layer of plastic wrap and season breasts with salt and pepper.
- In a shallow dish, add flour. In a second shallow dish, add eggs and beat lightly. In a third shallow dish, combine panko, grated Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
- Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge in flour and shake off excess. Dip in eggs and tap gently on side of dish to remove excess. Add to panko mixture and press gently until crumbs adhere. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with remaining cutlets (cutlets can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours).
- Line rimmed baking sheet or large plate with 3 layers of paper towels. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil until just smoking, about 400 degrees (this can take a few minutes). Add 2 cutlets and fry until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- Drain cutlets well on paper towel-lined plate and transfer to prepared wire rack in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 cutlets.
To make the sauce:
- Wipe out pan with dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter until foaming. Add lemon juice, white wine, and reserved lemon slices. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Off heat, swirl in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce, lemon slices, and fresh parsley.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken breast cutlets: Most grocery stores stock chicken cutlets, but if you can’t find them, set the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Working with one breast at a time, place your palm on top of the breast and slice it in half horizontally, cutting all the way through. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Bread crumbs: Panko bread crumbs, also known as Japanese bread crumbs, keep breaded and fried foods extra crispy. You can also substitute fresh bread crumbs you grind yourself.
- Lemons: Zest your lemon before you cut it in half for juice. On average, one lemon has 2 tablespoons of juice in it, so plan on using 2-3 lemons for this recipe.
- White wine: Dry white wine, like a pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, works best. You can use chicken broth, too.
- Capers: Pickled capers adds briny character to this recipe that’s hard to replicate with anything else.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 cutlets, 4 ounces each, and enough lemon-caper sauce for all.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This was so delicious. Served with a little plain bowtie pasta, and roasted mixed vegetables and Sauvignon blanc! I did cut down on the flour and the vegetable oil and the recipe did not suffer. Will definitely make again. thank you.
You’re welcome, Susan! Take care! – Meggan
I paired this with your lemon rice pilaf. My husband raved about it! Thanks for a delicious dinner!
Yum! I also love the pairing of the lemon rice pilaf with the piccata! Thanks for trying it! I’m so glad you liked it! -Meggan