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Quick and easy Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Pesto Polenta. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden with fresh lemon and butter. The chicken is finished in a simple white wine pan sauce with garlic asparagus. It’s simple but mouthwatering. Especially when served over creamy pesto parmesan polenta. Everything together is delicious and perfect for spring and summer cooking.
Chicken piccata is the essential spring dinner. It’s lighter, yet has a touch of coziness to it. Making it great for the all-over-the-place springtime weather. But most importantly, it’s just a simple, delicious dinner to serve on hectic weeknights.
Chicken piccata is traditionally a one-pan recipe, so right out of the gate, we know it’s going to be easy to prepare!
Details – start with the piccata
If you’ve made chicken parmesan, this is similar. In fact, my recipe uses parmesan in the coating (because why not add some yummy parmesan to the mix!). Dredge the chicken through a mix of flour and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Then pan-sear it in a hot skillet. This allows the chicken to form a nice golden crust on the outside and gives the sauce something to cling to. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.
If your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. Or do what I do. Take the chicken breasts and simply slice them in half. It’s not the right way to make chicken cutlets, but it works.
Pull the chicken out of the pan, add the asparagus, and cook in a little butter and garlic. Then add in the wine plus lemon juice. Next, add the chicken back and let everything simmer until the sauce thickens a bit.
The polenta
Making polenta is easy, especially when using instant polenta.
Simply boil water, whisk in the polenta, then add butter, parmesan, and pesto. It takes maybe 10 minutes total and always turns out creamy and so delicious. Our family loves a creamy polenta side dish.
The chicken soaks up all that delicious buttery pan sauce. It’s perfectly seasoned with lemon. And I love the addition of the springtime asparagus. It’s such an underused vegetable that shockingly, every person in my family enjoys.
Polenta is surprisingly satisfying, it’s the perfect creamy base for the saucy chicken. Everything about this Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata comes together easily and effortlessly. Just what we all need!
Looking for other spring dinner recipes? Here are some favorites:
Easiest One Pan Caprese Pesto Orzo Bake
Quick Wontons in Chili Oil with Asparagus
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado
Sheet Pan Lemon Brown Butter Salmon and Potatoes
Lastly, if you make this Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Pesto Polenta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Pesto Polenta
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 811 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets, or 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (can use GF flour too)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons capers
Polenta
- 1 cup dry instant polenta
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour and parmesan in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour mix, pressing to adhere.2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet.3. To the same skillet, add the butter, asparagus, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, capers, and thyme, cook another 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, cook 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, until warmed through.4. Meanwhile, make the polenta. Bring 3 cups water to a boil over medium heat in a medium pot. Whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta is soft and thickening, 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, parmesan, and 2 tablespoons pesto. 5. Spoon the polenta onto plates. Add the chicken and asparagus. Then spoon over the pan sauce. Finish with basil.
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: replace the flour with almond flour, or your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
So, this is my second time making chicken piccata. I don’t remember liking capers, but figured I would give it another go because it has been almost ten years since I’ve made this dish. I confirmed I do not like capers, so this recipe isn’t my favorite. BUT, it’s only because I don’t like capers, and I can’t fault the recipe because of my taste buds. Every other element of this dish was delicious, and the polenta deserves 5 stars on its own. I mean, seriously, chefs kiss for the best polenta I’ve ever had.
Hey Tammi,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear you enjoyed, minus the capers:) Let me know if you give it another try! xx
Made it! Loved it! (I couldn’t find polenta in my NC grocery store, so I used yellow cornmeal grits, otherwise followed exactly!)
Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Beth,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Such a great meal! I love the pesto-polenta pairing! And the sauce has just the right amount of lemon. Super easy to make. I will definitely be making this one again!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Sunday!!❄️ I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! xx