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This easy chicken piccata is elevated with a crispy sage and garlic brown butter sauce! Still, it only takes less than an hour to put this gorgeous dish together for dinner!
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Easy Chicken Piccata recipe

It’s a constant cycle of trying to find quick and easy dinners. You can never have too many in your arsenal.

Who would disagree with quick dinners? It keeps everyone hungry from going hangry ;)

I remember when I first had chicken piccata. It was at an Italian restaurant (of course) and I fell in love with the flavors.

I will note that this particular dish is classically made with thin cuts of veal but chicken seems to be easier to source and honestly it’s a meat that more people are accustomed to.

This easy chicken piccata is elevated with a crispy sage and garlic brown butter sauce! Still, it only takes less than an hour to put this gorgeous dish together for dinner!

A very tasty chicken dish

If you were to ask my what I think makes this easy chicken piccata recipe taste so good, I would have to say that I believe it’s the sauce and the crispy sage and garlic. They’re definitely the star of the show (aside from the chicken) and I would take no shortcuts with making it.

The lemon gives it a fresh and bright flavor paired with the earthy sage and zing from the garlic.

This easy chicken piccata is elevated with a crispy sage and garlic brown butter sauce! Still, it only takes less than an hour to put this gorgeous dish together for dinner!

How to ensure sage and garlic don’t burn when making them crispy

You’ll want to watch it carefully and swirl the pan often. Also, low heat helps even though it is often one of those situations you want to hurry so you turn the heat up. Trust me this is not the time to do so!

As soon as you see the garlic turn brown, you want to take it out otherwise it can go from toasty crispy garlic to burnt bitter garlic! Same with the sage.

This easy chicken piccata is elevated with a crispy sage and garlic brown butter sauce! Still, it only takes less than an hour to put this gorgeous dish together for dinner!

Tips for making this easy chicken piccata recipe

  • For the chicken, I carefully sliced the chicken in half lengthwise, then pounded them between parchment until they were no more than 1/4″ thick. 
  • Depending on the type of broth you use, you may need to adjust salt to taste at the end of the dish
  • The amount of broth you use while cooking the chicken may vary a bit based on how thick the chicken, how long it takes to cook, how hot your burner is, etc. I recommend adding 1/3 – 1/2 of the broth and then slowly adding the rest as the chicken comes close to being fully cooked.
  • If you end up adding too much broth and the sauce looks too thin, you can create a slurry by adding a teaspoon or two of flour to a small bowl and adding a few tablespoons of broth and then adding a small amount of the slurry to the pan. Give everything in the pan a stir or shake to combine until the sauce thickens.
This easy chicken piccata is elevated with a crispy sage and garlic brown butter sauce! Still, it only takes less than an hour to put this gorgeous dish together for dinner!

Other easy chicken recipes

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Holy Yum Chicken

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Piccata

This classic chicken piccata dish is so simple and easy to make!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 pounds (680 g) chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
  • ¼ cup (32 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 ounce (340 g) spaghetti pasta

For the crispy sage and garlic

  • 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 bunch of fresh sage, about 20-25 sage leaves, or more if you’d like
  • ¾ cup (178 ml) chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
  • Sliced lemons

For the sauce

  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 3-4 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Slices of lemon

Instructions 

  • Slice your chicken breasts lengthwise so you have two thin pieces for each breast. Place them between two pieces of parchment paper and pound them with a meat mallet so they are about ¼” thick. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Rub the flour mixture all over the sliced chicken.
  • Heat the 5 tablespoons (70g) of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add the sage leaves and garlic. Let the sage and garlic fry in the pan, gently moving it around the pan once or twice. Once the garlic begins to brown, remove it from the pan. Remove the sage from the pan when they begin to turn a little dark and crisp on the edges. By this point, you should have a nice garlic and sage infused brown butter. Swirl the bubbling browned butter around in the pan, then add the floured chicken breasts to the pan.
  • Let the chicken sear in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Flip the chicken over and sear for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add half of the chicken broth to the pan around the chicken and bring the broth to a simmer. Simmer for an additional 2 minutes, then add the lemon juice.
  • While the chicken is cooking, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta but don’t rinse it. Set it aside.
  • Add the capers to the pan with the chicken in it along with the remaining broth and browned garlic. Continue cooking the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 °F (74 °C) and the sauce has thickened. Remove the chicken and sauce from the pan and set aside.
  • Heat the remaining butter to the pan and let it melt and brown slightly. Add the pasta to the pan and toss it in the butter. Add the broth, capers, lemon juice and a few sliced lemon pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss until the pasta is coated in the lemon butter sauce. The starch from the pasta will help to thicken any broth you add. If you find the pasta to be a bit dry, you can add a little more broth and toss until it’s well combined with the pasta.
  • Place the chicken back on top of the pasta in the pan and pour the sauce on top. Top with the sage, lemon slices and a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 727kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 1122mg, Potassium: 909mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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This easy chicken piccata is elevated with a crispy sage and garlic brown butter sauce! Still, it only takes less than an hour to put this gorgeous dish together for dinner!

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44 Comments

  1. Basically useless comments regarding wedding plans etc. I expect to read comments as to HOW IT TASTES by those who have actually MADE THE RECIPE!! Only a couple comments were on taste. Scrolled ALL THE WAY DOWN looking for prep and TASTE comments. Sorry. Won’t be trying this recipe.

    1. you just added to the useless comments. could’ve just made it with what you gathered from the 3 positive reviews of this recipe…