Lemon Chicken Piccata

5 from 1 vote

This healthy Lemon Chicken Piccata is an easy dinner recipe that's ready for the table in just 30 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword easy chicken piccata, healthy lemon chicken piccata, lemon chicken piccata

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 260kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved (or 4 thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets) (about 1 lb. total)
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, divided
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice plus ½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Optional: 3 tablespoons capers, drained

Place one chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Working from the center, gently pound the chicken with a meat mallet or rolling pin until the meat is about ¼-inch thick; remove the wrap. Repeat with remaining chicken breast.
Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Place flour in a shallow dish or in a large Ziploc bag, then dredge the chicken in the flour until lightly coated on all sides.
In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on the outside and no longer pink on the inside. Remove chicken to a serving platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the chicken broth to the skillet, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley and capers. Pour hot sauce over chicken and serve.

Depending on the size of your skillet and the size of your chicken, you may need to brown the meat in batches. Be careful that you don't overcrowd the pan, or the chicken will steam instead of becoming crispy on the outside.
If you like wine in your piccata sauce, you can substitute white wine for all (or some) of the chicken broth. Both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are good wines to use for this dish.
While the capers add a nice briny, salty flavor to the sauce, you can omit the capers if you don't care for them.
You can use large chicken breasts and cut them in half before pounding them flat. Alternatively, purchase thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets at the grocery store for a shortcut.
While it's not traditional, you can add some grated Parmesan cheese to the flour for dredging your chicken. It will give the meat a nice flavor boost!
Make this chicken piccata pasta with artichokes by tossing some drained artichoke hearts into the skillet with the sauce. They will be warm and flavorful -- a perfect addition to the pasta!
On its own, one serving of the lemon sauce and chicken has 260 calories, 29 grams of protein, 13 grams of fat and 6.5 grams of carbohydrates. This is a light, healthy dish that can fit into a low-carb, Keto diet if you pair it with a low carb side (like riced cauliflower or sautéed spinach instead of pasta).