Lemon Chicken Piccata is a simple and easy 20-minute meal. The light buttery lemon sauce and tangy capers makes this delicate and sophisticated dish perfect for serving to your summer dinner guests. This post is sponsored by Better Than Bouillon. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
The BEST Chicken Piccata
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Summer calls for recipes that are light, refreshing, and quick like this Lemon Chicken Piccata. This time of year may not be busy with school but I still feel like dinner time sneaks up on me so 20-minute meals are a lifesaver.
What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken Piccata is a super simple chicken dish. It’s similar to Chicken Francais but only dipped in flour and has the addition of salty, bold and briny capers. The chicken is served with a buttery lemon sauce that pairs perfectly with a side of buttery angel hair pasta.
How to Make Lemon Chicken Piccata:
The first step is to prepare the chicken. You want thin cuts of chicken which can be achieved by butterflying the chicken breasts and then pounding them between plastic wrap until they are 1/2 inch thick. Season both sides of breasts with salt and pepper and then dredge the chicken in flour and Parmesan cheese.
Next, you’ll start to brown the chicken in a combination of oil and butter for about 3 minutes per side. Then you’ll set the chicken aside on a plate while you make the yummy sauce.
The sauce is made up of lemon juice, capers, water, and Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base. Add it all to the skillet and bring it to a simmer, being sure to scrape up all those yummy browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
Once the sauce reduced by half you can add in the butter along with the chicken, cooking for about 5 minutes until heated through.
This chicken is great with a side of pasta and don’t forget to spoon that buttery lemon sauce on top with some fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Why use Better Than Bouillon Base?
I LOVE cooking with this bouillon! For the last 8 years I’ve lived in small apartments and town homes where I haven’t had much of a pantry or even one at all so keeping cans or boxes of broth was not doable. My mom introduced me to Better Than Bouillon when she sent me a coupon for it and told me it’s the best. She was right!
Ever since I bought that first jar I haven’t gone back to buying cans, boxes, or powdered bouillon. It lasts for months in the fridge and takes up such little space. They even sell it in large 16 ounce jars at Costco for around $5 that has 76 servings. That is equivalent to buying about 38 cans of chicken broth which would be around $38.
Not only is Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base more economical and space saving, but the flavor is phenomenal! It has the perfect amount of salt and I love the roasted flavor. It’s great in soups, sauces, and rice.
Better Than Bouillon has countless other delicious bases too. In addition to the Roasted Chicken Base, I also regularly use the Roasted Beef Base and Seasoned Vegetable Base.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE CHICKEN RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- Summer Parmesan Chicken
- Instant Pot Greek Chicken & Quinoa Bowls
- Baked Chicken Parmesan Spaghetti Squash
- Balsamic Peach Chicken Skillet
- Cheesy Fajita Chicken Bake
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS EASY CHICKEN PICCATA:
Cast Iron Skillet– A cast iron skillet is a kitchen must have. It heats evenly and gives meats a nice crust.
Tongs– Every kitchen needs a good set of tongs! I love that this set comes with two lengths of tongs, both locking.
Pot & Skillet Set– These are the skillets and pots I use. They have a heavy bottom making them sturdy and cook the food evenly. I use these multiple times a day.
Lemon Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4-8 cutlets and pounded to 1/2 inch thick
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup capers
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
- angel hair pasta, buttered
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Mix flour and parmesan cheese together in a shallow bowl.
- Butterfly chicken breasts and pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture until well coated. Shake off excess over the bowl. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add half the chicken to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side until browned. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Remove and place on a clean plate.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Once melted, add remaining chicken and cook on both sides and remove onto plate.
- Add water, lemon juice, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base, and capers. Bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits while cooking. Cook until reduced by half. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
- Add chicken back to pan and spoon sauce up over the chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes until heated through. Serve with angel hair pasta and garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
2pots2cook
July 26, 2018 at 11:18 amSo inviting …
Nanci
January 20, 2019 at 9:13 amTried it a few weeks ago and it was wonderful!! The whole family loved it. Making it again tonight:).
Melanie
February 14, 2019 at 9:04 amSo glad you guys liked it Nanci! Thanks for leaving a review! 🙂