Creamy Chicken Piccata (Printable)

Tender chicken breasts cooked in a tangy lemon and caper sauce with creamy richness.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, approximately 1.3 lbs
02 - ½ teaspoon salt
03 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
04 - ½ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
05 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Sauce

07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
09 - ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - ½ cup heavy cream
11 - ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
12 - 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
14 - Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

# Method:

01 - Place chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper and pound to an even ½-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
02 - Coat the chicken breasts in all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess.
03 - Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and loosely cover with foil.
04 - In the same skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
05 - Pour in white wine or chicken broth, scraping the skillet to loosen browned bits. Simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
06 - Add chicken broth, heavy cream, and lemon juice to the skillet. Stir and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
07 - Stir in rinsed capers. Return chicken breasts to the skillet, spoon sauce over them, and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
08 - Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the chicken. Serve immediately alongside pasta, rice, or crusty bread.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The whole meal comes together in under 40 minutes, so weeknight elegance is actually achievable.
  • Bright lemon and briny capers cut through the cream so it never feels heavy, even when you're eating it straight from the pan.
  • One skillet means one cleanup, which honestly might be my favorite part.
02 -
  • Pound your chicken evenly or it will cook at different rates—I learned this the hard way with a chicken breast that was still cool in the center while the edges started to dry out.
  • Don't skip rinsing the capers or you'll end up with an unexpectedly salty sauce that overshadows everything else.
  • Fresh lemon juice makes an actual difference here—it's not an optional refinement, it's what keeps the sauce from tasting like cream soup.
03 -
  • If your sauce seems too thin, let it simmer another minute or two without the lid—it will thicken as it reduces, and you can always add more cream but you can't take it back.
  • Taste the sauce before the chicken goes back in and adjust the lemon and salt then, not after—it's easier to fix seasoning in sauce than it is in a finished dish.
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