Dylan Dreyer Chicken Piccata Recipe
Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata is a bright, buttery twist on a classic—pan-seared chicken in a lemon-caper sauce, served over pasta with fresh spinach and a burst of gremolata. Simple, comforting, and full of flavor.
Dylan Dreyer Chicken Piccata
Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata is her family-friendly twist on a beloved Italian-American classic—a simple, lemony chicken dish made bright with capers and served in a buttery white wine sauce. If you’ve ever wondered what comfort tastes like with a little zip of freshness, this is it.
The dish itself has roots in traditional Italian cooking, where piccata usually means a protein—often veal or chicken—lightly floured and pan-fried, then hit with a sauce of lemon, capers, and butter. Dylan’s version doesn’t stray far from that foundation, but it has just enough of her personal touch—like gremolata for brightness and fresh spinach layered underneath the pasta—to make it feel more like a home-cooked memory than a restaurant plate.
What gives this recipe its standout flavor isn’t complicated. It starts with boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin so they cook quickly and evenly. You dredge them in flour (gluten-free flour works great too if you're adjusting for allergies), then sear them in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden. That crispy edge is magic. But it’s the lemon butter sauce that makes you stop and savor—built in the same skillet, right in the leftover chicken bits (don’t you dare wash the pan), deglazed with dry white wine or chicken broth, and simmered gently with garlic slices, capers, and a splash of lemon juice.
And just before you think it’s done, Dylan adds a touch of herb-infused butter—sometimes made with parsley, thyme, or tarragon—and lets it melt into the pan like silk. It’s not fancy cooking. But it feels special.
The first bite? It’s a soft, juicy piece of chicken wrapped in a sauce that’s bright, buttery, and just a little tangy. You taste the lemon first—sharp but clean—then the briny little burst of capers pops through. The pasta underneath (often spaghetti or angel hair) soaks it all up, and that bed of raw baby spinach wilts gently underneath, giving a fresh, peppery lift. It’s the kind of meal you could serve to friends over wine, or pull together on a Tuesday night while the kids do homework nearby.
What I appreciate most about this recipe is that it feels balanced. It’s flavorful but not heavy. You’re not drowning in cream or weighed down by breading. Even better, it reheats beautifully—just save a bit of the sauce separately and warm it gently on the stove or microwave with a splash of broth to loosen it up. The leftovers the next day? Even more flavorful.
Nutrition-wise, it’s lighter than most comfort food. The chicken’s lean, the sauce is modest in butter, and if you go easy on the pasta, it lands somewhere between indulgent and weeknight-worthy. Gluten-free swaps work seamlessly here, which is why Dylan has mentioned adapting it for her family. I’ve also tried it with sautéed mushrooms or artichoke hearts—both make it feel restaurant-fancy without the stress.
One thing folks often mess up is overcooking the chicken—don’t do that. Thin cutlets cook fast, so once it’s golden and firm, pull it off the heat. Also, make sure to taste your sauce before serving. Sometimes it needs just a pinch more salt or a tiny extra squeeze of lemon to bring it home.
If I had to sum it up: Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata is the kind of meal that makes you feel like you're doing something right in the kitchen, even if your day was a mess. It's fresh, familiar, and forgiving—everything a go-to recipe should be.
Ready to try it yourself? The full recipe’s just below—go ahead and give it a whirl. You might just find your new favorite weeknight winner.
Recipe
Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata is a zesty, buttery, family-favorite dish made with pan-seared chicken cutlets, bright lemon juice, briny capers, and a silky wine-butter sauce served over pasta and wilted spinach.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 1.5 pounds, pounded thin)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup capers, drained
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1/4 cup pasta water (optional, for extra silkiness)
- 2 tablespoons herb butter (with parsley, rosemary, or thyme)
- 1 cup sautéed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, or shiitake – optional)
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered (optional)
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
- Gremolata (zest of 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove grated, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley)
Instructions
- Season chicken cutlets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, add more oil if needed and sauté garlic and capers for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine (or broth), scraping up brown bits. Add lemon juice and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Stir in pasta water and herb butter to thicken the sauce. Add mushrooms and artichokes if using.
- Return chicken to the skillet, spooning sauce over the top. Warm through for 2 minutes.
- To serve, layer baby spinach on plates, top with hot pasta, and place chicken with sauce on top. Sprinkle gremolata over for a fresh finish.
prep time with cook time.
Serves 6 and contains approximately 420 calories per serving.
American, Italian / Main Course, Dinner
Rated 4.9 by 182 reviewers.
Recipe Tags: Dylan Dreyer Chicken Piccata, chicken piccata recipe, lemon caper chicken, pan-seared chicken, buttery lemon sauce, white wine sauce, Cooking with Cal, gluten-free piccata, Italian American recipes, weeknight chicken dinner, easy skillet meal
Published by: Crisprecipe
Recipe Video
This is a video about Dylan Dreyer Chicken Piccata.
Servings
Here’s how I personally serve Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata in a way that does full justice to its flavor and presentation:
Start with a shallow dinner plate or a wide pasta bowl. Lay down a small bed of fresh baby spinach—don’t cook it, just drizzle it lightly with olive oil and a pinch of salt. This gives the plate a pop of green and the spinach will gently wilt under the heat of the pasta.
Next, spoon in a serving of hot, freshly cooked spaghetti or angel hair pasta. I like to toss the pasta with just a tablespoon or two of the lemon butter sauce before plating so it doesn't stick and carries the flavor all the way through.
Now place one or two chicken cutlets right on top of the pasta. Spoon that rich, glossy lemon-caper sauce generously over the chicken and pasta, making sure to catch some of those garlic slices and capers in the mix.
If you added mushrooms or artichokes to the dish, scatter them around the edges—they add both flavor and texture. Finally, sprinkle with gremolata (lemon zest, garlic, parsley) for a fresh, zippy finish.
I usually serve this with a crisp white wine or chilled sparkling water and maybe a slice of toasted sourdough or focaccia on the side. It’s a complete meal on its own, but you can add a small side salad if you're feeling fancy.
Bottom line: it’s warm, comforting, elegant—but totally doable any night of the week.
Tips
A few thoughtful tips can take this recipe from good to downright unforgettable. Here’s what I’ve learned from making Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata a few times and tweaking it to my own rhythm in the kitchen:
1. Pound the chicken evenly. Don’t skip this. Even thickness means even cooking. I put the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin or the bottom of a skillet. Aim for about 1/4-inch thick.
2. Season the flour well. Mix your flour with garlic powder, salt, and pepper before dredging. This step adds layers of flavor early on, so the crust isn't bland.
3. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken in batches. If you crowd the pan, it’ll steam instead of sear, and you won’t get that golden-brown crust. That crust matters—it holds the sauce beautifully.
4. Mind your garlic. When sautéing the garlic for the sauce, go low and slow. Burnt garlic will ruin the whole thing. Once it's fragrant and just starting to turn golden, move on.
5. Use wine if you can. White wine adds depth to the sauce you just can’t fake with broth. Something dry like a sauvignon blanc works beautifully. But if you’re avoiding alcohol, a splash of extra lemon juice and broth does fine.
6. Don’t skip the pasta water. It’s liquid gold. Adding a little to your sauce helps emulsify it—giving you that silky, restaurant-level finish without cream.
7. Gremolata is not optional. I know it sounds fancy, but it's just lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. It gives the dish a fresh top note that cuts through the richness. Totally worth the extra 2 minutes.
8. Serve immediately. This dish shines brightest hot off the stove. If you wait too long, the sauce thickens and the pasta gets gummy. So plate it up and dig in.
9. Reheat gently. If you do have leftovers, reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of broth to loosen the sauce. The microwave works too, but use a lower power setting and cover it.
10. Use good butter. This isn’t a place to cut corners. The butter’s doing a lot of flavor lifting in that sauce, so use real, unsalted butter—not margarine or “butter blend.”
All in all, this recipe is very forgiving, but these small touches elevate it. Think of it as humble food with high flavor potential—it rewards attention to detail.
Ingredient Substitutes
There’s a good amount of flexibility baked into this recipe, and I’ve played around with substitutions myself when I didn’t have everything on hand. Here are some solid, practical swaps that still keep Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata tasting spot-on:
1. No white wine? Use chicken broth + a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Dry white wine adds depth, but you can easily mimic that with 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or extra lemon juice. Just don’t go too heavy on the acid.
2. Gluten-free? Use almond flour, rice flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour. Dylan has actually made this gluten-free on Cooking with Cal, and I’ve done it too. Almond flour adds a slightly nuttier taste; GF all-purpose keeps it closer to the classic texture.
3. No capers? Try chopped green olives or skip entirely. Capers bring a salty, briny pop. If you don’t have them, pitted and chopped green olives can give a similar vibe. Otherwise, just lean a little more on lemon and salt.
4. No herb butter? Add fresh or dried herbs to regular butter. You can make your own by mixing softened unsalted butter with minced parsley, thyme, or rosemary. Even just adding the herbs directly to the pan works if you’re short on time.
5. No spinach? Use arugula, kale (massaged), or skip the greens. Baby spinach wilts beautifully under the pasta, but if you don’t have any, peppery arugula or finely shredded raw kale also does the trick.
6. No pasta? Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or cauliflower mash. This dish is incredibly versatile. I've even served it over roasted veggies or crusty bread for a lighter spin. Just make sure whatever you use soaks up the sauce well.
7. No fresh lemons? Use bottled juice—but with caution. Fresh lemon juice is best, but if you're in a bind, bottled works. Just taste as you go—some bottled juices can be more bitter or sharp.
8. Vegetarian option? Use firm tofu or seitan instead of chicken. It won’t be a “chicken piccata,” obviously, but if you’re cooking for a vegetarian crowd, tofu dredged and pan-fried works surprisingly well with the same sauce.
The bottom line: this recipe is more flexible than it looks. Just keep the heart of it intact—crispy protein, lemony sauce, something green, and that magical caper pop—and it’ll always land well.
Remarks
Dylan Dreyer’s Chicken Piccata is a simple, reliable, and flavor-packed recipe that delivers every time—bright, buttery, and easy to adapt.