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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 on a plate with polenta and asparagus. wine one the table

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!

chicken on plate after cooking in skillet

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.

asparagus cooking in skillet

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.

chicken cooking in skillet with lemon sauce

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!

chicken with polenta and asparagus

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!

@halfbakedharvest

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♬ Just a Cloud Away – Pharrell Williams

Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Pesto Polenta

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
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

Polenta

US Customary – Metric

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.
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chicken with polenta, asparagus, and wine

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Comments

  1. Going to try this soon. Never had polenta before so I don’t know how it tastes, much less have I cooked it. It’s intimidating to me. But, will be the recipe to try it I think. With spring comes new things???
    Any extra advice on the polenta?

    Reply

    1. Hi Tab,
      I hope you love the recipe, just follow the instructions as is and you should be good! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Taylor,
      Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT

      Reply

    1. Hey Julie,
      Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT

      Reply

      1. 2 stars
        I tried this recipe. But I found the lemon sauce and 1/4 cup pesto both way to overpowering like they were competing for flavour. The polenta turned green there is so much pesto. Maybe the lemon sauce with plain polenta?

        Reply

        1. Hi Lisa,
          Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is any way that I can help! xTieghan

          Reply

  4. I made this tonight and we loved it! I’m wondering if we’re supposed to use 1/4 cup of the basil pesto or 2 tablespoons.

    Reply

    1. Hey Barbara,
      Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! Start with 2 tablespoons, use more if you like! xxT

      Reply

  5. Looking forward to making this for our dinner tonight. I will be using roasted Meyer Lemon juice. I made a few lemon meringue pies for Easter. I love the flavor of roasted Meyer Lemons. This recipe sounds perfect to use up that amazing juice I saved in the fridge!

    Reply

  6. Hi! I’m excited to try this. I love polenta, but the rest of my family doesn’t. Would mashed potatoes work with this dish as a substitute? Thank you!

    Reply

    3. Hey Sarah,
      Sure, mashed potatoes would be a great option! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx

      Reply

    1. Hi Michelle,
      Polenta is made from yellow corn, while grits are normally made from white corn. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Tieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Super delicious and easy! Followed the recipe exactly and as always, we loved it. I never make polenta, but I think it may now make its way into my kitchen from time to time. Thanks, Tieghan!

    Reply

    1. Hey Sarah,
      Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT

      Reply

    1. Hi there,
      That will change the flavor slightly, but yes that will work, you could also use chicken broth. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx

      Reply

  10. Question: I leave the asparagus in the pan and add the chicken back in on top? I didn’t see asparagus in the picture with the chicken in the pan above and want to get it right. 🙂 Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes – I’ve made dozens of your dishes and they are my go-to recipes!

    Reply

    2. Looks amazing! Any idea if i could substitute shrimp for chicken?? (Cooking for a friend who only does seafood or vege). Thanks!

      Reply

      1. Hi there,
        I would probably use a mild white fish like cod instead of shrimp. Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

        Reply

  11. 5 stars
    Great flavors. Love the lemon. I used fresh green beans instead of asparagus and made the polenta thicker. It was an amazing meal.

    Reply

  12. I love polenta dishes and an easy way to dress up chicken. Great recipe! Super fast especially with minimal prep at all- but feels like a long, cooked dish. Another great HBH addition!

    Reply

    2. Since I had surgery—My husband has been tackling all of your recipes and is super enjoying himself. We love them so much (especially the indian/thai flair ones) and cant wait to try this one!!

      Reply

  14. Making this soon. I’ve never cooked polenta before, think I’ll start with this one ? xx

    Reply