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I love Chicken Piccata and have shared so many different versions on my blog before, but there wasn’t a slow-cooker version for those who love to get dinner prepped way in advance. This Crockpot Chicken Piccata has all the flavors that you love from the Italian-American dish but is way more hands-off!
I recently made this Crockpot Chicken Piccata for my family. It was one of those days that I needed to get dinner made before we ran out the door for an evening filled with sports and other obligations, but I wanted to come home to something warm, cozy, and healthy. It’s the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it meal that delivers big flavor. There is a little bit of additional prep work and cooking involved before you even turn on the slow-cooker, but I promise this dish is worth the extra effort. And there are so many different ways you can serve it! Try it over a bed of my Whole30 Mashed Potatoes or alongside a crunchy green salad with plenty of crusty bread for sopping up the buttery, lemony sauce.
ingredients:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olve Oil
- Unsalted Butter or Ghee
- Garlic Cloves
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Capers
- Chopped Fresh Parsley
step-by-step:
step one: prepare the chicken
Place a boneless, skinless chicken breast (with the tender removed) on a cutting board and hold it flat with the palm of your non-dominant hand. Slice the chicken breast horizontally into two even pieces. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
step two: pound the chicken
Cover the chicken with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet to pound the chicken until it is an even thickness. Season both sides evenly with salt and pepper.
step three: dredge the chicken
Pour the cassava flour into a wide bowl and lightly dredge both sides of each cutlet into the flour until evenly coated, then shake off any excess. Place all the dredged cutlets on a clean plate and set aside.
step four: sear the chicken
Heat the oil a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in batches so as to not overcrowd the skillet, carefully add the cutlets and cook until a golden crust has formed on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the browned cutlets to the bottom of the Crockpot. They don’t have to be completely cooked through.
step five: MAKE the ROUX
Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook until a loose paste forms. Add the garlic cloves and cook, toasting the flour a bit so it doesn’t have a raw flavor, 1 to 2 minutes, being careful not to burn.
step six: ADD THE CHICKEN BROTH
Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking constantly, until a roux forms. Bring the mixture to a light simmer until it turns into a thin gravy, 3 to 4 minutes (it will continue to thicken in the Crockpot).
step seven: MAKE THE SAUCE AND COOK
Stir in the lemon juice and capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the Crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
step eight: garnish and serve
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve!
Use your favorite plant-based, dairy-free butter in place of the butter or ghee to make the roux!
Yes, this reheats reheats very well. To make it in advance, brown the chicken and make the sauce, then cover and refrigerate both in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve it, place the chicken and sauce in the Crockpot and cook on low until the chicken is very tender. If the sauce seems too thin, add a few splashes of broth to thin it out!
The next time you’re craving a cozy, family-friendly recipe, I hope you’ll give this Crockpot Chicken Piccata recipe a try! Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more cozy chicken recipes? try these!
Herby Chicken and Orzo Skillet
One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemony White Beans
Crockpot Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup cassava or all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 large lemons)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Place a boneless, skinless chicken breast (with the tender removed) on a cutting board and hold it flat with the palm of your non-dominant hand. Slice the chicken breast horizontally into two even pieces. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Cover the chicken with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet to pound the chicken until it is an even thickness. Season both sides evenly with salt and pepper.
- Set 2 tablespoons of the cassava flour aside (you will use this in to make the roux later.) Pour the remaining cassava flour into a wide bowl (it's about 6 tablespoons total) and lightly dredge both sides of each cutlet into the flour until evenly coated, then shake off any excess. Place all the dredged cutlets on a clean plate and set aside.
- Heat the oil a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in batches so as to not overcrowd the skillet, carefully add the cutlets and cook until a golden crust has formed on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the browned cutlets to the bottom of the Crockpot. They don’t have to be completely cooked through.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the reserved 2 tablespoons of flour and cook until a loose paste forms. Add the garlic cloves and cook, toasting the flour a bit so it doesn’t have a raw flavor, 1 to 2 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking constantly, until a roux forms. Bring the mixture to a light simmer until it turns into a thin gravy, 3 to 4 minutes (it will continue to thicken in the Crockpot).
- Stir in the lemon juice and capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the Crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
So delicious and perfect for company. Takes time in the beginning, then you are done. Excellent flavors!
Can I make this the night before?
Hi! yes you can. It reheats very well. I would brown all the chicken and make the sauce, cover and refrigerate. Then, the day of, pop it in the crockpot on low and let it finish cooking until the chicken is very tender! If the sauce seems too thin after refrigerating, add a few splashes of broth to thin it out!
I agree with the comment that it’s not really a “crockpot” recipe. Usually I really enjoy Alex’s recipes and they are easy to follow– but this one was a big flop for us as far as prepping goes. It says it takes 25 minutes prep time– that is so inaccurate! My husband helped me during lunch and for the both of us start to finish to PREP it took an hour and I am an experienced cook (okay, not experienced like Alex per se, but I do cook often and cook her recipes a lot!) Not only that I realized halfway through that the crockpot needed to be turned on in the middle of cooking the chicken. That could be my error, but it would have been helpful to have a step to say turn on crockpot “low/medium/high” so I could at least be prepared. I put the chicken aside after browning and then when I went through to read the rest of the recipe, I was supposedly supposed to put them in the crockpot for longer? My husband and I both agreed this was a lot– not your simple crock pot recipe and the instructions did not seem as clear as they usually are. Sorry Alex, not a fan of this one– still love your recipes though.
I appreciate your honest feedback here. It’s definitely not a dump it in crockpot recipe- more of one of those that you make and let simmer in the crockpot all day so it’s super tender and can serve later… so I get what you mean and will definitely retest this and try to simplify.
Thanks for your reply, Alex! We love your recipes and use your cookbooks every week.
This is a perfect recipe! Had the butcher pound the cutlets so saved that step. Everything else went exactly as recipe noted – easy peezy and yummy!
So glad to hear this!
Is it Ok to make this crockpot chicken piccata the day before? This dish looks amazing.
yes! and reheat with a little extra broth to loosen the sauce if needed.
Great recipe. Delicious but I knocked off 1 star because it’s really not a “crock pot” recipe. I spent an hour prepping, browning the chicken and making the roux. Doesn’t actually need to go in the crock pot after that , an extra 5 minutes in the pan would suffice. BUT it’s always nice to come home to a warm meal that’s ready to serve after a long day. I may try the same recipe but eliminate the crock pot next time LOL.
Thanks for your feedback! I think the Crockpot helps to make the chicken super tender and is a great way to have dinner ready to go.
Crockpot Chicken Piccata
https://thedefineddish.com/crockpot-chicken-piccata/
This recipe turned out pretty well when I actually followed the directions. I skipped the browning the first time I made it , and although it was okay, it wasn’t as good the second time I made it when I followed all the steps. Big surprise (not) but I didn’t have time to do all that. Following thesteps for browning and making the sauce worked out great. Also I think the lemon loses a little in slow cooking so after I had squeezed the lemons for juice,I threw the lemon carcasses on top while it was cooking. I also added a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice about 5 minutes before it was done. I have seen the comments about letting it cook all day, and I wouldn’t advise that. Chicken becomes dry if overcooked, at least when I make it. Instructions said to cook 4 or 5 hours on low; I cooked it 2 hours on high and that was plenty! I recommend the recipe and I will make it again.
Do you think I could do all the prep work the night before and then stick it in the refrigerator and then start the crock pot in the morning?
yes this can definitely work!
This came out so good. I didn’t follow the recipe precisely. I used white wine and chicken broth. Didn’t flour the chicken before browning. Probably used a bit more garlic. But, all in all a solid recipe
anyway this can be done the night before
You could go ahead and put it in the crockpot on low for 10 hours before bedtime and it would be great! It’s also great completely done and then reheated the next day. You could just put it in the crockpot on warm/low, or on the skillet over medium-low to reheat with a splash of broth to help rehydrate it a bit.