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Keeping things colorful and cozy today with this Sage Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Mashed Cauliflower. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden with fresh sage, lemon, and butter. The chicken is finished in a simple white wine pan sauce with burst cherry tomatoes. It’s simple but mouthwatering. Especially when served over creamy mashed cauliflower hinted with garlic. This dish makes great use of those end of summer tomatoes. It’s the late summer dinner that everyone will love!
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I’ve been waiting to share this recipe for far too long now.
I first made it a couple of weeks ago when I had one too many cherry tomatoes in my kitchen. I immediately fell in love with the recipe. But something about this dish just felt too cozy to share mid-August, so I waited until today. The second week of September feels like the perfect timing for this chicken piccata. It uses up all those end of summer tomatoes, but yet feels cozy with the addition of warming sage (my favorite fall herb) and super creamy mashed cauliflower…a new favorite side dish that I never expected to love as much as I do.
It’s the perfect transitional recipe to slowly step away from summer and head into the cooler fall days.
And most importantly, it’s just really good. The chicken soaks up all that delicious buttery pan sauce. It’s perfectly seasoned with fresh sage, thyme, and lemon. The mashed cauliflower is surprisingly satisfying, so creamy and so delicious.
When paired together, I could not love this hearty, but healthy…ish dinner more.
Here is how you make this chicken piccata. It has a few steps, but comes together in under an hour.
First up, start with the chicken. If you’ve made chicken parmesan this is very similar. Just 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. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.
Tip: if your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, as a swap, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. This is a super easy task to do at home, but truthfully…it’s just not that much fun. The butcher can quickly pound out the chicken and save you the trouble…and the mess.
Also, you can easily make this chicken piccata gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour. Or your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like cup4cup).
Once the chicken has been pan-seared, add in some lemon slices and fresh sage. The lemon and sage infuse the butter while crisping up, becoming even more flavorful. Reserve these for topping.
In the same pan, add a splash of white wine and fresh cherry tomatoes. This creates a lemony tomato sauce with capers and fresh thyme. It’s not a traditional chicken piccata sauce by any means, but it’s quick, and it sure is good.
While the chicken is cooking, work on the mashed cauliflower. This is SO EASY.
Simply, boil some cauliflower florets, drain, and mash with a little cream cheese (mostly for extra creaminess), butter, and salt. I know it seems so simple, but don’t knock the mashed cauliflower until you try it. It’s ultra-smooth, so creamy, and really does taste like mashed potatoes, just a smidge lighter.
It’s the perfect healthy side dish to serve with the lemony, sage chicken. When served together, the two create a really delicious dinner that’s great for any night of the week!
Since everyone is in town for my brother’s wedding this weekend, I’m really excited to make this for them tonight. I already know this is going to be a new favorite. Nothing not to love!
If you make this sage lemon butter chicken piccata with mashed cauliflower 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!
Sage Lemon butter Chicken Piccata with Mashed Cauliflower.
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 + 1 addition lemon, sliced
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons capers
Mashed Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2-3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
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 gently to adhere. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, 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, sage, and lemon slices. Sear the sage until crisp, and the lemon until golden on each side, about 1 minute. Remove the sage and lemon from the pan and add to the plate with the chicken. 4. To the skillet, add the tomatoes, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, cook 1 minute. Add the capers and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until warmed through. 5. Meanwhile, make the mashed cauliflower. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets and cook until tender, 10 minutes. Drain well.6. In a food processor, combine the cauliflower, garlic, cream cheese, and butter, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. 7. To serve, spoon the mashed cauliflower onto plates. Add the chicken, sage and lemon slices. Then spoon over the pan sauce and tomatoes. Top with fresh thyme.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Loved it! Quick, easy, delicious ?
Thank you so much Alice! xTieghan
Tieghan, this was delicious!! We will definitely make this again soon. We followed the recipe with no adjustments and love love loved it. Thanks for sharing this with us! ❤️
Thank you so much for trying this Liz! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Is there a non-alcoholic substitute for the white whine?
Hi Aisha, I recommend using apple cider, apple juice, or chicken broth. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Pretty easy to make, but looks and tastes gourmet! So delicious!
Thank you so much Rachel! xTieghan
I am excited to try this but I am dairy free. Any suggestions what to add to the chicken besides butter?
Hi Noel! You can use olive oil or coconut oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Happy New Year! xTieghan
First time making one of your recipes and this was AMAZING. So uncomplicated to make, all the flavors sing together. The chicken came out super juicy & tasty. The sage adds a lovely depth of flavor, and I absolutely loved the cauliflower mash. Wow!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Cathy! I cannot wait for you to try more, I hope you love them all! Thank you! xTieghan
great !!
Thank you Henry! xTieghan
This is one of my go to recipes. It’s delicious.
Thank you Melita! xTieghan
This is one of my all time favs! The mashed cauliflower is amazing and you feel like you’re eating potatoes! Ive made this recipe a lot! Can get enough of this dish. The only change I would make is to sauté the garlic before putting it into the food processor!
Love all your recipes so much!
That is so amazing to hear Nicole! Thank you! xTieghan
Any substitute for the white wine? Love your recipes!
Hi Hanna! You can use and equal amount of chicken broth in place of the wine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
I made this last night for dinner and my husband said it easily surpassed his previous favorite dinner. Such a delicious recipe! It cooked up quickly and made minimal dishes so cleanup was a breeze too. Thanks Teighan!
Hooray! Thank you Jessica! X Kelly
Delicious!!
Thank you Amy!
I think this one is my favorite chicken dish I’ve tried, Easy and delicious! I was curious is there an alternative to cream cheese or how to make it a little healthier when making mashed cauliflower? Thanks
Hi Angela! You could add some plain greek yogurt instead or use a plant based cream cheese alternative. Let us know if you have any other questions! X Kelly
Got raves from my family! My brother never eats chicken breasts (too dry, too boring) and he went back for seconds and thirds. Plus now we all like cauliflower mash! Never thought that would happen. ?
Thank you.
That is so great! Thank you so much Katherine! xTieghan
Another fantastic dinner! Easy to make and super flavorful. Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much Holly! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan