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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.
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.
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.
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.
Other easy chicken recipes
Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce
Chicken Piccata
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
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 3-4 tablespoons chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 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.1.5 pounds (680 g) chicken breasts, 1/4 cup (32 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Heat the 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.5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, 6 cloves garlic, 1 bunch of fresh sage
- 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.3/4 cup (178 ml) chicken broth, 2 teaspoons 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.12 ounce (340 g) spaghetti pasta
- 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.3 tablespoons capers
- 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.2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, 3-4 tablespoons chicken broth, 2 tablespoons capers, Juice from 1/2 lemon, Salt and pepper, Slices of lemon
- 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
I love this dinner idea! I am upset about no more google reader because that is how I read all of my favorite blogs (yours included). I will read your post and hopefully figure out a good alternative. Have a great weekend!
A friend of mine, who had a wedding with a fancy plated dinner, put a rickety table in the far back of the restaurant she had rented for the reception and instead of a table number put a sign that said “PEOPLE WHO DID NOT RSVP” and told the wedding planner, “Shame them and put them in the back!” The sad thing is that table was full of people who did not RSVP and just showed up to a schmancy wedding expecting to be fed. There are table maps, people! Who does that?!
Oh, and I LOOOOVE chicken piccata. this looks amazing.
OMG. I love that idea. I want to do it. My mom might kill me though if I do haha
This is totally speaking to me right now. I could use a meal like this! Love it!
Your piccata looks deliciously golden!
I love the flavors of lemon and capers combined, but for some reason have never made a piccata. Thanks for the inspiration!
LOVE chicken Picatta- I just made it last week, and it is my kids news favorite way to eat chicken! Your version looks great Julie. I think March has been a very weird month in general. Like there is something going on in the universe. Lots of things have sucked for me too. majorly.
But that wedding will be here soon enough (what’s the countdown now?)and you will love that you did all that work when you are lying on the beach soaking up the peace and quiet with your new husband :)
ugh I have been soooooo exhausted since the time change!!
love chicken piccata so much! so easy and delicious
I have been in a total haze at work since the time change. It stinks! (but I also love having daylight in the afternoons LOL) I have not had Chicken Piccata since we were at Disney last year and I’ve been meaning to make it. These photos are beautiful!
Love this, Julie! We haven’t had chicken piccata in far too long. THanks for the reminder!
mmmm i love chicken piccata. I feel ya on the “work sucks” comment. I have double the amount of projects I normally have and its totally not cool. And yes my sleep has been messed up thanks to our time change; however, i welcome an extra hour of light any day of the week!