Description
Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata is a flavorful and elegant dish featuring lightly breaded chicken breasts pan-fried to golden perfection and served in a tangy garlic, caper, and lemon cream sauce. Ready in 30 minutes, it's a perfect weeknight meal that's great served over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes with your favorite veggies.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–8 oz. each)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water (optional, to thicken)
Garnish
- Lemon slices
- Additional chopped parsley
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Dredge Chicken: Coat the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off any excess flour to ensure a light coating.
- Pan-Fry Chicken: In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the olive oil. Add the chicken breasts and fry for about 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté Garlic: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet, add the minced garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Make Sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Add Flavorings: Stir in the capers, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Thicken Sauce: Allow the sauce to simmer gently until it reduces slightly and thickens. For a quicker thickening, stir in the optional cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Reheat Chicken: Return the chicken breasts to the pan, spoon sauce over them, and simmer in the sauce until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve: Garnish with more chopped parsley and lemon slices. Serve hot over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes with vegetables on the side. Enjoy your meal!
Notes
- Ensure chicken breasts are pounded to even thickness for uniform cooking.
- If you prefer a gluten-free version, substitute the flour with gluten-free flour or almond flour.
- Use full-fat heavy cream for the creamiest sauce; lighter creams will reduce richness.
- The cornstarch slurry is optional but helpful if you want a thicker sauce faster.
- Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Serve with your choice of sides like pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or steamed vegetables for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with sauce
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
