Quick Chicken Piccata Pasta (Printable Version)

Chicken breasts cooked with lemon, capers, and pasta for a bright, tangy, and quick meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - ½ teaspoon salt
03 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
04 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Sauce

07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
09 - ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
10 - ¼ cup capers, drained and rinsed
11 - ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
12 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

→ Pasta

14 - 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
15 - Salt for pasta water

→ Garnish (optional)

16 - Lemon slices
17 - Extra chopped parsley

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti or linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water.
02 - Slice each chicken breast horizontally to create 4 thin cutlets. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in flour, shaking off excess.
03 - Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken cutlets and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
04 - Add garlic to the skillet and sauté for 30 seconds. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up browned bits. Add lemon juice, capers, and chicken broth; simmer 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced.
05 - Lower heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons butter until melted and the sauce is glossy. Return chicken to the skillet and spoon sauce over the cutlets.
06 - Add drained pasta to the skillet, tossing gently to coat. Add reserved pasta water if needed to achieve a silky consistency.
07 - Plate pasta and place chicken on top. Spoon extra sauce over and garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's genuinely faster than ordering takeout, and tastes infinitely better.
  • The sauce comes together in the same pan, so cleanup is almost an afterthought.
  • Lemon and capers make it feel fancy without requiring fancy technique.
02 -
  • If you skip flattening the chicken, it won't cook evenly and some parts will be dry while others are still thick—taking two minutes to butterfly it changes everything.
  • Don't let the sauce reduce too much before adding the pasta or it'll be overly concentrated and salty, but letting it bubble for at least a couple of minutes means the flavors actually blend.
03 -
  • If your sauce seems too thin after adding the pasta, a splash more pasta water and a minute of simmering will thicken it naturally without making it heavy.
  • Make sure your pan is truly hot before the chicken goes in so you get that audible sizzle—hesitation in the pan means hesitation in the crust.
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