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A quick and easy one pot meal that is on the dinner table in 30 minutes! Tender breaded chicken in a creamy lemon sauce that the entire family will love!
Chicken is a favorite protein around here with its mild flavor, you can do so many delicious recipes! You have to try these favorites, Lemon Chicken, Fried Rice and Noodle Soup!
Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata
One of our favorite meals of the week was this Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata. My favorite part was that it was a one pot meal and ready on the dinner table in 30 minutes! It is just like the classic chicken piccata dish, but with the added lemon tang. It gives it such a fresh and delicious taste to this creamy sauce. The chicken has a delicious breading on the outside and it is perfect served over some pasta. Everyone in my family loved this meal. It had such a delicious flavor and will be one that we make again and again!
This American Italian favorite is so creamy and delicious. Piccata literally means, pounded flat and cooked in a sauce of lemon, parsley and butter. Done in one pan and in 30 minutes means you can have an incredible meal on the table in no time. Do not be scared of the capers. They really make the dish amazing. If you have never had them, this is the perfect dish to try them with. You have to try this creamy lemon piccata!
Ingredients for Lemon Chicken
Super simple ingredients come together to make an irresistible meal. Serve this with a nice green salad and some rolls and you have dinner made!
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat if needed.
- Salt and Pepper:To taste.
- Flour: Creates a nice breading on the chicken.
- Butter: Adds flavor besides a frying agent.
- Olive Oil: Also used to cook and add flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Flavoring and adds to the sauce.
- Lemons: Fresh whole lemons
- Heavy Cream: Can substitute half and half, but won’t be as creamy in texture.
- Capers: Look for these with the pickles and jarred pepperoncinis
- Parsley: this is optional.
- Angel Hair Pasta: Can substitute spaghetti noodles if you would like.
Making Perfect Lemon Chicken Piccata
Take the time if you need to, to pound your chicken the same size or at least thinned out. You won’t regret it. They will cook faster and more evenly.
- Chicken: Heat 2 Tablespoons butter and 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper each side of the chicken breasts
- If They Are Thick: If the chicken breasts are overly thick, pound them to be thinner. Cooking time will be shorter.
- Flour: Dredge the chicken in the flour
- Brown: Put the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked throughout and no longer pink. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Sauce: Turn the heat to medium low. Add broth juice from both lemons, heavy cream, and capers. Bring the sauce to a boil and return to medium low heat. Test the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Allow the sauce to cook and bubble for about 3 minutes.
- Dish: Serve the chicken over cooked pasta and spoon the sauce over broth. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
What are Capers?
If you have never had capers before, this is the perfect introduction. Typically served alongside of chicken and salmon dishes, they add a ton of flavor. Capers are under ripened flower buds of plant known as the caper bush. The capers are picked and dried. Then they are pickled to create this tangy, salty, and briny flavor that is out of this world yummy.
These little pea sized condiments produce big flavor. A little goes a long way. Use them in salads, pasta and chicken. Because of their lemony like flavor they are favorite with fish. Give these other recipes a try that spotlight the wonders of capers. Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce, Pasta Puttanesca with Chicken and Lemon Salmon Piccata.
Tips and Variations for Creamy Chicken Piccata
There are a few tips and variations you can do with chicken piccata, but this recipe is perfect just the way it is.
- Noodles: Truly any kind of pasta can be used to serve this scrumptious lemon piccata dish with. You can also serve it over steamed vegetables, rice, zucchini noodles, or anything else that seems delicious.
- Chicken: Make sure your chicken is thin, you can pound it thin or slice it in half, either way will create the size you are looking for.
- Flour: You need the flour to create the great crust on the chicken and for the sauce to stick to.
- Fresh Lemons: Do not use bottled lemon juice. It will not taste the same and could actually ruin your dish. In this recipe, keep it to the real thing.
- Capers: Some find the capers to salty, if you are afraid of that, just rinse the capers before adding.
How to Store Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata
Keep this in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Warm leftovers in the microwave. It is best to store it seperate from the pasta or whatever you are serving it with if you can.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
Chicken is so versatile. It can be used in all sorts of cuisines. American, Italian, Chinese, Mexican and everything in between. Chicken is relatively cheap protein making it an economical family friendly dish. You can boil it, fry it, grill it, bake it and roast it. And don’t forget the latest ways of cooking, instant pot and air fryer. All incredible ways to prepare chicken, so when you need a new recipe to try, look no further than here. I have you covered.
- The Very Best Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Sticky Asian Glazed Chicken
- Grilled California Avocado Chicken
- Crispy Air Fryer “‘Fried” Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts Whole Boneless Skinless
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 Lemons whole
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup capers
- parsley for garnish, chopped
- 1 pound Angel Hair Pasta
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. (If the chicken breasts are overly thick, pound them to be thinner. Cooking time will be shorter.) Salt and pepper each side of the chicken breasts.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour.
- Put the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked throughout and no longer pink. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Turn the heat to medium low. Add broth, juice from both lemons, heavy cream, and capers. Bring the sauce to a boil and return to medium low heat. Test the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Allow the sauce to cook and bubble for about 3 minutes.
- Serve the chicken over cooked pasta and spoon the sauce over both. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Serves: 4
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
This dish was absolutely amazing, presentation was as pictured, and easy enough to make on a busy weeknight after swim practice and homework! Definitely going into weekly rotation! I followed recipe but added lemon zest along with juice since I only had 1 lemon on hand.
What a delicious and simple recipe. My family loved it! Thank you ☺️
This was the first time I used cream in my Chicken Piccata. When I looked at the recipe I thought, OK that will make the sauce creamier but what about the lemon which will curdle the cream, which it did. I was worried that I had just wasted my time and materials but I continued bring it to a boil and slowly it blended together. the final result was I didn’t see much difference in flavor in using the cream and will not use it again. It was just more calories.
Hi Joe–what did you use instead of heavy cream? Thanks much.
I have made this at least a dozen times. It is so awesome! Everyone I have served it to loves it. It even taste good reheated in the microwave.
This recipe is the BEST! It has become a regular dish in my home. We love the creamy lemony sauce so much. Thanks for a great recipe!
So tasty! Love how easy it is. I reduced the amount of broth by 1/4 cup and added dry white wine in it’s place. Also minced a small clove of garlic to add another dimension of flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Tried your recipe tonight
Turned out amazing
Entire family loved it
Had everything prepped and ready to go
Easy to put together and so good
Would like to try this tonight. Anyone make it with milk or half snd half? Am not a big fan of heavy cream.
I’m going to try it with whole milk and I’ll let you know how it turned out.
Would like the recipe for chicken piccata to try.
Here is the recipe for you to have. Hope that helps! https://therecipecritic.com/creamy-lemon-chicken-piccatta/
I made this tonight, with no changes. My family loves it, big hit and got a big thumbs up. Thankyou for sharing.!!
What a fantastic recipe! I’ve made it at least a half dozen times, and plan to make it again soon. I no longer use my original chicken piccata recipe. I usually season my flour with seasoned salt first, and add freeze dried shallots and garlic to the liquids. I add some white wine in place of an equal amount of broth. Sure the cream adds some calories, but it makes the sauce so…well…creamy! Nice mouth feel to it. I’d post a photo, but usually finish eating it before I remember to take a pic! Easy, quick, tasty…what more do you want
Of course the lemon curds the cream. I knew you can’t put lemon in cream. I’m not even sure why I even tried. I’m also not giving this 5 stars but the system won’t let me rate it as I want
Making this as I write, my lemon isn’t curdling the cream so I feel good about that, and just concerned if I should have wiped my pan out before starting the sauce. I have browned bits from frying the chicken. Otherwise super excited for dinner everyone has positive comments on taste !
Im not counting calories, and using heavy cream ??
This tastes amazing and came together quickly. I paired it with egg noodles and sautéed some kale as a side. My family loved it! My only issue was that the lemon juice inevitability curdles the cream. Not sure how others have gotten around that? I sprinkled about 1/8 a cup of flour over the top and let it soak up some of the fat, then mixed it in. It worked pretty well.
First time ever making chicken piccata. This was so quick, so easy, and so delicious. I rarely ever cook because I just don’t like to but this is one of my boyfriends favorite dishes so I thought I would give it a try and boy was it a success. I had no issue with mixing the lemon juice and cream as mentioned in other comments. Thanks so much for sharing! 5 stars
Forgot to take a picture but huge hit with the family- especially my picky eater who had seconds! Will make again. Thanks!
Just made this tonight and it was a hit! I did tweak the recipe a bit by adding a pinch of dry mustard for a little extra tang and a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon along with the chicken stock.
Outstanding!!
Made this today and its wonderful. I tweaked it a little becaise we like a lot of sauce. I added garlic, more broth and a splash of wine and a corn startch slurry and added artichoke hearts along with the capers. I forgot to get cream so I used half and half instead I had no issues with curdling and it was velvety smooth. Serving it over parpadelle.
This is very close to the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Thank you.
I made this for dinner tonight. Everyone enjoyed the dish! It was very tasty and I will definitely make this again.
This recipe was a big hit with my family!
Love this recipe & it’s so simple & darn good. Thank you for sharing.
Delicious Recipe
My family does not like capers, so I substitute with approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Thyme and it was a hit!!!
Absolutely fantastic!! I added artichokes and about 1/4 cup of white wine, thickened sauce with a bit of flour. Returned chicken to pan, set on low, simmered while pasta cooked (8 min). Will definitely make again!
I used 1/2 cup half and half and 1/4 cup heavy cream to lower the fat content. I whisked and tried to blend it together, but the lemon juice did curdle the cream. I don’t know how others got around that.
Made this tonight and it was amazing! I love anything lemon so this was right up my alley. I used Half and Half and was worried it may curdle. When I added it it looked like it may but I just whisked it for a few minutes and it was creamy! Will definitely make it again!
Made this according to the recipe except I used chicken tenderloins. It was absolutely delicious! Will definitely add this recipe to my rotation.
Absolutely delicious! When my finicky husband declares a recipe “a repeat,” you know it’s good!!!
NOW THIS IS CHICKEN PICATTA! I’ve made this recipe before and my whole family loved it! I’ve since made it a couple times and every time it is so good! I am lactose intolerant so this is a special occasion type meal for me, however I’m curious if any of you have ever tried to use unsweetened Almond Milk or Oatmilk in place of the heavy cream?? If so, PLEASE let me know how it turned out I want to be able to tolerate this weekly or 2 times a month AT LEAST! lol
Thanks Alyssa for the great recipe! 🙂
This is the third recipe I have tried and its the third hit. Very easy to put together and tastes delicious. I am looking forward to trying more, I think next we are going to try the Chili. Will be perfect for our cold snowy weather. Thanks again!
This is my family’s absolute favorite meal!!
It’s January 2. After all of the delicious rich food over the Holidays, I’m looking forward to a fresh “light” pasta dish. This Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata fits perfectly. I’ve made several times with great results every time. It’s a great quick and simple dinner option time and again. And a bit of heavy cream over multiple servings is no big deal. Enjoy! We do!
Tasted fantastic! This is something I will be making again and again!! Yummy 😋
Hands down, this is the best chicken piccata recipe I have ever made! I have been making this one for years and is my go to piccata recipe! I also add the zest from the lemons for an extra little zing!
This was the first time making Chicken Piccatta and it was aboslutely delicious. Don’t usually stock cream, so I substituted with Doublecream Greek Yoghurt & added some cream powder just for the extra creaminess. Also, as yoghurt has lots of natural tang, I only used 1 lemon.
Just made this and it is amazing. Tastes just like the one you order at a local restaurant! It was easy to make and has a great presentation. You won’t be disappointed!
My family prefers this over rice! The lemon sauce really gives a great flavor to the rice.
Delicious! Easy and quick to make! I wish recipes (not just this one) specified an amount of lemon juice because my lemons were big as well as an approximate size/weight of chicken breast, again because mine were pretty big. I will definitely fix this again!
Delicious! I’ve never thought of adding cream to a piccata before, but this really came out great. The sauce is perfect for soaking up with a nice crusty piece of fresh bread, too! For those concerned about the lemon curdling the cream: I add the broth & lemon juice (and capers) to my pan first, heating it through & scraping up all the nice browned bits from the pan; once it starts to simmer, I VERY SLOWLY add the cream, whisking constantly until it is incorporated. You may need to add it a little at a time instead of all at once, but the big key is to keep whisking. Once it starts to simmer again, I turn up the heat a little to just barely boiling around the edges, and whisk for another minute or two – at that point you should see that it has started to thicken up & reduce a bit and you don’t need to worry about it separating any more.
Super easy to follow, super delicious to test!
Will be a standard for us!
Can I double batch this and keep warm in an electric skillet? How far in advance? I love this recipe and wold like to make ahead for a dinner party.
Yes, you can make this ahead of time, about 2 to 3 days max. When warming it in the electric skillet keep it low and stir so the sauce does not separate.
Can I make ahead and keep warm until serving time?
Yes, that will work out great. Just continue to stir it.
This was absolutely delicious, I did add just a tad bit more cream. This is definitely going in my meal rotation. Served it with fresh broccoli, cooked in the pasta water from the thin spaghetti. The pasta water adds a nice flavor to the broccoli. Delicious, quick and easy meal, using simple ingredients.
First time making this and it was pretty good. I used chicken bread tenders and only have of 1 lemon. I think next time I will use even less of a lemon.
For those having issues with cream curdling, you have to let the wine or lemon juice (or both) simmer awhile and then add a big dollop of real butter and real heavy cream….not milk. Milk curdles but the cream has enough fat, along with the butter to counter the lemon juice. But like i said, make sure you simmer the lemon and wine so it isn’t so stringent. Add mushrooms, garlic, capers and parsley and put the leftovers over linguine.