Next Post
Easy Homemade Flour Tortillas.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
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.
This was so easy to make and so delicious! Thanks for creating another phenomenal dinner recipe ?
Hey Alison,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go and sharing your feedback!! I love to hear that it was a winner:) xTieghan
Yum!!!! This was great and didn’t take a lot of time. My asparagus sucked up all the lemon so next time I’m going to take out the asparagus before adding the lemon and wine.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go and sharing your feedback!! I love to hear that it was a winner:) xTieghan
Outstanding!!! So many flavors, and the polenta was a huge hit!
Hey Katie,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Delicious! This was an easy weeknight meal that felt fancy enough to be a date night specialty
Hey Alden,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xxT
This was such a hit with my family I made it twice this week! Second time that I made it I had only Pecorino for the polenta and was delicious!!! I’ve got it memorized and will have this favorite on repeat!!!! Thank you Teighan. ❤️
Hey Lisa,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
I have never made one of your recipes and been disappointed! This one is no exception. Absolutely fantastic! A huge hit!
Hi Kimberly,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Pesto in the polenta, what a game changer!! Once again you’ve knocked it out if the park!!
Hi Rose,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Perfect, flavorful meal for a chilly Sunday afternoon. Polenta was a welcome change for a side. You are making meal planning so easy. 🙂
Hi Kim,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Hi Tieghan, the polenta looks dreamy I think I’ll try it – any brand suggestions for instant polenta? Thanks for making cooking so approachable!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much!! Here is the link for polenta that I enjoy:
http://l.thrv.me/HBH7131-bobs-red-mill-polenta-corn-grits
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Another winner! My husband couldn’t quit raving about it. Quick and super easy to prepare….bursting with tons of flavor! Going into my rotation.
Hey Tracey,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Delicious! Salted butter might have given polenta a tad more flavor but a bite of every piece together was just perfect! Quick and easy too!
Hey Amanda,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xx
Made this recipe with a few changes. Grits instead of polenta and fresh Mahi instead of chicken. It was absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making again!
Hey Lindy,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Any suggestions on making ahead?
Hey Alex,
I would complete the recipe and then warm through on low when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was delicious! Another fabulous recipe!
Hi Michele,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Insanely delicious as per usual! Ate every bite.. definitely will be remaking many times!
Hey Ari,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Awesome, easy and made it with mashed potatoes
Hey Tracey,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Would it be okay to substitute the asparagus with green beans?
Hey Gracie,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
When you demonstrated this did you use half milk half water when making the polenta?
Thanks
Hey Deb,
You could totally do that for a little extra creaminess:) I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
That sounds like a great substitute. Please let us know how it turns out.