This Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata recipe from The Whole Smiths is the perfect weeknight dinner. Easy, tasty and economical. Not only that, but it’s family-friendly, gluten-free a breeze to clean up. It’s soon to be your favorite new chicken recipe.
There’s something about chicken piccata that always gets me excited. Whether it’s in the summer or middle of winter, I am always drawn in to the herby, lemon-y, briny taste of a good chicken piccata. Whether it’s a warm summer evening dining on the back patio or a rainy winter day bundled up by the fire in my robe, I’m always game.
Piccata, piccata, piccata.
There are a few variations of piccata floating around the internet these days and this is my contribution to the world wide web of chicken piccata. Regardless of the variation, there are a few things a chicken piccata needs in order to qualify as a piccata. Any good piccata needs capers, lemon and butter. The rest… eh, get creative with it. Personally, I like my chicken thinner (more surface area, more flavor), lots of lemon, lots of capers and onions. Yep, onions. I love the flavor that sautéed onions smothered in the butter and lemon bring to the game.
What’s a caper?
When I was a little girl I hated capers. I actually thought they were exotic plants from the sea due to their briny flavor and appearance. Naturally, I’d pick them out of everything my mom cooked with them. It was something I made up in my mind at a young age and never questioned it moving forward. It probably wasn’t until I stopped and actually thought about that assumption sometime in college that I realized it wasn’t true. Have you ever had a long-held, belief that you never questioned later to find our it was completely false? Or even ridiculous once you thought just a tad about it? Admittedly, I have a lot of those.
So what is a caper then? It’s actually a small flower bud from a caper bush that’s been pickled. If they’re eaten right off the bush, they’re quite bitter, however. An added benefit is they have some health benefits and pack a punch of antioxidants. Who knew! I love adding them to roasted vegetables (just add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking) for a bright pop of flavor.
Aww sheet.
I decided to create a sheet pan dish of this version because… well, honestly because everyone loves a good sheet pan recipe these days. It’s “all the rage”. I have a “regular” version for you as well with my Chicken Piccata + Braised Rainbow Chard if you have something against sheet pans. 😉
A handy sheet pan tip that I’ve learned in my cooking adventures is to place your sheet pan into the oven while it preheats. This way, once the oven is done pre-heating you have a hot pan to get cooking on. Not only will this speed the cooking time up but it will help you get a slight sear on the protein or veggies you are cooking. It won’t be the same as a hot pan but at least it’s something.
Any sheet pan will do when cooking this recipe. There are all sorts of sheet pans on the permit these days from aluminum to ceramic. All will work however I really like these sheets pans from Amazon. Not only are they sturdy and non-stick but create a nice ‘do on your food whether you’re making a meal like this or baking cookies.
Whether you’re making this Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata on the coldest of winter days or the brightest of sunny days you’re sure to love it. Make sure to Pin the recipe to your Pinterest board and tag us on social media if you make it!
TIPS
- Place the chicken breasts in a large zip-top bag when you pound them out to prevent any chicken splatter.
- For an extra boost of flavor add some chopped, marinated artichoke hearts when you add the final portion of wine to the sheet pan.
- Serve this recipe alongside some sautéed spinach and pour any extra drippings over the spinach.
Can I use any other proteins for this recipe?
Sure! While you will have to adjust cooking times a bit. Salmon (don’t pound it out) and a pork cutlet would make a great alternative.
I don’t like capers, is there anything else I can use?
If you don’t like capers or don’t have any on hand, finely chopped kalamata olives will make a great substitution.
Can I use almond flour in place of the gluten-free flour?
Yes. Because we aren’t actually baking with flour in this recipe and are just using it for some added texture you can use almond flour to create a light coating on the chicken.
Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3 large breasts
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 tablespoons butter or ghee, melted
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour regular works too
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425* F and place a sheet pan in the oven while it preheats.
- Pound the chicken breasts to about a 1/4 inch thick and cut the breasts in half. Salt the pounded chicken breasts with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and set them aside.
- Add the chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, melted butter, and 1/4 cup of the white wine to a large bowl and toss to coat. Spread the onions onto the hot sheet pan in one even layer and bake the onions for 5 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, add the flour to a shallow bowl or dish and lightly flour the chicken breasts.
- Once the onions have cooked for 5 minutes, push some of the onions out of the way to create a sort of “well” and nestle the chicken breasts onto the sheet pan in the open spaces. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake the chicken for 15 minutes.
- Flip the fillets and sprinkle the capers onto the sheet pan and cook the chicken for an additional five minutes.
- Switch the oven function to broil and add the remaining wine to the pan along with the lemon juice and chicken stock. Gently stir the onions on the pan to distribute the wine, lemon juice and chicken stock.
- Place the sheet pan under the broiler and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until the chicken lightly browns.
- Once cooked, sprinkle the parsley over top and serve.
Notes
- Place the chicken breasts in a large zip-top bag when you pound them out to prevent any chicken splatter.
- For an extra boost of flavor add some chopped, marinated artichoke hearts when you add the final portion of wine to the sheet pan.
- Serve this recipe alongside some sautéed spinach and pour any extra drippings over the spinach.
This recipe was EXCELLENT! I love 1 pot/sheet meals as the less mess the better and the clean-up for this was very minimal. My boyfriends favorite dish is chicken piccata so I was excited to try this. HE LOVED IT!! He said it was honestly the best one he’d ever had – better than any restaurant of even what his mom makes. It’s been on rotation in our house now and on the menu again tonight. 10/10 make this!!! Pro tip: add artichokes to this!