The chicken limone recipe or piccata al limone is a traditional Italian dish. It is made with chicken breast browned in olive oil, then sauteed in butter and lemon juice. An incredibly delicious and easy chicken recipe perfect for your weeknight dinner. Ready to lick your lips?

Chickens piccata al limone recipe on plates with arugula and lemons slices around.

This chicken limone recipe was a regular dish that my mum was serving to us, along with bread and a variety of vegetables. If you are looking for more chicken recipes here are some ideas for you: try this chicken sauteed in peppers and tomato sauce or this perfect Sunday stuffed chicken roast. Moreover, if you like spicy food this marined chicken with Greek yogurt will be a great hit.

Why you'll love this chicken piccata al limone recipe

Ready in a short time. This chicken recipe is perfect for those days when you are in a rush or don't have time to prepare a big meal. But without compromising the flavor.

Family recipe. This is by far the ideal recipe to serve your family. Kids love chicken and also recipes with a simple flavor. I'm sure this dish will be gone in a blink of an eye.

Dipping sauce. Be prepared to obsess yourself with this mouthwatering lemony and buttery sauce. I am sure you will be ready to dip a ton of bread slices.

Hands dropping the sauce over the Chicken piccata al limone recipe.

You'll find that the regular chicken piccata al limone has cappers, while in this recipe are not present. The reason is that the cappers will create more salty flour. Also, it doesn't meet everyone's taste. The final look of the dish will be so appetizing, a tender golden chicken served with a silky buttery sauce infused with fresh lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

The ingredients to make this delicious chicken limone recipe are simple and you may already have them in your fridge or pantry. Here is what you need:

Chicken breast- Try to buy a good quality chicken breast without the skin. I try to buy organic chicken as it is fed with corn, it is free to roam and happy. Also, the meat doesn't shrink once is cooked.
Flour- Use plain flour to dust the chicken breast. It will give a beautiful golden color to the fillets and it will thicken up the sauce.
Salt- Maldon salt for me.
Extra virgin olive oil- It is the base oil that we use in Italy to cook and make the dressing. It works great for all Italian recipes.
Unsalted butter- It gives the sauce a beautiful creamy texture.
White wine- Use dry white wine to deglaze the chicken and sauce.
Lemon juice- Make sure to use freshly pressed lemon juice without the stones. It will give a delicate citrusy note to the chicken piccata al limone.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION*

*Note: this is just a quick introduction. Please read the recipe card for the full instructions.

As I mentioned before this chicken piccata al limone recipe is super easy and it is done without doing any effort. Also, it uses just one pan to cook which reduces the amount of washing up to wash, as it can be quite annoying after a long working day.

Slice the chicken breast

Hand slicing the chicken breast with a knife on a surface.

Cut the chicken breast half lengthwise so you have thin cutlets. Place the chicken cutlets between two pieces of baking paper and pound them gently with a rolling pin*.

*Note: the reason to bash the cutlets is to get them enough thin so they will cook fast and even. However, If you live in Italy you will find already bashed cutlets in the stores.

Coat each chicken cutlet into the flour and make sure to shake off any excess flour.

Sauteed the chicken

Cutles in a frying pan with some butter.

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil, and once is hot place the cutlets. Let them brown well on one side before turning them. Once all the sides are golden brown add the butter. Pour the white wine and turn the heat high as the alcohol needs to evaporate. Every now and then flip the chicken, this way the cutlets will remain moist. Also, from time to time swirl the pan to bind the sauce.

Ready chicken breast in a frying pan with lemon slices.

Tip the lemon juice into the frying pan and swirl the pan again. Let it cook for one minute and serve them immediately.

VARIATION

Meat. Instead of the chicken breast, you can definitely use a thin veal fillet. However, they can be quite expensive.

Vegetable. Serve this chicken limone recipe with salads, arugula, green beans, or asparagus. In fact, any vegetables will work wonderfully with this dish.

Ready chicken piccata al limone recipe on plates with arugula on the side.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How to store the leftover?

Fridge- Store the leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat the cutlets in a frying pan by adding some water, this way they will remain soft. I don't recommend using the microwave to reheat the chicken, as it tends to dry up the meat.

Freeze- Freeze the cutlets in a container with a lid. When needed defrost it in the fridge for 12 hours before and then warm it up in a frying pan adding some water.

Can I add cream?

It is not necessary to add cream to the sauce as it is already creamy and silky. The authentic chicken limone recipe doesn't call for any cream.

Can I add the cappers to the piccata al limone?

Yes, of course. Add 2 tablespoons of cappers in brine shortly after the butter. Make sure to wash them before, to remove any excess salt.

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Chicken with lemons and arugula on a plate

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5 from 4 votes

Chicken limone recipe

A tender chicken piccata al limone recipe with a silky buttery sauce and a delicate lemon tang. An easy dish perfect for a weeknight when you want to cook something tasty but quick.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 523kcal

Equipment

1 Chopping board
1 Knife to slice the chicken breast
2 Baking paper sheet
1 Rolling Pin
1 Frying pan

Ingredients

540 gr chicken breast around 3
50 gr flour plain flour
½ teaspoon Maldon salt
4 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
100 gr unsalted butter
90 ml white wine dry
20 ml lemon juice freshly squeeze

Optional

6 slices unwaxed lemon
2 tablespoon cappers in brine washed

Instructions

Cut the chicken breast half lengthwise so you have thin cutlets. Place the chicken cutlets between two pieces of baking paper and pound them gently with a rolling pin. The reason to bash the cutlets is to get them enough thin so they will cook fast and even.
Coat each chicken cutlet into the flour and make sure to shake off any excess flour.
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil on high heat. Once hot, place the cutlets into the frying pan and let them brown well on one side before turning them.
Once all the sides are golden brown add the butter and turn the heat to medium. From time to time swirl the pan to bind the sauce.
Pour the white wine and turn the heat high as the alcohol needs to evaporate, once the butter is melted. Every now and then flip the chicken, this way the cutlets will remain moist. Also, from time to time swirl the pan to bind the sauce.
Once the alcohol is evaporated add the lemon slices (optional) into the frying pan and tip the lemon juice into the frying pan and swirl the pan again to bind the sauce. Let it cook for two minutes and serve them immediately.

Notes