Piccata Milanese with Pasta

This piccata milanese is a caper-filled twist on the classic piccata and a chicken milanese, topped with a lemony, buttery, briny, sauce.

This piccata milanese is a meal that's truly going to give you the most satisfaction with every bite! Between the crispy breaded chicken, the lemon butter sauce, and the saucy pasta, it's a comforting dinner that is also ready in just 45 minutes.

Traditionally, a piccata dish usually involves a thinly sliced browned meat, accompanied by lemon, butter, and capers. This sauce combo is so delicious, with the classic lemon and butter combo, and the capers which add some brininess.

While a classic piccata is always delicious, I couldn't help but think about how a breaded chicken milanese topped with fresh lemon juice is also a match made in heaven, which is what led me to this combo!

If you're looking for another Italian inspired recipe, be sure to try our Amatriciana Pizza, or if you're in the mood for more pasta, be sure to check out this simple Four Cheese Pasta.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love this Piccata Milanese
• Ingredients for this Piccata Milanese
• Step by Step Instructions
• Tips for Making this Piccata Milanese with Pasta
• FAQs
• Storing and Freezing
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love this Piccata Milanese

With the pasta, it's a full delicious meal. My favorite chicken recipes are usually ones that are also a full meal. With the addition of the thin pasta, this is an all-in-one dinner.

It's got the best combination of flavors. With the creaminess from the butter, the acidity from the lemon, and the brininess from the capers, this recipe has such a wide range of flavors.

It's ready in just 45 minutes. This piccata dish is pretty simple and is done in start to finish in less than an hour.

Ingredients for this Piccata Milanese

This meal has a slightly longer list of ingredients than that of some of our other recipes. That being said, other than the capers, there's a good chance you might already have many of these items on hand!

• Chicken breasts - You can also use veal if you prefer that.
• Flour - Used to help make the classic milanese breadcrumb crust perfectly golden.
• Eggs - To coat the chicken to ensure the breadcrumbs stick and evenly cover the chicken.
• Milk - I like to add just a little to the eggs to thin them out before coating the chicken.
• Breadcrumbs - I use regular breadcrumbs (as opposed to panko) because I think the finer breadcrumbs help to create an even, golden, breadcrumb crust.
• Olive oil - To pan fry the chicken, ensuring each piece will be golden and crispy!
• Linguine or another long pasta - With the chicken and sauce, a long pasta shape works best.
• Butter - To make the classic piccata sauce and to add a little richness.
• Lemon zest and juice - To ensure the lemon flavor really comes through, this recipe uses both fresh zest and juice.
• Chicken broth - A little helps cut the acidity from the lemon and increase the volume of the sauce.
• Capers - A piccata essential! Their briny flavor adds so much to the dish and if you don't love them on their own, they pair so well with the butter and lemon flavor.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

This recipe has a good amount of steps but is fairly simple and ready in 45 minutes.

STEP 1: Prepare the chicken breasts. Pound chicken until thin, then season with salt and pepper. Add flour to a plate, whisk eggs with milk in a bowl, and add breadcrumbs to a large plate. Dredge both sides of each breast first in the flour, then dip in the egg, then press both sides into the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Set on a plate.

STEP 2: Pan fry the chicken. Heat ⅛ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once a speck of flour sprinkled into the oil sizzles, add 2 chicken breasts, cooking until golden, 3-4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until chicken is cooked, an additional 3-4 minutes or more depending on thickness. Repeat with remaining olive oil and chicken. Set aside and keep warm.

STEP 3: Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package directions until just al dente.

STEP 4: Make the sauce. Meanwhile, in a new large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Season with pepper and add lemon zest, sautéing for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers, simmering for 3-4 minutes.

STEP 5: Toss pasta in sauce. Drain pasta and add directly to skillet with sauce. Toss until coated, then divide between plates.

STEP 6: Plate chicken and top with remaining sauce. Top each plate with a breaded chicken breast, then top with remaining sauce and additional lemon zest.

Tips for Making this Piccata Milanese with Pasta

• Thinly pounding the chicken is key to making the milanese. It will also seem thicker once breaded and cooked, so try to pound it as thinly as possible.
• I definitely recommend using a new skillet to make the sauce or thoroughly wiping out the one used to pan fry the chicken as there will likely be residual oil and breadcrumbs.
• Don't be shy with the lemon zest and juice! The butter and chicken broth tone it down and the acidity is key in this piccata.

FAQs

Can I use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs?
Yes! While I find that regular breadcrumbs create a more even and golden coating, if you only have panko they will still work.

What would pair well with the chicken other than pasta?
If you want to skip the pasta, I would recommend mashed potatoes which would pair great with the piccata sauce, or maybe a vegetable such as broccolini.

What if I don't like capers?
If you want to leave out the capers, this recipe would be more of a lemon chicken milanese, which would still be delicious, but won't have the classic flavors of a piccata.

Storing and Freezing

If you want to make part of this recipe ahead of time, I would recommend making the chicken through step 2, then storing it in the fridge until you're ready to make the rest of the meal (up to 3-4 days). When ready to eat, I would reheat the chicken in the toaster oven or oven while continuing the recipe through steps 3-6.

I don't recommend freezing this recipe, but the prepared chicken could be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days before eating.

If you make this recipe we would absolutely love if you left a star review and/or comment! Also, make sure to tag us on Instagram @doublethespoonfuls so we can see what you create.

📖 Recipe