Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken with Capers: A Restaurant-Quality Recipe for Your Family

Embark on a culinary journey to Italy right from your kitchen with this exquisite recipe for Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce. This dish isn’t just a meal; it’s an experience, transforming simple chicken breasts into a tender, flavorful masterpiece bathed in a rich, velvety sauce. Perfect for a special family dinner or an impressive gathering with friends, this Italian classic promises to delight your taste buds and leave everyone asking for more.

Why This Lemon Cream Chicken is a Must-Try

While many lemon chicken recipes focus on a bright, sometimes sharp, citrus flavor, our version takes a slightly different approach. By incorporating fresh cream into the sauce, we achieve a beautiful balance that softens the lemon’s tang while adding a luxurious richness. This creates a more rounded, mellow, and incredibly comforting flavor profile that truly stands out.

The addition of savory capers introduces a briny, piquant burst that perfectly complements the creamy lemon, drawing inspiration from the beloved Chicken Piccata. This harmonious blend of flavors is what makes this dish so remarkably delicious and uniquely Italian. It’s a testament to the joy of cooking and the endless possibilities of culinary experimentation. Each bite delivers tender chicken, delicately breaded, enveloped in a sauce so perfectly seasoned with lemon, cream, and our favorite Italian spice blends that it truly tastes like something you’d savor in an authentic Italian trattoria.

The Heart of Italian Comfort Food: Quality Ingredients

The secret to any truly great Italian dish lies in the quality and freshness of its ingredients. For this Creamy Lemon Chicken, selecting the best components will elevate your cooking from good to extraordinary. Start with high-quality, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ensuring they are fresh and plump. The flour and cornstarch blend creates a delicate, crispy coating that locks in moisture and provides a delightful texture contrast to the creamy sauce.

Freshly minced garlic and onion form the aromatic base of our sauce, lending depth and sweetness. Of course, the star of the show – lemons – should be ripe and juicy for maximum zest and flavor. We recommend using fresh chicken broth, ideally homemade (or a high-quality store-bought option), as it significantly enhances the overall richness of the sauce. And, as mentioned, heavy cream is crucial for that luxurious mouthfeel, while capers add their signature briny pop. Don’t forget fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano for the finishing touches – these are not merely garnishes but integral parts of the flavor experience.

Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
No reviews

Author: Roz
Prep Time: 0 hours
Additional Time: 0 hours
Cook Time: 0 hours
Total Time: 0 hours

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units

Scale

1–1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend
Freshly ground Italian sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced onion
1 lemon to 1-1/2 lemons
1–1/2 cups chicken broth (brodo, which I prepare ahead and freeze)
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup capers, drained
1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Pasta, such as Fettuccine, Linguine or Spaghettini
Freshly ground Parmigiana Reggiano (I grind ahead of time and freeze)

Cook Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Get a large pot of water boiling for the pasta.
Tenderize the chicken breasts by pounding them to a thickness of about 1/2″ to 1″ thick.
In a flat bowl, mix the flour and cornstarch.
Rinse the chicken breasts under cold water, but do not dry.
Season to preference level of fresh sea salt, black pepper and Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend.
Dredge the seasoned chicken breasts in the flour mixture.
In a large oven proof skillet over medium heat melt the butter and canola oil together.
Add the chicken breasts and cook on each side until golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the pan.
Add the garlic and onion, saute over medium-low heat until tender and golden.
Add the chicken back into the pan.
Squeeze the juice of the lemons over the chicken breasts.
Add the chicken broth.
Add the cream.
Add the capers.
Season again with sea salt, black pepper and Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend.
Finish cooking the chicken breast and sauce in the oven about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is baking, cook the pasta to “al dente” (to the tooth).
When finished baking, take the pasta to the plates, lay the chicken breasts on top, ladle/spoon the sauce all over the chicken and the pasta.
Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiana Regiano cheese on the chicken and pasta.
Garnish with chopped Italian parsley and slivers of lemon rind or slices of fresh lemon.

Mastering the Art: Tips for Perfection

Achieving restaurant-quality results at home is easier than you think with a few key techniques and considerations:

Choosing Your Chicken

Pounding for Tenderness: Don’t skip the step of pounding your chicken breasts. This not only tenderizes the meat but also creates an even thickness, ensuring uniform cooking. This prevents thinner parts from drying out while thicker sections finish cooking. Aim for about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
Rinsing, Not Drying: The recipe suggests rinsing the chicken but not drying it. This slight dampness helps the flour and cornstarch mixture adhere better, leading to a more consistent and delicate coating.

The Perfect Breading

Flour & Cornstarch Blend: The combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch is key. Cornstarch contributes to a lighter, crispier crust compared to flour alone, and it also helps thicken the sauce later.
Seasoning is Crucial: Season the chicken generously before dredging. A good quality Italian sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and an herb blend like Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend will infuse flavor directly into the chicken.

Crafting the Creamy Lemon Sauce

Building Flavor: Sautéing garlic and onion until tender and golden is the foundation of a flavorful sauce. Don’t rush this step, as it extracts their sweet, aromatic compounds.
Deglazing and Enriching: Lemon juice squeezed directly over the seared chicken deglazes the pan, lifting all those delicious browned bits from the bottom, which adds immense flavor. The chicken broth further develops this depth, while the heavy cream creates the luscious, silky texture.
Balancing Act: Remember to re-season the sauce after adding liquids and capers. Tastes evolve as ingredients combine, so a final seasoning adjustment is vital for that “perfect” taste. The capers are added towards the end to maintain their distinctive salty and tangy bite.

Cooking the Pasta ‘Al Dente’

While the chicken finishes in the oven, focus on your pasta. Cooking pasta “al dente” is fundamental to Italian cuisine. It means cooking until it’s firm to the bite, not soft or mushy. This ensures a pleasant texture and allows the pasta to absorb the rich lemon cream sauce without becoming soggy. Choose a pasta shape that will cradle the sauce beautifully, such as fettuccine, linguine, or spaghettini, as suggested in the recipe.

Serving Suggestions and Wine Pairings

This Creamy Lemon Chicken with Capers is a complete meal on its own when served with pasta. However, you can enhance the dining experience with a few thoughtful additions:

Side Dishes: A crisp green salad with a light vinaigrette would provide a refreshing contrast. Steamed asparagus, sautéed spinach with garlic, or roasted broccoli are also excellent vegetable accompaniments that won’t overpower the delicate flavors of the main dish.
Bread: Don’t forget a crusty Italian bread to soak up every last drop of the delicious sauce!
Wine Pairings: For wine, consider a crisp, dry white wine that complements the lemon and cream. A Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or an unoaked Chardonnay would be fantastic choices. Their acidity will cut through the richness of the cream and highlight the citrus notes.

Variations and Make-Ahead Tips

Recipe Variations

Different Proteins: While chicken is classic, this sauce would also be wonderful with pan-seared pork medallions or even firm white fish like cod or halibut. Adjust cooking times accordingly.
Add Vegetables: Incorporate mushrooms, artichoke hearts, or sun-dried tomatoes into the sauce for added texture and flavor. Sauté them with the garlic and onion.
Herb Variations: Experiment with other fresh herbs like thyme or oregano, added in moderation, to create subtle flavor shifts.

Make-Ahead & Storage

While this dish is best enjoyed fresh, you can prepare certain elements in advance. You can pound and dredge the chicken a few hours before cooking and keep it refrigerated. The sauce can be made almost entirely ahead of time, minus the cream and capers, which should be added and gently warmed through just before serving to maintain their texture and freshness. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth or cream if the sauce has thickened too much.

This Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken with Capers is more than just a recipe; it’s an invitation to create lasting memories around the dinner table. Its sophisticated yet comforting flavors make it a versatile choice for any occasion. We encourage you to try it, savor it, and perhaps even put your own spin on it. Buon appetito!