Chicken piccata pasta is a recipe I created because my daughters loved the creamy sauce from chicken piccata and would scrape the pan to get as much of the lemon butter sauce as possible on their plate. So I thought why not just make the piccata sauce so it can go over the pasta? This dish has all the flavors of traditional chicken piccata, but I toss everything together with penne pasta. The delicious flavors in this dish make the entire family happy to eat dinner. It’s perfect for busy weeknights and the simple ingredients are easy to find.
Here’s what you need to make chicken piccata pasta:
Chicken Breast– You will need 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Butter & Olive Oil– You will need 6 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Shallots– You will need about 1 shallot, diced to give you 1/4 cup. You can also substitute red onion or yellow onion if that’s all you have on hand. If using a red onion, it will stand out in the dish because of the color.
Cremini Mushrooms– You need 8 oz. of cremini mushrooms. Also known as Baby Bellas, these are smaller than the big Portabella, but give off a similar rich earthy taste.
White Wine and Chicken Stock– You need 1/2 cup of white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock or broth. Any white wine works, pick something you like to drink. A dry white wine, like Chardonnay, is good or even a Sauvignon blanc would work. If you do not want to use wine it is ok to substitute chicken stock. Vegetable stock also works in this recipe.
Fresh Lemon Juice– You will need 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. Depending on the size and amount of juice you get from a lemon. You will probably need 2-3 lemons. I do not recommend using bottled lemon juice as this does not taste fresh and because lemon is the star of this sauce you do not want to take this shortcut.
Capers and Olives– You will need 4 tbsps capers and 1/2 cup green Castelvetrano olives. The olives come whole with a pit, I just leave them as is, but if you want to take the time you could remove the pit and cut them in half.
Pasta- You need about 12 oz of dried penne pasta. You could use any variety of pasta you like, I like penne because the sauce can get trapped in the center and makes for a perfect bite.
How to make chicken piccata pasta:
Make the pasta
Begin by making the pasta. Follow the package instructions or bring a large pot of water to boil and before adding the noodles add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. Cook pasta 11-12 minutes for al dente or according to package directions. Before draining the pasta I always recommend setting aside some reserved pasta water just in case the pasta is a little dry at the end.
Prep the chicken
While the pasta is cooking cut up the chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes, I suggest 1/2 inch because you want small bite-size pieces; feel free to cut them as small or as big as you would like it’s really a personal preference—next, season chicken with salt and pepper on all sides. Put the chicken into a ziplock bag and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Seal the bag and shake until all the chicken is evenly coated with flour. Set the bag aside until it’s time to cook.
Prep the veggies and measure out liquids
Finely dice the shallot and roughly chop the mushrooms. Measure out the chicken stock and white wine. Slice the lemons in half and squeeze them into a small bowl or cup. Remove any seeds that may have fallen in. You can also measure out the capers and olives if you want to.
Let’s cook!
Begin by warming a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil and as the butter melts swirl the pan around to combine the two. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken starts to turn brown and is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving behind any butter or oil in the pan. Lower to medium heat.
Next, add more butter and olive oil to the pan and add the shallots and mushrooms. Stir the mixture to combine and then let it sit only stirring occasionally so the mushrooms can brown. If you are not using mushrooms, the shallots will only take about 2 minutes to soften and start to brown.
After that, pour the wine in to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let reduce for about 1-2 minutes. Now add in the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, briny capers, and olives. Bring this to a simmer and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Then add the chicken back to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together and cook long enough to warm the chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low. Finish the sauce by whisking in 4 tbsps of butter until fully combined and slightly thickened and creamy.
Remove from the heat. Add cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. If the pasta seems dry add a little bit of the reserved pasta water. Scoop into large pasta bowls and enjoy! If you happen to have some fresh parsley it’s a perfect garnish to freshen the whole dish up. The lemon caper sauce is so tasty and delicious that your taste buds will thank you!
More recipes to try!
Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata Pasta takes the classic dish of chicken cutlets and combines all the flavors into a pasta dish. Cubed chicken and shallots are sautéed and then added to a sauce flavored with lemon, capers, wine, and butter then it’s all tossed together with penne pasta.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cubed in 1/2- inch pieces
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup shallots, diced
- *8 oz, cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped (*optional)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2-3 lemons for 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 tbsps capers, drained
- 1/2 cup green Castelvetranos olives
- 12 oz. Penne pasta
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
2. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
3. Add cubed chicken and 1 tbsp flour to a ziplock bag. Seal the bag tightly and then shake and toss to coat the chicken.
4. Warm a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Swirl around until melted and combined.
5. Add chicken pieces to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.
6. Remove only chicken from the pan (leaving behind any butter or oil) to a plate and set aside.
7. Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Add shallots and mushrooms (if using) and cook until soft and lightly golden about 5 minutes.
8. Deglaze pan by adding wine. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes
9. Add stock, lemon juice, capers, and olives. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Add chicken and any juices on the plate, back into the pan to warm up. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper.
11. Finish the sauce by whisking in 4 tbsps of butter until fully combined and slightly thickened and creamy. Remove from the heat. Add pasta to the pan and stir to combine. If the pasta seems dry add a little bit of the reserved pasta water.
12. Serve in pasta bowls and enjoy.
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Notes
- The recipe calls for chicken stock or broth, but vegetable stock can also be used.
- If you don't want to use white wine, chicken or vegetable stock can be substituted.
- Mushrooms are optional, but I highly recommend using them!
