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Chicken Piccata with Linguine

A Classic American-Italian dish. Chicken Piccata is fork tender with a buttery and lemony caper sauce that is so rich and velvety.

Course chicken, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Buttery Chicken, Chicken Pasta Dinner, Chicken Piccata, Lemon and Caper Butter Sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author The Tiny Fairy

Ingredients

Linguine Pasta

  • 12 oz linguine pasta ¾ of a 1 lb. box
  • water for pasta
  • kosher salt and olive oil for pasta

Chicken Piccata

  • 2 skinless & boneless chicken breasts
  • kosher salt prefer Diamond brand
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • all-purpose flour for dredging plus 2 Tablespoons for the sauce
  • 7 Tablespoons room temperature, unsalted butter, divided highly recommend PLUGRA butter
  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • cup capers, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • Garnish: parsley and lemon slices
  • Optional: freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

For the Pasta

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a three-finger pinch of salt and drizzle a little olive oil into the pot. Cook the pasta al dente. Remove and drain well.

Making the Chicken Piccata

  1. Butterfly the chicken breasts completely through to separate the breasts in half. Cover with plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thick. Pat dry both sides with paper towels and season with kosher salt and pepper. Dredge in all-purpose flour and shake off any excess. Set aside.

  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt and combine 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter with 2 Tablespoons of good olive oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves to infuse the oil and remove once golden. When the butter and oil begins to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and sauté undisturbed for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Flip and sauté the other side for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove and transfer to a plate.

  3. Add 1 Tablespoon each of unsalted butter and olive oil to the pan and sauté the remaining two pieces of chicken 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove and transfer to the plate.

  4. Make a roux by adding 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter and 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose butter to the skillet. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers. Bring to a boil over medium to high heat and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.

  5. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat. Then transfer the chicken to a plate.

  6. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter to the skillet and whisk until the butter melts and the sauce shines. Reserve 1/4 cup of the sauce. Add the drained pasta and parsley to the sauce. Toss and coat evenly.

  7. Transfer the pasta to a platter, nestle the chicken on the pasta and pour the reserved sauce over the chicken. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

    Optional: Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese over each plated dish, as desired.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes double the sauce since it is served with pasta.  If making just the chicken cutlets, halve the sauce ingredients. 

Using quality butter, fresh lemons and briny capers will make a huge difference.  

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis