I can’t tell you how much we love this weeknight chicken piccata pasta! It is loaded with flavor and makes a wonderful weeknight meal.
It’s made with seared chicken cutlets tossed generously with a rich lemon caper sauce, and so is the spaghetti pasta. You will absolutely fall in love with this easy dinner! It’s one of our go-to’s, especially when it gets busy.
Chicken piccata is a popular Italian dish made with chicken cutlets served with a rich butter lemon caper sauce. A lot of times, pasta is served on the side, but I’ve always found that there isn’t enough sauce for it.
In this recipe, I adjusted the ingredients and consistency of the sauce so that it doubles up as the sauce for the chicken and the pasta. It’s well-balanced and everything comes together perfectly!
Speaking of the sauce, it’s buttery, bright and citrusy. And don’t underestimate the tiny capers – they pack in SO MUCH flavor.
This dish comes together in just 35 minutes, and it’s got lots of bright lemony flavors.
Need more weeknight chicken pasta dinners? Try this Chicken Pesto Pasta, Chicken Florentine, and Chicken Bruschetta Pasta.
Why I love making chicken piccata pasta:
- Rich lemony flavors. It all comes down to the sauce. It’s rich but not heavy, and it’s packed with citrusy and buttery flavors.
- This recipe has enough sauce with the right consistency for both the chicken and the pasta.
- Great for weeknights. With minimal prep, this meal comes together in just 35 minutes.
- Versatile. You can make it with salmon or other proteins as well. Or throw in a handful of your favorite veggies.
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this quick and easy chicken piccata pasta. Below are a few ingredient notes from recipe testing. As always, the ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Thin spaghetti: Feel free to use any type of long pasta such as fettuccine, bucatini or linguini.
- Chicken cutlets: I use 3 medium sized cutlets that are ¼ inch thick. I use a meat tenderizer to pound them thin.
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour: Coating for the chicken that will give it that golden brown color along with helping to thicken up the sauce.
- Shallots: Minced and offers a milder flavoring then onions.
- Garlic: Just a few cloves, minced, to provide fragrant aroma and flavors.
- White wine: I use Sauvignon Blanc, but you can use any dry white cooking wine. If you don’t want to use wine, substitute with additional broth.
- Chicken broth: A base for the sauce that provides rich flavors.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed.
- Lemon, thinly sliced pieces for the sauce to boost citrus flavor.
- Capers: A few tablespoons is all that is needed to aid in flavo, drained.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the sauce, and also helps to thicken it.
- Italian parsley: Freshly chopped to garnish dish.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
This chicken piccata pasta recipe is very simple to make. Let me show you how in a few steps, along with some helpful tips!
Step 1 | Cook pasta and chicken
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Make sure to reserve a cup of starchy pasta water for later. Drain pasta then rise with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, and dredge with flour, shaking off any excess. The flour will give it a golden brown color and also help thicken the sauce. Then, in a large skillet, cook the cutlets on both sides until cooked through in the center. Remove and set aside.
Step 2 | Make the lemon caper sauce
In the same pan, add in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until fragrant, just 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add in the capers and deglaze with wine, scraping the brown bits.
Then stir in the broth, freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon slices. You can season with additional salt and pepper, but I didn’t find this necessary.
Step 3 Ӏ Return chicken and simmer
Place the cooked chicken back into the pan, nesting it under the sauce. Cook on low for about 2 minute. The sauce should thicken slightly. Then, remove from the pan.
Step 4 | Thicken sauce, add pasta
Turn off the heat. Add remaining butter and stir until sauce is thickened and looks glossy (if the heat is on, the butter will liquify and the sauce will not thicken). Spoon half of the pan sauce over the chicken and leave the rest in the pan.
Then, toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Use some of the reserved pasta water if needed.
To serve, garnish with freshly chopped Italian parsley. And there you have it, a delicious chicken piccata pasta in just a few simple steps!
Tips for Success
- Trim and pound meat to ¼ inch thickness. The thinner it is, the faster it will cook. Plus, chicken piccata is traditionally made with thin cutlets.
- The flour coating gives the chicken a golden brown color along with helping to thicken up the sauce since we are not adding flour.
- Reserve pasta water. You may need it later to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
- Use freshly squeezed lemons for best flavors.
- When thickening sauce, add the butter with the heat off. The butter helps to thicken the sauce and make it richer. If the heat is on, the butter will liquify and the sauce will not thicken.
Prep Ahead Tips
Here is how I prep the ingredients so I can make it less time during those busy weeknights:
- Pound the cutlets to ¼ inch thickness. This can be done by using a meat mallet. Season them generously then refrigerate in a sealed container or bag.
- Mince the aromatics (shallots and garlic), and squeeze or slice up the lemons. Refrigerate in separate sealed containers or bags. This can be done 1 to 2 days ahead.
- When ready to cook, follow instructions on the recipe card.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
I love keeping things simple and enjoy this chicken piccata pasta either as is or with fresh bread. You can also complement this dish with bread, a salad or a side of veggies.
Bread: My absolute favorite fresh bread is this Cheesy Garlic Bread. It is very cheesy, buttery and oh so garlicky.
Salad: Both my Panzanella Salad and Italian Chopped Salad pair perfectly with this dish as it’s loaded with delicious veggies. It is simple, yet flavorful.
Vegetables: A side of vegetables can complement and round out any meal. These Lemon Green Beans and Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccoli are great choices.
More Weeknight Pasta Recipes
Pasta recipes are an excellent option for weeknight dinners because they come together in 30 minutes or less. These are a handful of my favorites from the blog.
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo: A classic dish that is perfect after a long day.
- Chicken Tortellini Alfredo: Creamy and cozy. The best meal to enjoy after a busy day.
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta: An Italian inspired dish using spinach and tasty sun dried tomatoes.
- Creamy Lemon Pasta: A bright and citrusy, yet cozy pasta!
Recipe FAQs
Split each breast in half lengthwise and pound with a meat mallet (with plastic on top to prevent splatters).
Yes. In place, use additional broth. The wine is mainly used to deglaze the brown bits.
The starchy water is added to help create a smoother sauce. You may need to add a splash to bring it to optimal consistency.
Green olives or small pickle cornichons would be the best swap. Just like capers, they are salty and savory giving the dish that pop in flavor and color.
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Chicken Piccata Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ pound thin spaghetti - or your favorite pasta
- 4 thin chicken cutlets - about ¼ inch thin, one thick breast yields 2 cutlets
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Olive oil - for the pan
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ½ cup white wine - I use Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth - plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - or to taste
- ½ a lemon - thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons capers - drained
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter - divided
- Freshly chopped Italian parsley - for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente in generously salted water. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water for later. Drain and set aside.
- Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper generously (about ¼ tsp salt per cutlet). Dredge each cutlet with flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until golden brown and fully cooked through in the center. Remove and set aside.
- To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté the shallots and garlic for about 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Then, add the capers and wine and scrape the brown bits (use a wooden spoon to avoid scratching).
- Next, stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice (to taste), and the lemon slices. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a low simmer, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Then remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate. Leave the sauce in the pan.
- Turn off the heat. Then, immediately add 3 tablespoons of butter into the sauce and stir until thickened and glossy. Spoon half of the lemon sauce and garnishes over the chicken. Leave the other half of the sauce in the pan.
- Then, toss the cooked pasta with the sauce in the skillet, plus some of the reserved pasta water as needed to achieve the right consistency.
- Top the pasta with the chicken and sauce. Garnish with Italian parsley and more lemon slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- Split each chicken breast in half and pound to ¼ inch thickness. Use a meat mallet with plastic wrap on top to avoid splashing.
- Do not overcook the pasta. Keep it al dente since it will finish cooking with the sauce later.
- Add the butter with the heat off to thicken the sauce. The butter helps to thicken the sauce and make it richer. If the heat is on, the butter will melt too fast and the sauce will not thicken.
- Storage: Place in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stove top or microwave until warmed through. If pasta is sticking together, add a drizzle of olive oil to loosen.
- Chicken cutlets: Chicken thighs.
- Other types of protein: Salmon, pork chops or veal
- Pasta: Angel hair, fettuccine, bucatini or linguini
Capers: Green olives or pickled cornichons, diced - Veggie add-ins: Mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, asparagus.
- If omitting wine, use chicken broth to deglaze the pan
nadine Henning says
Can you make this ahead of time – If so do you make the entire dish or just do the chicken and make sauce – store separately and than reheat ?? Looking forward to making for a birthday dinner
Tania says
Hi Nadine! I would do the chicken and sauce separately, then reheat so it doesn’t get soggy. Happy birthday!
Danielle Crawford says
Delicious
Therese says
Absolutely delicious! Easy to follow, simple ingredients, and the results were amazing. This recipe is a keeper. I’ll definitely be making it again and again and again!
MAbe says
This was absolutely delicious! I do not like the taste of capers so I subbed them with green olives like you suggested and everyone loved this dish.
Jamie says
This was soooo delicious!
Tania says
Thank you so much!
Melba Kesterman says
Made this tonight! It was a winner and so easy!!
Ives Harkins says
My husband likes this recipe.
Tania says
thank you!
Tami says
Soo good. Did not use the white wine. I have never made this before and the family absolutely loved it. Dad said it was melting in his mouth. Accidentally bought Angel hair and it was wonderful too.
Rachael E. says
Can you freeze this for later use?
Tania says
Yup, definitely!
Matthew says
Great recipe! Loved the flavors and the capers in this chicken pasta dish. It had plenty of lemon flavor without being overpowering.