Whether I’m making it for a casual family night meal or serving it to guests, Chicken Piccata is always a hit. And since I’m obsessed with my Instant Pot, you know I had to figure out an Instant Pot Chicken Piccata recipe to share with you.

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata Recipe

If you’ve never had it, Chicken Piccata is a delicious, Italian chicken recipe consisting of lightly breaded chicken smothered in a lemon-caper cream sauce. It’s the perfect balance of bright, citrusy flavors, salty capers, and umami chicken – plus that texture contrast of crunchy crumb coating with the tender chicken and creamy sauce is so incredibly satisfying.

My daughter and my daycare kids LOVE this recipe. I know that a lot of parents would hesitate to serve their children such a “sophisticated sounding” dish, and perhaps think that capers are going to be too much for them, but the only issue I’ve run into is that some of the kids don’t like any extra sauce on their plate. (It gets messy and touches other foods. Cue shock, horror.)

Other than the amazing flavor, I like how easy it is to dress this recipe up and make it seem super fancy. All you have to do is pan fry some chicken and pour some ingredients into your instant pot, but a simple sprinkling of parsley and a twist of lemon before serving make this meal look restaurant-worthy.

What is the difference between chicken piccata and chicken francese? Those salty capers found in chicken piccata are the biggest difference between the two Italian chicken dishes, however, chicken francese is also double-coated, resulting in a crunchier texture. Both recipes feature breaded chicken served in a lemon-butter sauce, but the flavor and texture differ.

What kind of white wine do you use for chicken piccata? I often skip the wine when making this recipe for the kids and I don’t find that the recipe suffers for it. However, if you want a truly authentic chicken piccata, opt for an unoaked, medium white wine – my favorites for this recipe are either a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling.

What is the origin of chicken piccata? Piccata is a Italian culinary method of slicing, coating an sautéeing meat and then serving in a sauce containing lemon, butter and spices. It was originally used mostly for veal, but it’s also a great way to serve steaks, chicken, pork and even fish.

What can I use instead of capers? A small jar of capers is super cheap and lasts forever in the fridge, however, if you’d rather skip buying it (or have run out) you can substitute green olives or one of these caper alternatives.

What to Serve with Chicken Piccata:

Pasta (plain or just a bit of oil or butter – that creamy piccata sauce will coat it perfectly)
Rice – plain or our Spanish-style Rice would pair well with this
Cauliflower rice
Italian bread (check out our Instant Pot bread recipe here)
Sautéed spinach
Sautéed or roasted asparagus

Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Check out our full collection here!

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata Ingredients

Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless preferred
Flour
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

For The Lemon Butter Sauce:

Olive oil
Butter
Minced garlic
Chicken broth <– grab our recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Broth
White wine <– this is one of my favorites. Wine is optional, you can substitute additional chicken broth
Heavy cream
Parmesan cheese
Capers
Cornstarch
Lemon juice, to taste

Optional Garnishes:

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: using a combination of butter and oil helps bring that “triple fat” taste (once the cream is added) which is a staple in Italian cooking, but you don’t have to worry about it being “too much” in these amounts. The butter and oil also work together for perfect chicken frying conditions – the butter stops the oil from overheating and burning, while the oil prevents the butter from browning the chicken coating too quickly, ensuring even cooking.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Instant Pot <– I’m so excited to upgrade to this one with air fryer capacities soon! (You can also just buy the lid which adds the air fryer capacity to your standard IP.)
Sharp kitchen knife
Small bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Tongs
Whisk

How to Make Chicken Piccata in the Instant Pot

Cut the chicken into cutlet strips (or butterfly by slicing in half width-wise) with a sharp kitchen knife.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Mix together until fully combined.

Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour-Parmesan mixture and set aside.

Place the olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of the butter in your Instant Pot and select the “sauté” setting.

Once the butter is melted, add the chicken and brown, about 4 minutes on each side. They should be fully cooked after the full 8 minutes, but it’s okay if they aren’t quite perfect as they will cook in the sauce again.

Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board.

Add the remaining butter to the Instant Pot, and once melted, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and starting to caramelize in color.

Add the broth, capers, Parmesan and cream to the Instant Pot. Whisk together and allow to come to a quick boil.

Turn off the sauté setting and nestle the breaded chicken into the sauce.

Secure the Instant Pot lid and select the manual setting for 4 minutes.

Natural release.

Add the lemon juice and garnish as desired.

(I thinly sliced and lemon, cut each slice in half, made a small slice just short of “quartering” the lemon slice and twisted it to make those pretty lemon twists.)

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Yield: 4 servings

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Piccata
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chicken recipe
Ingredients: 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless preferred; 2 Tablespoons flour; 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese; Salt and pepper, to taste; 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 2 Tablespoons butter; 1 Tablespoon minced garlic; 1 cups chicken broth; 1/2 cup white wine (optional - can substitute additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth); ½ cup heavy cream; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; 2 Tablespoons capers; 1 Tablespoon cornstarch; Lemon juice, to taste; Lemon slices; Parsley

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata is a delicious, Italian chicken recipe consisting of lightly breaded chicken smothered in a lemon-caper cream sauce. It's the perfect balance of bright, citrusy flavors, salty capers, and umami chicken.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless preferred
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

For The Lemon Butter Sauce:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (optional - can substitute additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth)
½ cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons capers
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Lemon juice, to taste

Optional Garnishes:

Lemon slices
Parsley

Instructions

Cut the chicken into cutlet strips (or butterfly by slicing in half width-wise) with a sharp kitchen knife.
In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Mix together until fully combined.
Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour-Parmesan mixture and set aside.
Place the olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of the butter in your Instant Pot and select the "sauté" setting.
Once the butter is melted, add the chicken and brown, about 4 minutes on each side. They should be fully cooked after the full 8 minutes, but it's okay if they aren't quite perfect as they will cook in the sauce again.
Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board.
Add the remaining butter to the Instant Pot, and once melted, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and starting to caramelize in color.
Add the broth, capers, Parmesan and cream to the Instant Pot. Whisk together and allow to come to a quick boil.
Turn off the sauté setting and nestle the breaded chicken into the sauce.
Secure the Instant Pot lid and select the manual setting for 4 minutes.
Natural release.
Add the lemon juice and garnish as desired.

Notes

Using a combination of butter and oil helps bring that "triple fat" taste (once the cream is added) which is a staple in Italian cooking, but you don't have to worry about it being "too much" in these amounts. The butter and oil also work together for perfect chicken frying conditions - the butter stops the oil from overheating and burning, while the oil prevents the butter from browning the chicken coating too quickly, ensuring even cooking.

Feel free to omit the white wine and substitute with 1/2 cup of additional chicken broth. (Do not add weird substitutes like white grape juice.)

To make those pretty lemon twists, I thinly sliced and lemon, cut each slice in half, made a small slice just short of "quartering" the lemon slice and gently twisted them.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 424Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 693mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 33g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

This super simple Instant Pot Chicken Piccata recipe is perfect for a delicious, yet low-key family night, but it works equally well for impressing guests or making as a romantic supper.

For more delicious Instant Pot recipes, check out our Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast recipe or our Instant Pot Pasta Sauce recipe.

Check out our other Chicken Recipes:

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata