Chicken Piccata Olive Garden

This Olive Garden chicken piccata recipe brings restaurant-quality Italian cuisine to your kitchen. The dish features tender chicken cutlets paired with a bright, creamy sauce. A perfect blend of tangy lemon and salty capers makes this recipe special. Your family will enjoy this homemade version at a fraction of the restaurant’s price.

The recipe explains how to make the ideal piccata sauce step-by-step. And achieve golden-brown chicken. You’ll master professional techniques like butterflying chicken breasts and creating a velvety sauce. Restaurant-style plating techniques will make your dish look amazing. The recipe provides precise measurements and timing that ensure consistent results.

Ingredients You’ll Need (Olive Garden chicken piccata)

This Olive Garden-inspired chicken piccata requires proper preparation. Having all ingredients measured and ready makes the cooking process smooth.

Chicken breast

This recipe requires boneless, skinless chicken breasts that you need to butterfly into thinner cutlets 1. Thin chicken cutlets deliver better results and become crispier than whole chicken breasts, so select high-quality ones 

Flour and seasonings

All-purpose flour creates the perfect golden-brown coating. The seasoning blend combines these essential ingredients:

• Italian seasoning adds authentic flavor
• Garlic powder and onion powder
• Salt and black pepper improve the taste 

Butter and olive oil

Unsalted butter gives you complete control over your dish’s salt content. The perfect cooking combination emerges when you pair butter with olive oil. This dynamic duo creates a crispy exterior while butter enriches the dish with its signature flavor.

Lemon juice and chicken broth

Fresh lemon juice plays a significant role in this recipe – three lemons will give you the perfect amount of juice. Low-sodium chicken stock serves as the base to create a remarkable sauce. The adventurous cook might want to replace some chicken stock with dry white wine for a more luxurious flavor.

Capers and sun-dried tomatoes

Capers deliver a distinctive, salty, lemony flavor with subtle floral notes. Shoppers can find them in supermarket aisles next to pickles and olives. The dish reaches new heights when paired with sun-dried tomatoes, which bring their rich, concentrated flavor to the mix.

Heavy cream

Heavy cream makes everything in the sauce rich and decadent. Full-fat heavy cream works best because it won’t curdle and creates a thicker sauce. You can use half-and-half to cut down on calories, but your sauce will be thinner.

Preparing the Chicken

Perfect chicken piccata begins with proper chicken breast preparation. This significant step will give you even cooking results and create that signature tender texture that makes Olive Garden’s chicken piccata so popular.

Butterflying the chicken breasts

The professional technique of butterfly chicken breasts creates thinner, easier-to-cook pieces.

1. Your chicken breast should lie flat on the cutting board
2. Your knife needs to stay parallel to the board as you slice horizontally through the breast
3. The cut should stop at the three-quarter point
4. The breast should open like a book
5. A comply

Pro Tip: The butterflied pieces need to be uniformly thick. Place them between plastic wrap and pound until they reach ¼ to ½ inches thick. This ensures the chicken cooks evenly.

Seasoning and dredging in flour

Your chicken pieces need to be patted dry with paper towels before seasoning. This will give a better grip for the flour to stick. Add salt and black pepper generously on both sides. Take about a quarter cup of flour and spread it on a plate. Each piece should be dredged well. A light and even coating works best – shake off extra flour so it won’t get cakey.

Cooking the chicken to golden perfection

A large skillet needs medium-high heat, two tablespoons of olive oil, and butter. The pan should be hot enough that the butter sizzles. Place your chicken pieces in the pan without overcrowding. Let them cook for about 3 minutes until a beautiful golden-brown crust develops.

Important: The chicken needs only one flip. Cook it for 2-3 minutes more on the other side. For safe consumption, ensure that the interior temperature reaches 165°F. Each batch might need additional oil and butter.

Kitchen Tip: The perfect golden crust needs a steady sizzle. Reduce the heat if you notice the pan smoking.

Creating the Signature Sauce

The most exciting part awaits – crafting the signature piccata sauce. Perfect timing and proper technique while combining ingredients create the balanced flavors that make this dish exceptional.

Sautéing garlic and shallots

The same pan you used for cooking chicken works perfectly with its remaining oil and butter. Add garlic and shallots and stir them occasionally. They should cook until the shallots soften and the garlic releases its aroma, which takes about 2-3 minutes. Pro tip: A medium heat setting prevents the garlic from burning and keeps your sauce from turning bitter.

Deglazing with broth and lemon juice

The real transformation begins when you deglaze the pan using lemon juice and chicken stock. The flavorful brown bits at the bottom release easily when scraped with a spatula. Let the mixture come to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Important: The process changes slightly with wine—add it first and reduce by about one-third before incorporating the broth.

Adding capers and sun-dried tomatoes

The simmering liquid is ready for capers and sun-dried tomatoes. The next steps are:

1. Rinse the capers to control saltiness 
2. Add thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes 
3. Allow the ingredients to simmer together for about 2 minutes 

Incorporating cream and butter

This final step will make your sauce extraordinary. The heavy cream creates a signature velvety texture when you reduce the heat. The sauce becomes silky and slightly thickened as you whisk cold butter pieces one at a time. Half-and-half can be used in place of heavy cream to make a lighter version, though your sauce will be slightly thinner.

The sauce needs to simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. The perfect piccata sauce should be rich and creamy, with a beautiful balance of citrus brightness and savory depth.

Plating and Serving Your Homemade Chicken Piccata

Professional plating and serving techniques will revolutionize your homemade chicken piccata into an elegant restaurant-style dish. Expert presentation elevates this classic Italian favorite from delicious to spectacular.

Combining chicken and sauce

Place your golden-brown chicken cutlets back in the pan with the sauce and let them coat well. Spoon the sauce over each piece to guarantee that every bite has the ideal flavor. The chicken must warm up in the sauce for 1-2 minutes before serving.

Garnishing with fresh parsley

When sprinkled on top, fresh chopped parsley can lift your dish’s visual appeal. Thin lemon slices arranged around the plate make it look more elegant. Pro tip: Save 2 tablespoons of parsley to garnish at the end, keeping the color vibrant.

Pairing with pasta or vegetables

Chicken piccata tastes amazing with the right side dishes. These classic combinations will elevate your meal:

• The traditional choice of buttered egg noodles or angel hair pasta creates a perfect base 
• Fresh sautéed spinach or roasted Brussels sprouts add a healthy balance 
• The sauce blends perfectly with garlic-roasted potatoes or creamy mashed potatoes

Presentation tips for a restaurant-quality look

You can create a professional-looking plate with these simple steps:

1. Start with a warmed plate to keep food hot longer
2. Place your chosen side dish as a foundation
3. Arrange chicken cutlets with a slight overlap
4. Spoon the sauce generously over and around the chicken
5. Add fresh garnishes last to maximize visual appeal 

Important serving tip: Make extra sauce because you’ll need plenty to drizzle over your sides. Your dining experience will be best when you serve immediately while the sauce remains warm and velvety.

Conclusion

You can create restaurant-quality chicken piccata right in your kitchen—the secret lies in simple techniques and carefully chosen ingredients. Fresh lemon juice, quality chicken cutlets, and perfect timing will transform these simple ingredients into a luxurious meal that matches any restaurant’s version. Your golden-brown chicken cutlets and velvety sauce will prove you can achieve professional-level cooking at home.

Chicken piccata works well with many serving styles. The dish shines at casual family dinners and elegant dinner parties alike. You can pair it with classic pasta, roasted vegetables, or creamy potatoes to create a perfect balance of flavors that appeal to everyone’s taste. Professional plating techniques and garnish choices will make each plate look stunning and taste amazing. This recipe deserves a special place in your cooking collection.

FAQs

What ingredients are used to make the sauce for chicken piccata?

Chicken piccata sauce is traditionally made with butter, lemon juice, capers, and chicken stock or white wine. This combination cooks flour-dredged chicken breast cutlets, creating a tangy and flavorful sauce.

Which wine pairs best with chicken piccata?

Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent choice for chicken piccata due to its fruity and herbal flavors and high acidity, complementing the dish’s acidic lemon sauce.

How does chicken piccata differ from chicken marsala?

Chicken piccata and marsala are prepared by cooking chicken in a flavorful sauce but differ significantly in taste and ingredients. Chicken piccata features a tangy sauce made with lemon juice, capers, white wine, and chicken broth. In contrast, chicken marsala includes a richer, creamier sauce made with Marsala wine and often cream.

What does the term « piccata » mean in Italian cuisine?

In Italian, « piccata » translates to « larded » and is derived from the French word « piqué, » which means sharp or piquant. In culinary terms, it refers to preparing food where meat or fish is sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter, and spices, offering a sharp and delicious flavor.