Creamy Chicken Piccata - 30-Minute Skillet Dinner

I keep a bag of capers in the back of the fridge for exactly this. Creamy chicken piccata is the dinner I make when the day got away from me and there's nothing thawed. You butterfly two chicken breasts, pound them thin, and they're done in about 8 minutes in the pan. The sauce takes another 10.

The trick is the pan itself. Everything browns in olive oil, then the wine goes in and lifts all that stuck-on flavor off the bottom. That's most of the taste right there. Cream comes last, just to round out the lemon.

It's not a heavy cream sauce. It's bright first, then soft. Serve it over angel hair so the sauce has something to cling to, and use a wide skillet so the cutlets don't steam.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Butterfly and pound the chicken

Slice each breast horizontally so it opens like a book. Lay parchment on top and pound to about 1/4 inch thick. Season both sides well with salt and pepper.

2. Cut into four pieces

Cut each butterflied breast in half lengthwise. You should end up with 4 pieces, which cook faster and fit the pan better.

3. Dredge in flour

Put the flour in a wide shallow dish. Press each piece into it, then shake off the excess. A thin coat browns; a thick one turns gummy.

4. Fry until golden

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the chicken 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden. Pull it out and set it aside on a plate.

5. Deglaze with wine

Pour the white wine into the hot pan and scrape up the browned bits. Cook about 1 minute, until it's reduced by half.

6. Add butter, garlic and capers

Drop in the butter, garlic and capers. Cook about 2 minutes, until it smells garlicky and the butter has melted into the wine.

7. Build the sauce

Stir in the lemon juice and chicken stock. Cook 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon.

8. Finish with cream and chicken

Stir in the cream, then return the chicken to the pan. Scatter the parsley over the top and turn the pieces to coat.

9. Simmer and serve

Simmer 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens a little more, then take the pan off the heat. Serve the chicken and sauce over the cooked angel hair pasta.

Tips & Tricks

• Pound the chicken to about 1/4 inch thick. Uneven cutlets cook unevenly, and thin ones stay tender.
• Fry in batches if your skillet is crowded. Chicken that touches chicken steams instead of browning.
• Use a thermometer. Chicken is done at 165°F in the thickest part, and thin cutlets get there fast.
• Let the wine reduce by half before anything else goes in. That's roughly 1 minute and it cooks off the sharp alcohol edge.
• Pull the pan off the heat before the cream goes in if the sauce is bubbling hard. Cream is less likely to split in a gentler pan.

Variations

• Add a handful of baby spinach to the sauce right before the chicken goes back in. It wilts in seconds and stretches the dish to feed more.
• Swap the angel hair for linguine, orzo or crusty bread if pasta isn't happening. The sauce is good enough to eat with a spoon.
• For a lighter version, use half and half in place of the cream and simmer 1 extra minute. It won't be as silky, but it works.
• Season the flour with garlic powder, black pepper and a herb blend before dredging for a more seasoned crust.

How to Store Creamy Chicken Piccata

Frequently Asked Questions

Creamy Chicken Piccata – 30-Minute Skillet Dinner

Golden pan-fried chicken in a lemon, caper and cream sauce, ready in about 30 minutes and served over angel hair pasta. A fast weeknight dinner.

15 minPrep time15 minCook time30 minTotal4Servings

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Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ⅓ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons caper
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
• 8 oz angel hair pasta (cooked, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1Butterfly and pound the chicken — Slice each breast horizontally so it opens like a book. Lay parchment on top and pound to about 1/4 inch thick. Season both sides well with salt and pepper.
2. 2Cut into four pieces — Cut each butterflied breast in half lengthwise. You should end up with 4 pieces, which cook faster and fit the pan better.
3. 3Dredge in flour — Put the flour in a wide shallow dish. Press each piece into it, then shake off the excess. A thin coat browns; a thick one turns gummy.
4. 4Fry until golden — Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the chicken 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden. Pull it out and set it aside on a plate.
5. 5Deglaze with wine — Pour the white wine into the hot pan and scrape up the browned bits. Cook about 1 minute, until it's reduced by half.
6. 6Add butter, garlic and capers — Drop in the butter, garlic and capers. Cook about 2 minutes, until it smells garlicky and the butter has melted into the wine.
7. 7Build the sauce — Stir in the lemon juice and chicken stock. Cook 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
8. 8Finish with cream and chicken — Stir in the cream, then return the chicken to the pan. Scatter the parsley over the top and turn the pieces to coat.
9. 9Simmer and serve — Simmer 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens a little more, then take the pan off the heat. Serve the chicken and sauce over the cooked angel hair pasta.

Food safety: Check the thickest part with a food thermometer. Poultry must reach 165°F (74°C); color alone is not reliable.

Cook's note: Pound the chicken evenly and use a thermometer. Those two things matter more than anything else here. Salt the sauce at the end, after the capers and stock are in, because both are already salty.

Servings: 4

Cuisine: Italian-American

Course: Main Course

RecipesCooker15 minutes15 minutes30 minutes

Written by Priya Raman
Priya writes about eggs and breakfast casseroles, cookies and bars, and slow cook breakfasts that feed a crowd without fuss. Her angle is flexible, budget-minded cooking: one base recipe that scales for two or for a holiday table, with clear notes on freezing and reheating. She keeps the writing light and story-first, then lands on a tight recipe card.