Easy Chicken Piccata

Name: Easy Chicken Piccata
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings.
Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup chicken stock; 3 to 4 tablespoons capers, drained; 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 tablespoons butter

Easy chicken recipes are my go-to dinner choice. My chicken piccata pasta dish is ready to serve in a half hour. It takes just a few minutes in the oven to bake to tender perfection. —Hannah Williams, Malibu, California

41 reviews

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Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
3 to 4 tablespoons capers, drained
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut chicken breasts in half crosswise. Pound with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches, adding additional oil as needed. Transfer chicken to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish.
Add stock, capers and lemon juice to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until creamy. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake 5-10 minutes or until no longer pink.

Test Kitchen Tips

Capers are the flower buds of a small bush from the Mediterranean and Middle East. The smallest capers, French nonpareils, are considered the finest. Caper berries, from Spain, are the olive-size fruit of the caper shrub. Rinse capers well before using to remove excess salt and brine.

Go for freshly squeezed lemon juice when preparing this dish. Bottled lemon juice, which is from concentrate, won’t provide the same bright, fresh flavor. Buy four lemons to get the job done.

Check out our 30 minute chicken recipes.

Nutrition Facts

5 ounces cooked chicken with about 2 tablespoons sauce: 382 calories, 23g fat (8g saturated fat), 117mg cholesterol, 725mg sodium, 6g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 0 fiber), 36g protein.

Originally published as Chicken Piccata in Taste of Home Easy Weeknight Dinners RTL 2014

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Lindsay

Apr 28, 2019

I wish I could give this recipe 10 stars! Not only was this recipe super super easy and quick, it was keto friendly 6 only carbs per serving. I ran out of almond flour or I probably would have probably substituted that for the regular flour. This turned out so so so good. My entire family loves it! Paired this with a fresh arugula lemon salad and creamy cauliflower mash.
texasczech

Apr 10, 2019

My family loves capers, so we've put this recipe in our rotation. We always double the sauce, but remember to add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time so that you don't get it too lemony. I agree with other reviewers that garlic would be a great addition to this recipe.
sjpoor

Apr 4, 2019

This is super easy and super good. My hubby usually complains about chicken breast but this one he remarked at how good it was. The capers are a really tasty addition.
Jim

Feb 14, 2019

Very Easy to make, great flavor, great addition to the dinner menu mixup!
Fred

Jan 16, 2019

We simply didn't care for this recipe. We have so many chicken recipes that we enjoy more.
tekla92

Jan 11, 2019

This recipe is great .I just love it on egg noodles with the lemoney butter sauce.I think Martha over cooked the chicken.
Suzanne

Jan 11, 2019

ADDITION: I use a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan.
Martha

Nov 7, 2018

I am sorry, Hannah, but I did not really care for this. Although I folllowed your instructions, my chicken did not turn out tender. Also, the sauce was a bit tart for our taste. I will either try it again with less lemon juice, or I will stick to my a-little-bit-longer-yet better-recipe.
DuckyD

Jun 29, 2018

I followed the recipe as written. The chicken was moist and flavorful, but I couldn't get the sauce to thicken. I'm sure that I must have missed a step somewhere. At any rate we enjoyed the chicken. Our side dishes were mashed potatoes and broccoli. They worked well with the recipe.
nopalito

Mar 29, 2018

We have been making this recipe for several years now. My husband and I both love it. Use chicken tenders, breasts cut Into chunks, whatever appeals to you. We put the capers in the spice grinder because we prefer the capers finely ground, but it does turn the sauce rather green. We also double the sauce and use the larger amount of lemon juice because we enjoy strong lemon flavor. We took this recipe with us to family in Mexico and it was a resounding success. Be sure to use real butter as anything less just doesn't do justice to the flavor.