This easy Chicken Piccata Pasta recipe is an Italian specialty the whole family will love. Done in just 30 minutes, you won't believe how much flavor you get from this delicious but simple piccata sauce.
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This is bound to be one of your favorite pasta dishes. Most likely found in your local Italian restaurant, this is a classic Italian dish that will please the entire family. If you are a fan of Italian food, try chicken marsala with fettuccine next!
Delicious and easy everyday recipes are my love language. In fact, it's the pillars beneath Real Food with Sarah. This traditional chicken piccata does not stray from that!
I love all sorts of food from all over the world but the Italians have a way of taking minimal and simple ingredients and turning them into robust dishes with great flavor! This briny lemon caper sauce and chicken laid over tender pasta is the perfect choice for your busy weeknights.
What is chicken piccata?
Piccata means cooked in a sauce of lemon, parsley, and butter. Funnily enough chicken piccata or piccata di pollo in Italian is not very popular in its origin country. However, it can be easily found here in America and I cannot complain.
🥘Ingredients
- Spaghetti. You can use your favorite pasta. Try angel hair pasta, penne, or fusilli.
- Chicken Breasts. Use thinly sliced chicken breasts or you can pound them yourself.
- Flour. All-purpose flour or your favorite gluten-free flour will work for this recipe.
- Garlic. I recommend using fresh garlic for this lemon chicken piccata but if you only have garlic powder on hand you can use that.
- Shallot. You can use a yellow onion if it's all you have but I recommend a shallot for its mild and sweet flavor.
- Lemon. Fresh lemon juice squeezed right from a large lemon. You also need the zest.
- Capers. Salty capers are the star of the show so don't skip out on them. They have a high flavor profile so you only need a couple of tablespoons. If you are fan of capers, try Italian puttanesca next!
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add veggies. Throw in some of your favorite veggies for a more robust pasta dinner. Grape tomatoes and briny capers are a delicious combination.
- For a creamy lemon sauce add in a few tablespoons of heavy cream or coconut milk to step 4 below.
- If you love the bright, zesty flavors of Chicken Piccata, you’ll definitely want to try my Chicken Piccata Meatballs! Instead of traditional cutlets, this version transforms the classic dish into juicy, flavorful meatballs simmered in a lemony, caper-studded sauce.
Instructions
Step 1: Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Add the flour to a bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper and then dip into the flour and coat on all sides. Shake off excess flour.
Step 2: Heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, turn heat down to medium and add the chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan, let rest for a few minutes and cut into slices.
Step 3: Add the shallot to the pan, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the salt and garlic.
Step 4: Pour in the fresh lemon juice and another tablespoon of butter, lemon zest and chicken broth. Be sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: Reduce the sauce for about 4 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add in more pepper, 2 more tablespoons of butter and the capers.
Step 6: Turn off the heat, add the chicken back in and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve over pasta and enjoy!
💭Recipe FAQs
Capers are small edible flower beds that are pickled in brine. They're a great choice when you want to add a small bomb of flavor to a dish.
Yes! You can use gluten-free flour and use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
You can make chicken piccata ahead of time. Cook the chicken and sauce as instructed and let them cool completely. Store the chicken and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you are ready to serve, reheat the chicken in the sauce over medium heat until warm.
I will note, while this is possible, I do not recommend cooking the chicken ahead of time. The sauce will be fine in the fridge for a few days but I recommend cooking the chicken and pasta right before serving to ensure the best flavor and texture.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Opt for thinly sliced chicken breasts when at the store to avoid the hassle of pounding the chicken. Chicken tends to bulk up when cooked so I recommend giving the thin slices a quick pound to thin them out even more.
- Use high-quality butter. I've been getting mine from the farmer's market but in the winter I love Kerrygold or any European butter.
- Add butter at the end. Adding 2 tablespoons of butter to the sauce at the end is a technique that chefs use called "monter au beurre". This creates a smooth and buttery finish.
Serving
Serve this zesty pasta dish on busy weeknights and for dinner parties. This is a great recipe to feed a crowd and please the entire family.
I recommend serving it with fresh parsley and some lemon wedges. Feel free to add some grated Parmesan cheese.
Serve with my Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables instead of pasta for a lighter meal. Add a side of Frozen Roasted Broccoli and Italian Tomato Salad.
Storage & Reheating
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Remember, poultry has a short window of 3-4 days for safe consumption.
- You can choose to freeze the chicken piccata in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, simply place the chicken and sauce in a skillet over medium heat and cook until warmed. You can also reheat it in the microwave, but the texture may be lost.
- For best results when reheating pasta, freeze some pasta water and add it to a pot with the leftover pasta. Toss for a few minutes over low heat until it regains some of its moisture.
Try More Pasta Recipes
- Italian Pink Sauce30 Minutes
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (30 Minute Dinner)30 Minutes
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta20 Minutes
- Simple Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta20 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below—I’d love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
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Chicken Piccata Pasta
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces Spaghetti or Angel hair pasta
- ½ cup flour
- 4 thin sliced chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons capers
- chopped parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti or pasta according to package directions.
- Begin by adding flour to a bowl. Season the chicken with sea salt and black pepper then dip the chicken breasts into the flour to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour.
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, turn the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts. Cook for 3- 4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the second side or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove it from the pan, slice into strips and set aside.
- Add the shallot to the pan and let it soften while stirring for 2 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and the garlic. Stir.
- Pour or squeeze in the lemon juice. Then add in another tablespoon of butter, lemon zest and chicken broth.
- Let the sauce reduce for about 4 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Season the sauce with black pepper and add in the capers.
- Turn off the heat and add the sliced chicken to the pan. Spoon sauce over the chicken.
- In bowls, add the spaghetti topped with sliced chicken and some of the piccata sauce. Garnish each plate with chopped parsley, additional capers and lemon wedges.
Sarah's Tips
- Opt for thinly sliced chicken breasts when at the store to avoid the hassle of pounding the chicken. Chicken tends to bulk up when cooked so I recommend giving the thin slices a quick pound to thin them out even more.
- Use high-quality butter. I've been getting mine from the farmer's market but in the winter I love Kerrygold or any European butter.
- Add butter at the end. Adding 2 tablespoons of butter to the sauce at the end is a technique that chefs use called "monter au beurre". This creates a smooth and buttery finish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Remember, poultry has a short window of 3-4 days for safe consumption.
- You can freeze the chicken piccata in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, simply place the chicken and sauce in a skillet over medium heat and cook until warmed. You can also reheat it in the microwave, but the texture may be lost.
- For best results when reheating pasta, freeze some pasta water and add it to a pot with the leftover pasta. Toss for a few minutes over low heat until it regains some of its moisture.
Brian says
This is so good and so easy to make, it has quickly entered our regular rotation of meals. I love capers so tend to add more 😊Love this meal!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Brian, so happy you guys enjoy this recipe!!