Italian Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Chicken Piccata
Lemon-and-caper butter sauce over quickly seared chicken cutlets — bright and fast.
Contains common allergens
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Good to know
- Ready in under 30 minutes
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Dredge: Season the cutlets and coat lightly in flour.
- 2
Sear: Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter and cook the cutlets for 3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
- 3
Make the Sauce: Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and capers to the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer for 3-4 minutes to reduce slightly.
- 4
Mount with Butter: Lower the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp butter until the sauce is silky.
- 5
Combine: Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over to warm through.
- 6
Serve: Finish with chopped parsley and serve with pasta or sautéed greens.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
69/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving1985
Calories
252 g
Protein
47 g
Carbs
82 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Piccata describes a method more than a single dish: thin cutlets sauteed and finished in a bright sauce of lemon, butter, and capers. The technique is Italian in spirit and was originally applied to veal, but chicken piccata became the beloved Italian-American version, lighter and weeknight-friendly. Its appeal is the sharp, briny lemon-caper sauce that wakes up a simple cutlet.
Listahan note
This version keeps the cutlets thin and the lemon-caper sauce sharp and glossy, emulsified with a little butter at the end. It treats the balance of lemon, brine, and butter as the whole point.
Technique cues
- Dredge the cutlets lightly in flour so they brown and lightly thicken the sauce; shake off the excess so it does not gum up the pan.
- Deglaze with lemon and a splash of wine or stock, scraping up the fond, then swirl in cold butter off the heat for a silky, glossy sauce.
- Add the capers near the end so they keep their briny pop instead of dissolving into the sauce.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Pound the cutlets, juice the lemon, and rinse the capers before searing so the fast pan sauce comes together without stopping.
- Make-ahead
- This dish is best fresh, but you can pound and dredge the cutlets ahead and have the sauce components measured for a quick cook.
- Leftover move
- Slice leftover cutlets over a lemony arugula salad or into a sandwich with extra capers and greens.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Build the sauce in the searing pan so the fond becomes flavor, and the lemon deglaze loosens any stuck bits for easy washing.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
chicken breasts
main protein
Purpose: Thin cutlets cook in minutes and carry the bright sauce without overpowering it.
Handling: Butterfly and pound to an even thinness and dredge lightly in flour before searing.
Adaptation: Veal is the original; pounded pork or firm fish also take well to piccata.
lemon
defining acid
Purpose: Its sharp juice is the soul of the sauce, cutting the butter and brightening the dish.
Handling: Juice fresh and add toward the end so it stays bright; add thin slices for extra punch.
Adaptation: Bottled juice in a pinch, though fresh is far better here.
capers
briny accent
Purpose: Their salty pop is the counterpoint to the lemon and is essential to piccata.
Handling: Rinse if salt-packed and add near the end of cooking.
Adaptation: Chopped green olives give a similar briny lift if needed.
butter
sauce body
Purpose: Swirled in off the heat, it rounds the sharp lemon into a glossy, balanced sauce.
Handling: Add cold in pieces and swirl until the sauce emulsifies and thickens slightly.
Adaptation: Olive oil keeps it dairy-free, with a thinner, brighter sauce.
dry white wine
depth
Purpose: It adds acidity and complexity to the pan sauce and helps deglaze the fond.
Handling: Pour in after searing and let it bubble to cook off the alcohol.
Adaptation: Chicken stock with an extra squeeze of lemon if you skip wine.
Technique notes
- Take the pan off the heat before adding the butter so the sauce emulsifies into a gloss instead of greasy splitting.
- Add a few thin lemon slices to the sauce for extra brightness and a pretty presentation.
- Reserve a splash of stock to loosen the sauce if it reduces too thick before the butter goes in.
Ingredient swaps
- Gluten-free direction
- Dredge in gluten-free flour or cornstarch, which browns and lightly thickens the sauce just the same.
- Dairy-free option
- Finish with olive oil instead of butter for a lighter, dairy-free version of the sauce.
- Lower-sodium direction
- Rinse the capers well, use unsalted stock, and lean on extra lemon to season instead of salt.
Serve alongside
- Angel hair pasta with olive oil
- Sauteed spinach with garlic
- Roasted asparagus
- Lemony rice pilaf
- A glass of Pinot Grigio
- A crisp Vermentino
- Sparkling water with lemon
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days; reheat gently with a splash of stock to re-loosen the sauce. The dish is best fresh, since the bright lemon dulls over time. Freezing is not recommended, as the delicate emulsified sauce tends to break on thawing.
Equipment
- A wide, heavy skillet
- Tongs for the cutlets
- A meat mallet for pounding
- A citrus juicer
Make this household-aware
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