Lemon Chicken Piccata is a budget-friendly take on an Italian classic! Incredibly easy, low carb and diabetic friendly, this piccata recipe is one you’ll want to make again and again!
Chicken piccata was one of the first, authentic Italian recipes I ever tried and from the first bite, I was hooked! Tender chicken breast wrapped in a tart lemon caper butter sauce… ah heaven!
Chicken piccata (or veal piccata) quickly became my menu item of choice when dining out. After ordering this piccata dish more times than I can count, I decided to start making it at home.
After tasting so many restaurant versions, I knew exactly what I was looking for. A chicken piccata recipe that was a perfect balance of tart, salty and creamy. This lemon chicken piccata delivers on all counts! The best part – aside from being much cheaper than the restaurant version? This lemon piccata chicken is ridiculously easy to make – even on a weeknight!
How to Make Lemon Chicken Piccata
The name “chicken piccata” makes it sound like a complicated and fancy recipe, but it’s really incredibly easy to make. Just follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Slice each chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you get two thin chicken slices from each breast (you can see how they are supposed to look in the photo below).
Step 2: Dredge the chicken breasts slices in just a little bit of flour seasoned with salt and pepper. You don’t need or want a heavy coat, just a very light dusting.
Step 3: Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and when hot, add the chicken breast slices and cook until nicely browned on both sides.
Step 4: Remove the chicken from the pan and add the lemon juice, chicken stock, and white wine. Whisk in the butter and stir until the sauce reduces slightly.
Step 5: Stir in the capers and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the chicken back to the pan to warm and serve!
Doesn’t that look just delicious?
Tips for Making Lemon Chicken Piccata
- If the chicken breast is very large, you can use a mallet or another heavy object to flatten the slices – you want them no more than 1/2 inch thick.
- If at all possible, use a dry white wine in this dish – it helps to “mellow” out the sharpness of the lemon juice. If you don’t consume alcohol, you can substitute the same amount of chicken stock. If you do, I would suggest rinsing the capers and omitting the salt from the flour you use to dust the chicken!
- If you want to make this recipe even more amazing (and don’t mind the extra calories), whisk in a little heavy cream into the sauce just before serving!
What to serve with lemon chicken piccata
This lemon chicken piccata recipe is delicious with just a side salad, but also fantastic served over zucchini noodles or rice. It really depends on how many carbs you want to eat. I love having something to soak up the lemon sauce, but if you leave out the carbs, the recipe is perfect for anyone following a ketogenic diet.
Other healthy chicken recipes you will like
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy these healthy and easy chicken recipes
You can also check out my list of the best diabetic chicken recipes or read this amazing guide to baking the perfect chicken breast.
When you’ve tried this lemon chicken piccata, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Lemon Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1½ tbsp. all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken stock
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup drained capers
- ¼ cup Italian Parsley minced
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you get 2 thin chicken slices from each breast (you can see how they are supposed to look in the second photo in this post).
- If the chicken slices are very thick, use a mallet or another heavy object to flatten them slightly - you want them no more than ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick.
- Spread the flour out thinly on a dinner plate. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly dredge the chicken breast slices in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess flour. Set aside.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken breast slices to the pan. Cook for 3 -4 minutes until browned. Turn the chicken slices over and brown on the other side. Remove the chicken slices from the pan and set aside.
- Add the wine to the saute pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the lemon juice and chicken stock. Increase the heat to high and boil until the sauce thickens - about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Stir in the capers and parsley and add the chicken breast slices back to the pan to rewarm. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve!
Nutrition Info Per Serving
Isn’t flour a no no for diabetics? I want to try this, but should I be worried about the flour?
There’s nothing you can’t eat with diabetes. You do have to know what you eat though, and since carbohydrates (which includes flour) is what will impact blood sugars the most we should pay attention to the amounts we eat. This recipe only has 3.4 g carbs per serving (2.8 net carbs) which is minimal, so I personally wouldn’t worry about the carb count
You left the lemon juice out of the ingredient list. How much lemon juice?
Thank you for letting us know, the recipe doesn’t really work without the lemon! We have updated the recipe to include 1/4 cup lemon juice.