Chicken Piccata Pasta - A light and zesty pasta dish made with lemon juice, capers, and cream. It's the perfect comfort food dish to enjoy anytime.
I love a good, simple dinner option. One that comes together in no time and is packed with flavor. This Chicken Piccata Pasta is one recipe that you may already have all the ingredients on hand. It is a dish that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but truthfully, it takes only 20 minutes! With diced chicken, a creamy lemon sauce, and tender pasta combined, your taste buds will thank you each and every time you make this!
What is Chicken Piccata?
Piccata describes meat, usually veal or chicken, that is sliced, dredged in flour, browned, then served in a sauce containing lemon juice, butter, and capers. The sauce tastes tart from the lemon juice and pickled capers, however, the cream cuts down on this making it the ultimate comfort food meal.
Chicken Piccata Pasta Ingredients
Using a few pantry staple ingredients, this dish comes together in no time! Scroll below for printable recipe card with full ingredient amounts and directions.
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Breast- boneless/skinless, diced
- Salt and Black Pepper-to taste
- Garlic- minced
- Chicken Broth
- Lemon Zest- or lemon slices
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Spaghetti- uncooked, broken in half
- Capers- these are salty, so you may want to rinse them before using them
- Heavy Whipping Cream
How to make Chicken Piccata
- Add olive oil to your Dutch Oven (or similar sized pot if you don’t have a Dutch Oven).
- Heat oil over medium heat and add in diced chicken pieces.
- Season with salt/pepper and cook until chicken is no longer pink.
- Add in the minced garlic and allow to simmer with the cooked chicken bits for about 30 seconds, stirring consistently.
- Pour in the chicken stock broth, lemon juice, spaghetti, and capers. Turn up to medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.
- Allow to simmer for about 10-13 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Stir in the heavy cream and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon zest and serve! Enjoy!
What are capers?
According to Food Network, Capers come from a prickly bush called capparis spinosa that grows wild across the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. The capers we see in the grocery store are the un-ripened green flower buds of the plant. Once they're picked, the immature buds are dried and then preserved. Capers are either cured in salt or pickled in brine, which is what gives capers their trademark savory, briny flavor profile. The taste of a caper is reminiscent of the lemony tang and brininess of green olives, but with a smack of floral tartness all their own. Because they're packed in brine, capers also boast a bold salty, savory flavor profile.
Alternative Ingredients
After you've made this great recipe the first time, you can allow yourself to get creative in the kitchen the next time you make it again. There are always different ways to switch up a recipe to better meet your personal preference!
- Fresh Parsley is a great option if you're a huge parsley fan!
- Parmesan cheese (hard not to love a little Parmesan cheese on top of pasta)
- Garlic powder can be used if you can't get your hands on fresh garlic
Storing and Reheating
This recipe makes lots of food so you will almost certainly have leftovers!
Refrigerator: store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: due to the pasta, the texture makes this a dish that doesn’t freeze well. The pasta becomes a bit mushy, and therefore not enjoyable.
To reheat: place desired portion into microwave for about 1 minute. If you would like to reheat over the stove, you can place in a skillet with a splash of lemon juice and water and stir until heated through.
The Best Types of Pasta for Piccata Pasta
For this dish, I recommend a sturdy pasta. I personally love Spaghetti in this, however, there are lots of other options too.
- Linguine
- Fettuccine
- Bucatini
- Penne
- Fusili
- Cavatappi
Since the sauce gets absorbed into the pasta, I recommend cooking the pasta about 1-2 minutes before al dente as this helps the pasta to hold up and stay sturdy enough for the sauce to coat it thoroughly.
What to serve with Chicken Piccata Pasta
Add one or two of these side dishes full of delicious flavors to make a complete meal.
- Garlic Pull Apart Bread
- Parmesan Roasted Carrots
- Cheesy Zucchini Bake
- Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Kitchen Tools used for this recipe (Affiliate links)
Garlic Press– this makes mincing garlic easy and quick
Cast Iron Dutch Oven– this is perfect for cooking the chicken, combining everything together, plus it’s the perfect soup pot
Citrus Juicer– this juices the fresh lemons (and even limes for different recipes)
Zester– this is my go-to for zesting lemons in this recipe
More Easy Chicken recipes to try
An easy chicken dish often makes for the perfect dish on a busy weeknight. Check out these easy recipes for your next chicken dish!
- Tomato Basil Chicken
- One Skillet Pesto Chicken and Veggies
- Lemon Basil Chicken (if you loved the lemon chicken in this dish, check this recipe out)
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Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast *boneless/skinless, diced
- salt/pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 8 oz spaghetti *uncooked, broken in half
- ¼ cup capers
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Add olive oil to your Dutch Oven (or similar sized pot if you don't have a Dutch Oven).
- Heat oil over medium and add in diced chicken.
- Season with salt/pepper and cook until chicken is no longer pink.
- Add in the minced garlic and allow to simmer for about 30 seconds, stirring consistently.
- Pour in the chicken broth, lemon juice, spaghetti, and capers.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.
- Allow to simmer for about 10-13 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Stir in the heavy whipping cream and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon zest and serve! Enjoy!
Beth Phillips says
CAN I DO THIS WITHOUT THE CREAM?
Kristin says
You will want to use something to thicken it up a bit, but you can use half and half if desired!