Check out the recipe below, followed by photos, cooking tips, and reader reviews.
Lemon Chicken Piccata with Capers
(Ratings: )INGREDIENTS
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup
blanched almond flour - 1/4 cup
capers drained - 4 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil - 2 lemons zested and juiced (1/4 cup lemon juice)
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the chicken breasts in half along the length to make them thinner. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper.
- Prepare a shallow plate containing almond flour. Place each chicken breast in the flour to coat both sides and shake off the excess.
- In a wide nonstick pan, add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted and the pan is hot.
- Add chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook until each side is golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. When the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a plate. Work in batches if your pan is not large enough to hold them all at once.
- Reduce to low heat. Add heavy cream, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and capers. Stir everything together, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan.
- Increase heat to bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until melted.
- Transfer the chicken back to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from heat. Top with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Optionally garnish with additional lemon slices. Serve while hot.
NUTRITION
| Makes 2 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 920 (68% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 70g | 108% |
| Saturated Fat 33g | 165% |
| Cholesterol 292mg | 97% |
| Sodium 1220mg | 51% |
| Net Carb 7.5g | |
| Total Carb 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 7% |
| Sugars 1.5g | |
| Protein 55g |
Piccata is the Italian word meaning larded and it refers to food that has been simmered in a lemon and butter sauce. Traditionally, Italians have cooked piccata sauces with veal and swordfish, but in the U.S., most people use chicken in the well-known chicken piccata dish.
My take on chicken piccata includes capers and a thick sauce made using lemon juice, heavy cream, and butter. The chicken is “breaded” first using almond flour, fried on both sides, and then simmered in the sauce. All in all, this chicken piccata dish makes for a perfect low carb dinner that’s high in fats as well as very hearty and filling.
This chicken piccata was inspired by both the traditional Italian piccata dishes as well as my pan seared and roasted chicken with capers, the main difference being that this chicken piccata is a quick one pan stovetop dinner with a buttery sauce.
There are a lot of side dishes that you can serve with chicken piccata. I would recommend healthy low carb options such as my mashed cauliflower with cheddar cheese and bacon, cheesy baked asparagus, or garlic green beans. If you’re looking for something lighter, you can prepare some spiralized zucchini or a simple Caesar salad.
The majority of the carbohydrates in this dish are in the capers (and to a lesser extent, the lemon juice). You can easily halve the amount of capers to significantly reduce the number of net carbs per serving. I’m a big fan of capers so I think the included amount is perfect, but it will also work well with fewer.
I use blanched almond flour, but you can easily substitute with other types of flour. Just pay attention to the cooking times, as you may need to use higher or lower cooking temperatures to achieve browned and tender chicken.
Made it with coconut cream instead of dairy and it worked out well.
Hi Julia, at the top you state that there are 920 calories in 2 servings, whereas, at the end of the recipe you show that there are 920 calories per serving. When Diane asked the question below about calorie count, I don’t feel that you answered her question, in fact your answer confused me more when you changed your serving amount from 2 to 4. Would you please just correct your recipe to reflect the most accurate number of servings and the calories per serving? I would really like to try some of your recipes because they look and sound really good, but I’m in ketosis and trying to lose weight and I want to be accurate with tracking my fat, protein and carbs. Thanks!
This recipe makes two servings, and each serving has 920 calories and 7.5 g net carbs. If that still doesn’t make sense, please let me know what I can clarify.
This was delicious as well as easy and quick to prepare.
Made it for supper…..delish!!!
Is the 920 calorie count for 2 servings? If each serving is 410, that seems more reasonable.
The calorie count is per serving, which is indeed quite a lot. I would divide this recipe’s yield into 4 servings, which are more reasonably sized.
My best friend and I have made this dish twice together now and we love it!! So delicious, our boyfriends praised us! 🙂 👍🏼
and this only serves 2? seems like the calorie count is really high
Yeah, it’s pretty high. If you’re serving with some side dishes, I’d say this makes 3 to 4 servings.
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Has anyone tried this using coconut flour instead of almond flour? I have a kiddo with a bit allergy
Tried it with coconut flour and coconut cream…it worked out great.
Made this tonight & OMG was it good!! Had it over zucchini noodles & didn’t miss the pasta at all!! Will definitely make again!
What would you serve it with? Rice? Pasta? Or something else?
I think a side of spiralized zucchini or roasted vegetables would be a nice addition.
Can you substitute anything else for the cream? I am dairy free.
Thank you,
Diane🤗
You can try coconut cream, coconut milk, or any dairy-free half-and-half substitutes that are available at your grocery store.
My question is why is the sodium so high?
The sodium is high from the capers and the salty solution it comes with. Since the recipe calls for draining them before using, I’d imagine the actual sodium consumed is much lower.
YUM! We all loved this esp the lemon flavors.
Calories can’t be right
The calories listed is correct. There are a lot of calories in fats such as heavy cream (480 kcal), butter (400 kcal), and olive oil (240 kcal).
Made it tonight. We do love it!! Amazing lemony sauce!
Yay, so glad you guys love it! 😀 😀
Sounds really good (and quick)! Think I’ll try it. 🙂
Great!! I think you’ll love it 🙂