Chicken Thigh Piccata is made with juicy chicken thighs that are pounded flat, dredged in flour and pan fried until crisp then served in a luscious lemon butter sauce that's studded with capers. In Italy, piccata is traditionally made with veal cutlets, but this American-Italian version is just as delectable as the classic.
It's a quick, easy, and elegant meal for a weeknight dinner or any occasion. You’ll need to follow just a handful of simple steps to get this fragrant, flavorful dish on the table in just over 30 minutes.
Jump to:
Ingredients You Need to Make Chicken Thigh Piccata
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Flour: regular all-purpose flour
- Olive Oil: good quality extra-virgin olive oil
- Butter: salted butter or unsalted butter
- Chicken Broth: or chicken stock
- White Wine: a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice is key to the flavor of this dish - serve with fresh lemon slices for garnish if you like
- Capers: ideally non-pareil capers
- Parsley: ideally flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley)
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
What sets this recipe apart from others like it.
Searing the chicken thighs in a blend of butter and olive oil helps to evenly brown the surface and impart rich flavor without burning the butter. This blend of fats and browned bits from the skillet create an ideal base for the sauce. Chicken broth and white wine add body and are balanced by the acidity of fresh lemon juice and briny capers. A final dab of butter adds richness just before spooning the silky sauce over the crispy chicken thighs to serve.
Key Step with an Easier Option
The trick to perfect piccata is pounding the boneless, skinless chicken thighs to an even thickness so they’ll cook quickly and evenly. For minimal mess, tuck the chicken thighs between two pieces of plastic wrap (a zip-top bag works well for this) and pound the thighs to flatten with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
If you're short on time, you can skip the step of pounding the chicken thighs. They'll take a bit longer to cook and be succulent and flavorful, but won't have a typical cutlet texture.
How to Store
Store leftover Chicken Thigh Piccata in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For the best texture, reheat in a skillet on the stove over medium-low heat until heated through.
More Delicious Recipes with Chicken Thighs
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Ballotine
- Three Cup Chicken
- Coq au Vin Blanc
More Delicious Versions of Piccata
- Chicken Piccata (With an easy method for getting 3 even cutlets from 1 boneless skinless chicken breast.)
- Salmon Piccata
- Cod Piccata
- Pork Piccata
- Cauliflower Piccata
- Shrimp Piccata
How to Make Chicken Thigh Piccata
Pound chicken thighs to an even thickness with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Then dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
Cook pounded thighs in a sizzling blend of olive oil and butter until golden brown; arrange on a plate.
Add broth, wine, lemon juice and capers and simmer until reduced. Then add butter and stir until melted. Spoon sauce over thighs; garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Chicken Thigh Piccata
Ingredients
- 6 4-ounce boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- ½ cup chicken broth or chicken stock
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 large lemon juiced, ~3 tablespoons
- ¼ cup capers drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- thin slices of fresh lemon for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs between layers of plastic wrap or inside a plastic zip-top bag (or layers of plastic wrap) on a work surface and pound with meat mallet or rolling pin to ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each pounded chicken thigh in flour, shaking off any excess flour and transfer to clean plate. (Discard remaining flour.)
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 3 chicken thighs in a single layer and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes; flip and cook 4-5 minutes more, or until browned and just cooked through. Transfer to serving platter and tent with foil. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs.
- Add chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, and capers to same skillet and bring to boil. Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits, until sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir to melt; spoon sauce over chicken thighs. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices if using and serve.
Well done. Minimal ingredients make it super simple. Big hit in this house
That's wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know.
I loved your recipe. Only thing I did was to trim off the "silverskin". I have never been a big fan of it. It was delicious.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Richard! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know.
I'm normally not a huge fan of meats coated in bread or flour, but this Chicken Piccata looks terrific - so perfectly browned and crisp. And that rich and luscious sauce? Yes please!
Thanks so much, Ben!
Do I have to use capers
Hi Katie. If you don't care for capers, try coarsely chopped green olives as a substitute.
Chicken thighs are where the flavor's at! This looks like a delicious skillet, and I would be quite happy to see that in my kitchen. 🙂
This recipe sounds so tasty, Marissa. I know a few people (and then some) who would flip for this. I love your step-by-step photos, too. Such a great guide. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks so much, Valentina!
I love piccata and have tried it with fish and chicken breast before...using chicken thigh is just brilliant and yours turned out simply perfect.
aww...thanks so much, Angie!