This low carb chicken piccata recipe is super easy to make and tastes divine! Pan fried chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts are accompanied with a simple sauce made with fresh lemon juice, butter, garlic, a splash of wine and of course capers!
Low Carb Chicken Piccata
Let’s get right to it! I know you will notice right away that this isn’t your typical chicken piccata recipe.
Most recipes are made with thin cuts of pounded chicken breasts dredged in flour and cooked with a light lemon sauce.
This low carb version is a little different. First, I made this recipe with chicken thighs with the bone and skin on.
Why? Because There is more flavor in dark meat than white in my opinion!
Plus, the fat on the chicken protects the meat from drying out and adds some tasty flavor to the sauce.
Easy Chicken Piccata Without Flour
This low carb chicken piccata recipe is made without dredging the chicken in flour. Completely not necessary in my opinion.
I bet you’ll appreciate skipping that extra step of dredging chicken.
Although you can see that this chicken dish is made with the same delicious traditional tart and salty lemon sauce you expect in chicken piccata.
So, if your looking for an easy chicken piccata recipe, then you’ve come to the right place.
What makes this dish so simple to make? First, I use ingredients that are stocked in most households and this can easily be adjusted to what you have in stock.
For instance, I add a little white wine. No wine? Go ahead a use chicken stock.
No avocado oil? No problem. Use another neutral oil like olive or canola.
Ingredients For 2-4 Servings
Gather these ingredients:
- Chicken Thighs – bone in and skin on
- Avocado oil
- Fresh lemon
- Wine or broth
- Butter
- Garlic
- Capers
- Salt and Pepper to taste
How To Make Easy Chicken Piccata
First we want to heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of avocado oil.
Next, season the chicken with kosher salt and fresh pepper. Pan fry the chicken for 6-7 minutes on each side.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in a baking dish. This next step will finish cooking the chicken in the oven (350°F) while preparing the sauce.
In the same skillet you cooked the chicken keep about 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat. The remaining can be removed.
Now you want to add the butter, garlic, wine and juice from a fresh lemon. The sauce is almost done. Stir all the ingredients just until the sauce begins to bubble or simmer.
Finally, add the capers and additional slices of lemon before adding the cooked chicken to the skillet.
Garnish with lemon slices and parsley.
-
Pan Fry Seasoned Chicken Thighs, then place in oven -
Add butter, garlic, wine and lemon juice -
Fold in capers before adding back the chicken
What The Heck Are Capers?
Did you know those salty itty bitty greenish pea looking buds are unripened flower buds from a caper bush (Capparis spinosa or Capparis inermis).
Capers are usually stored in a brine and they add a nice burst of salty flavor similar to the way olives taste.
For this recipe you only need a couple of tablespoons of capers. To avoid the dish being too salty, rinse the capers before adding them to the skillet.
How do you rinse capers? Put them in a small sieve to rinse or put them in the palm of your hand and gently rinse with water.
What Type Of Wine Is Best With Chicken?
Pick a dry white wine. One of the following will be fine in this dish;
- Pinot Grigio
- Pinot Gris
- Pinto Blanc
- Sauvignon Blanc
Can I use Lemon Juice Concentrate?
Technically you can use a prepared lemon juice concentrate, but I would stick with fresh juice for this low carb chicken piccata recipe.
The prepared concentrate is more sour than fresh lemons, so you may spend more time taste testing and adjusting the sauce.
Stick with real lemon juice for the best tasting lemon sauce.
Side Dish Ideas For Low Carb Chicken Piccata
You won’t need much to accompany this delicious low carb meal. Enjoy with roasted green beans or mashed cauliflower.
For more traditional side dishes (not low carb) make rice, angel hair pasta, noodles, mashed potatoes, oven roasted potatoes, green beans or a combination of the two, green bean potato salad.
You can never go wrong with a fresh garden salad with honey dijon vinaigrette.
Looking For More Low Carb Recipes?
Check out these recipes:
- Keto Alfredo Sauce – Delicious sauce to spruce up any meal. Pour over chicken or add to zucchini noodles.
- Keto Chicken Thighs – Great to have on hand for a variety of recipes or meal prep idea with sides.
- Simple Keto Chicken Salad – This salad is so creamy and delicious you will be tempted to eat it by the forkful.
Low Carb Chicken Piccata
A traditional Italian recipe turned into a low carb version with chicken thighs instead of breasts. This easy chicken piccata recipe is made with a flavorful lemon and caper sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, bone and skin on
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 2 lemons, Juiced and sliced
- 3 cubes crushed garlic
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Parsley for garnishing
Instructions
Chicken
- Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook each side for 6-7 minutes.
- Remove chicken from skillet and place on a baking dish. Place in a heated oven (350°F) to finish cooking while preparing sauce.
Lemon Sauce
- Drain fat from skillet and return 2 tablespoons back to the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add butter, wine, garlic and the juice from one lemon bring to a simmer.
- Stir in capers and add lemon slices. Cook for just a minute rendering additional juice from the lemon slices.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Spoon lemon sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley before serving.
Notes
Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165°F when completely cooked.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 183mgSodium: 707mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 32g
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
Recipe developed by Delish and modified by The Foodie Affair
PIN TO YOUR SKILLET, CHICKEN AND EASY DINNER RECIPE BOARDS
Erica Schwarz
This chicken came together so quickly and everyone loved the lemony flavor. Will definitely be keeping in the dinner rotation now!
Chrissy
That wine and lemon sauce over the chicken with some garlicky mashed cauliflower? Comfort food heaven right here!!! Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Sandra Shaffer
A dream come true! haha – it’s a delicious meal for sure. Thanks for coming by.
Gloria
You can never go wrong with a chicken dinner any night of the week. This looks delicious. I happen to have ALL the ingredients. I will add this to my menu this weekend.
Marisa F. Stewart
We eat chicken several times a week — it’s such a versatile meat. And I do agree that thighs are easier to work with since you can’t dry them out. I normally make the piccata the regular way so I wanted to try it your way. I was pleasantly surprised how much easier it is and I didn’t miss the flour. Great recipe.
Donna
I don’t know how I have made it all these years without ever trying chicken piccata, I absolutely love capers so you would think it would be something I would have been all over. Such a simple dish, and I love that you have skipped dredging the chicken and it still works out to be delicious and just perfect.