Chicken piccata with artichokes pairs golden chicken with a lemon-caper sauce and tender canned artichoke hearts. The sauce is finished with butter after the main simmer, giving it a glossy texture without a separate cream ingredient.
This chicken piccata with artichokes makes four servings from four modest chicken breasts. Pound them to an even thickness before cooking and work in two batches if your skillet cannot hold them comfortably. Crowding the pan makes browning harder and changes the timing.
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Why This Recipe Works
A light flour coating helps the chicken color and leaves browned bits for the sauce. Scraping those bits into the broth gives flavor, provided they are golden rather than burned black. The artichokes only need heating because the canned hearts are already cooked.
Chicken piccata with artichokes uses the butter in two stages. A tablespoon goes into each chicken batch, then the remaining two tablespoons are stirred into the sauce at the end. Keeping that division clear prevents using all the butter for frying and having none left to finish.
Ingredients for Chicken Piccata With Artichokes
Choose four boneless, skinless breasts of about five to six ounces each. Pound to approximately half an inch thick on a surface reserved for raw poultry. Very large breasts or thick rounded pieces require a different cooking allowance.
For chicken piccata with artichokes, use drained, quartered canned hearts. Oil-packed marinated hearts bring extra acidity and seasoning; the basic recipe uses plain canned ones. Drain the capers as well, and taste before adding extra salt.
Measure four tablespoons of olive oil and four of butter for the complete recipe. The flour is for a light dredge, so some may remain after coating. Discard any flour that has touched raw chicken rather than saving it for another dish.
Main Ingredients
- 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–6 oz each; pound evenly to about 1/2 inch thick)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (For dredging the chicken)
- to taste salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (2 tablespoons per chicken batch)
- 4 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon per chicken batch, then 2 tablespoons to finish the sauce)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- to taste fresh parsley (chopped; garnish)
How to Make Chicken Piccata With Artichokes
Pat the chicken dry, season lightly, and coat it in flour, shaking off loose excess. Heat a roomy skillet over medium-high heat with half the oil and one tablespoon of butter. Cook the first two pieces for roughly four to five minutes per side, checking for 165°F in their centers.
Move the cooked pieces to a clean plate and repeat with the remaining oil and another tablespoon of butter. Adjust the heat if the pan fats begin browning too quickly. Chicken piccata with artichokes should have golden coating rather than a burned flour crust.
Add the broth, lemon juice, and capers to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and scrape up the flavorful browned bits. Add the artichokes and simmer for about five minutes, until hot and the sauce is slightly reduced.
Lower the heat and stir in the final two tablespoons of butter. Return the cooked chicken and its juices briefly so everything is warm together. Finish chicken piccata with artichokes with chopped parsley and serve promptly, without an extended second cook that dries out already-cooked breasts.
How to Serve
Serve chicken piccata with artichokes over pasta or alongside cooked vegetables and bread. Those sides are prepared separately and are not included in the skillet’s ingredient quantities or timing.
Spoon the artichokes and sauce around each piece rather than covering the browned surface completely. The sauce is bright and buttery, so a simple side works well without needing another rich sauce on the same plate.
Storage
Refrigerate chicken piccata with artichokes within two hours and use within three to four days. Keep the chicken with some sauce in a shallow covered container so the portions do not dry out as readily.
Reheat gently, covered, until the chicken reaches 165°F. The butter sauce may separate a little during storage; stir it while warming and add a teaspoon of water if it has become too concentrated. Freeze cooled portions for about one month if needed.
Poultry doneness and reheating follow the FoodSafety.gov minimum-temperature chart.
Tips and Variations
If chicken piccata with artichokes tastes overly salty, the capers or broth may have supplied more salt than expected. Choose a lower-salt broth if that suits you and taste the sauce before adding extra seasoning.
If the sauce looks greasy rather than glossy, it may have boiled hard after the finishing butter was added. Reduce the heat before that step and stir gently. A butter-finished sauce is not expected to behave exactly like a flour-thickened gravy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chicken piccata with artichokes contain cream?
No. The listed sauce uses broth, lemon, capers, and butter. A cream-based piccata is a different formula.
Why pound the chicken first?
Even thickness makes browning and center doneness more predictable. A thin end and thick middle do not finish together.
How are the oil and butter divided?
Use two tablespoons oil and one tablespoon butter for each of two chicken batches. Reserve the other two tablespoons butter for the sauce finish.
Can I save leftover dredging flour?
Discard flour that has touched raw poultry. Do not add it back to the finished sauce or store it with clean flour.
Do canned artichokes need long cooking?
No. Drain and quarter them, then heat them in the simmering sauce. They are already cooked and can break apart with prolonged stirring.
More Recipes to Try
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast Without Breading
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Paprika
- Salmon with Lemon Orzo and Spinach
Chicken Piccata with Artichokes
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts 5–6 oz each; pound evenly to about 1/2 inch thick
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour For dredging the chicken
- to taste salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons per chicken batch
- 4 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon per chicken batch, then 2 tablespoons to finish the sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- to taste fresh parsley chopped; garnish
Instructions
- Pound the 4 modest breasts evenly to about 1/2 inch. Pat dry, season lightly, dredge in flour, and shake off excess; discard contaminated leftover flour.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Cook 2 breasts about 4–5 minutes per side, or until 165°F inside, and move to a clean plate.
- Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, another tablespoon butter, and the other breasts, adjusting heat to prevent burned coating.
- Simmer broth, lemon juice, and drained capers in the skillet, loosening browned bits. Add drained artichokes and simmer around 5 minutes until hot and slightly reduced.
- Lower heat, stir in the last 2 tablespoons butter, and briefly return cooked chicken with its juices. Garnish with parsley and serve; refrigerate leftovers promptly.
