This lemony chicken piccata recipe is Jerry’s favorite dish. This dish is filling enough to serve on its own (over rice or noodles) but here’s a few suggestions if you find yourself asking, “What should I serve with chicken piccata?”
What to serve with Chicken Piccata?
Order this at any Italian restaurant and expect to have your chicken piccata served to you on a heaping mound of pasta. If you make this at home with pasta, I recommend doubling the sauce so you’ve got plenty for your noodles.
Looking for other side ideas? Here are 2 lists of things to serve with chicken piccata. The 1st is a list of carbs and the 2nd is a list of veggies. ALL of them pair perfectly with chicken piccata.
Generally, I pick 1 from each list to mix and match. But if we’re having all the kids and friends over, I’ll pick 1 from the 1st list and 2 from the 2nd list.
List 1: Carbs
- Rice Pilaf
- Homemade Pasta (or pick up your favorite! ❤️)
- Popovers
- Parmesan Breadsticks
List 2: Veggies
- Zucchini Noodles (Make these with a spirializer or vegetable peeler. Give them a quick sauté with a little Italian seasoning and salt.)
- Almond Green Beans
- Garlic Parmesan Salad
- Braised Asparagus and Tomatoes with Feta
- Sautéd Mushrooms
- Buttered Peas
Is this Easy Chicken Piccata Gluten Free?
Traditionally chicken piccata is NOT gluten free. Dredging the raw chicken in flour before it’s sautéed is usually the way it’s prepared. The flour gives the chicken a nice texture, little more “umph” or body, and helps it brown up beautifully.
Even though the recipe below doesn’t call for that, it still uses flour to thicken the sauce. If you’re looking for a way to thicken the sauce without flour, see the note below the recipe.
I skip the flour dredge because I think it tastes better and the texture feels cleaner. It’s a matter of personal preference. I’ve done it both ways and I just like the way it tastes without the flour.
Besides, it’s one less thing to do.
How to make chicken piccata
- Place chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag or covered in plastic wrap and flatten with a mallet or frying pan
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Season chicken with salt and cook it in the skillet until it’s golden brown and delish! About 3 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- Melt 2 more tablespoons butter in skillet and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour. Stir to combine and let the flour cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in 2 cups chicken broth or stock, scrapping up all the brown bits in the pan, and the sauce starts to thicken.
- Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon and stir in 2 tablespoons capers. Add the chicken back in and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and lemon zest.
I love chicken piccata because it’s easy (and fast!) enough to make for a weeknight dinner, plus it can be made a day ahead. But I really love how the thick rich lemon butter sauce with little salty capers makes the chicken sing!
How to thicken piccata sauce without flour
Flour is used to thicken this sauce after the chicken is browned. If you’re concerned about gluten, you can use corn starch to thicken the sauce. I’ve thickened this with potato starch and I didn’t like the texture. I thought it was kinda slimy.
- Make a slurry with 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch and 1/2 cup COLD chicken stock.
- Add this after adding the 2 cups chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add chicken, lemon juice, and capers to sauce.
Note: Add corn starch to a COLD liquid to avoid clumps. In order for a sauce to thicken with corn starch, it HAS to come up to a boil. Simmer for at least 5 minutes to get rid of its starchy tasty.
Piccata Variations
I’ve enriched the sauce with a little white wine and it adds a little more complexity. Mainly, I just pour myself a glass and keep things simple.
For other variations, you can do this same method with thin slices of pork tenderloin, veal, turkey, and shrimp.
Although you don’t want to pound the shrimp or scallops.
There’s also no reason you couldn’t do this with a nice piece of white fish like orange roughy or trout. Actually come to think of it, salmon would work too.
Featured in my new Cookbook!
This recipe is featured in my new cookbook: Lakeside Table Sauces in chapter 4. It’s available in both hardback and as a digital e-cookbook.
I ship all over the US and gift wrap too! You can order yours here.
Thanks Giada!
I was glued to the Food Network for the first 3 years Jerry and I were married. Alton, Giada and Ina literally taught me how to cook! And this was the first recipe of Giada’s I tried.
Here’s the way she makes it! Thanks, Giada!
EASY CHICKEN PICCATA
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- kosher salt & pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 lemon thinly sliced
- 2 cup chicken stock
- 2-3 tbsp capers
- Italian parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Instructions
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Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a large Ziploc bag and pound evenly until approximately 1/2-inch thick.
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Once flattened, season both sides with salt and ground black pepper.
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, cook the chicken until golden-brown, approx. 3-5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
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Melt butter in the skillet and sprinkle in flour. Let flour bubble in the butter for 1-2 minutes.
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Whisk in chicken stock until sauce thickens and is smooth.
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Mix in juice of 1 lemon and stir in capers. Sauce should be a little thick.
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Return chicken breasts and any escaped juices to sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Slice remaining lemon into wheels and lay over chicken and sauce.
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Garnish with chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes
Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley, if desired.