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Chicken Piccata Pasta is an easy and lighter version of traditional chicken piccata. You’ll love the fresh and tangy flavor of the white wine, lemon, butter sauce! It’s perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions.
If you love lemon, pops of briny flavor, chicken and pasta, then you will love this Chicken Piccata Pasta. If you’ve had traditional chicken piccata then you’ll likely appreciate this lighter version with the addition of some cozy carbs. It’s an easy weeknight meal as well as being a great option for a special occasion.
What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian chicken dish made with lemon, butter and capers. The chicken is pounded out thin, dredged in flour and then sautés in butter. A pan sauce is then made with additional butter, lemon juice, garlic, white wine and capers.
What Do I Need to Make the Pasta?
- Chicken breasts
- Flour
- Olive oil and butter
- Garlic
- Shallot
- White wine, something dry such as pinot grigio
- Lemon juice (fresh not bottled)
- Chicken broth
- Capers
- Flat leaf parsley
- Pasta such as penne or rigatoni
Instead of pounding out the chicken breasts and cooking them whole like the traditional recipes call for, I cut mine into cubes. This way you get a piece of chicken and pasta in every bite and don’t have to cut it up with a knife as you eat.
The chicken pieces are tossed in just enough flour to give them a crispy crust and then they’re sautéed in olive oil. Once the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, remove it from the skillet and onto a plate. You’ll notice there will be quite a few brown bits left in the skillet and this is a good thing as they’ll add lots of flavor to the pan sauce.
The sauce is made by sautéing shallots and garlic in either olive oil or butter. Flour is then added as a thickener for the sauce. Once the raw flour taste cooks out, pour in the wine. You’ll want to use a wooden spoon or something similar that won’t scratch your pan to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
The final steps are to pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and stir until the lumps are gone and the sauce is thickened and smooth. Finish by adding in the capers, parsley, chicken and cooked pasta. Toss everything together and it’s ready to serve!
Salads to Serve with the Chicken Piccata
- Lemon Parmesan Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Spring Pea Salad
- Roasted Beet, Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
Grilled Chicken and Asparagus Pesto Pasta
Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
Tomato Basil Pasta with Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Chicken Piccata Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, or gluten free
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup diced shallot
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 12 ounces uncooked penne pasta, gluten free if needed
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions while you make the chicken.
- Toss the cubed chicken in 1 tablespoon of flour until coated. Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the chicken until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove it from the skillet and onto a plate. Return the skillet to the heat and reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the tablespoon of butter, shallots and garlic to the skillet. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in the wine and reduce the liquid for approximately 1 minute. Whisk the lemon juice and chicken broth into sauce. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the capers and parsley. When the sauce comes to a bubble, add the chicken back to the skillet along with the pasta and heat through. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
