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Chicken Piccata Pasta has bite-size pieces of tender-cooked chicken and pasta, all tossed in a flavorful lemon garlic caper sauce.
Chicken Piccata Pasta For a Crowd
This easy Chicken Piccata Pasta is a delicious variation of a classic Chicken Piccata meal – but made in a more budget-friendly way to feed a hungry crowd.
Instead of flattened and individually fried chicken breasts served over pasta, we cooked bite-sized pieces of chicken thighs and tossed them with cooked pasta plus the classic lemon, garlic, and caper piccata sauce.
The light breading on the crispy chicken and the pasta soak in the luscious sauce – so you get a burst of bright lemony flavor in every bite!
What is Piccata?
Several online sources translate the Italian word piccata as a derivative of the verb piccàre. The different derivatives of that word include to lard, to season, to cause a spicy sensation.
Chicken Piccata is believed to be an Italian-American adaptation of Veal Piccatta. Italian immigrants couldn’t afford more expensive cuts of veal to make this dish, so chicken became the preferred meat.
Regardless of the meat used, a picatta typically has lemon, garlic, and capers as the sauce – giving this dish a zesty-briny citrus flavor.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken – While a traditional chicken piccata uses boneless chicken breasts, we chose boneless, skinless chicken thighs for extra flavor and juiciness. Plus – chicken thighs are budget-friendly.
- Breading for the Chicken – All-purpose flour, kosher salt, and white pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter
- For the Sauce – Fresh garlic, lemon juice and zest, dry vermouth (or white wine), chicken stock, and capers.
- Pasta – We used a Cavatappi pasta, but any large, sturdy pasta shape will work in this dish.
- Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley – To finish the dish, and for garnish when serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Save some of pasta cooking water – add some to the finished dish if needed to loosen the texture and make it creamier.
- If you use canned or boxed stock instead of homemade, reduce the salt in the recipe. You can always add salt back in at the end if needed.
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Chicken Picatta Pasta
Chicken Piccata Pasta has bite-size pieces of tender-cooked chicken and pasta, all tossed in a flavorful lemon garlic caper sauce.
Ingredients
1 pound Cavatappi pasta or other large sturdy pasta
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 stick of butter, divided
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
Zest from one lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 1/2 lemons
1/2 cup vermouth, or white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup of capers, drained
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- Place a large pot of water on to boil. Once it boils, add a little salt.
- Remove any fat and veining from the chicken thighs then cut into bite sized pieces.
- In a medium bowl, place flour, salt and pepper.
- Toss the chicken pieces in the flour and shake off excess.
- Add the pasta to the boiling salted water. Cook the pasta to a few minutes short of fully cooked. The pasta should still be chewy and a bit hard.
- While the pasta cooks, in a large brasier or high sided heavy skillet, place all the olive oil and half the butter and turn to medium high heat.
- Once the butter melts and the mixture becomes a little frothy, add half the coated chicken and cook for about three minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining chicken and cook until fully cooked. Move to the same plate.
- Add garlic and cook for one minute then add the lemon juice and zest and reduce by half.
- Add the vermouth and again, reduce by half, scraping up any brown bits from the pan bottom.
- Add the stock and again, reduce by half.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter to form a somewhat thick sauce.
- Add the capers, then use a spider and remove the almost cooked pasta from the hot water and add to the pan along with the cooked chicken.
- Stir and add some pasta water and cook over medium heat until the pasta is fully cooked, adding more pasta water until the pasta is at the desired doneness.
- Stir in half the parsley and serve with additional parsley served over portions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Chicken Piccata Pasta ahead of time? Pasta dishes are always best served freshly cooked. If you need to prepare ahead of time, keep the cooked pasta separate from the cooked chicken and the sauce. When ready to serve, heat each up individually and combine. Don’t forget to save some pasta water.
- How do I store leftovers? Store refrigerated in a covered container for up to three days
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat individual portions in the microwave or reheat in a saucepan with a splash of chicken stock added.
- Can I freeze? We don’t recommend it – pasta gets mushy once frozen and thawed.
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