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This heart healthy Chicken Piccata is a flavorful, low calorie dish perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions. Made with tender chicken breasts, tangy lemon juice, and savory capers, this diabetic-friendly recipe is rich in protein and low in saturated fat and low sodium. At just 240 calories per serving, it’s a wholesome twist on a classic Italian favorite.
Find more Italian-inspired meals in our heart healthy chicken recipes collection!
If you like the combination of lemon and chicken, you’ll love this easy chicken piccata recipe. Packed with 26 grams of protein while being low in saturated fat, carbs and sodium, this heart healthy chicken recipe also fits into a diabetes-friendly meal plan. This dish is also kid-approved, making it the perfect weeknight meal, but it’s fancy enough to whip up for guests or a special celebration. Although simple to make, the flavors are complex and you may just rank it as the best chicken piccata recipe you’ve ever tasted!
Restaurant chicken piccata is often unhealthy due in part to the excessive butter used in cooking, as well as the high amounts of salt added to the sauce. But you can feel good knowing that this lemon chicken piccata recipe is healthier than many traditional versions of this dish. The chicken is cooked in just a small amount of butter mixed with olive oil to lower the amount of saturated fat. Lemon juice and capers round out this classic meal without adding additional fat or too much sodium.
Chicken piccata can be a healthy dish, as it typically relies on lean chicken breasts that are sautéed rather than fried. What can make it unhealthy is how much fat and sodium are added to the sauce during cooking. In this lighter version, we’ve scaled back the amount of butter, used reduced sodium broth and only added a tablespoon of capers for flavor. That makes this healthy chicken piccata a dish you can eat guilt free.
This one pan chicken recipe pairs well with a variety of side dishes. Make some hearty Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Green Beans with Almond Slices, or Garlic Roasted Broccoli, which provide fiber and vitamins without adding many extra calories to your meal. This recipe also pairs well with Creamed Cauliflower, Creamy Quinoa or Mashed Potatoes to soak up the delicious sauce.
Recipe yields 4 servings
Season chicken with pepper. In a resealable plastic bag, dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the lemon juice, broth and capers. Bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Arrange lemon slices on a platter, if using. Transfer chicken to platter. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.
If you’re looking for more heart healthy chicken recipes for dinner, we have a wide variety to choose from since this protein is a go-to ingredient in many everyday meals because it’s low cost, low fat and easy to prepare. Chicken Rice Meatballs and Chicken Fajitas are family favorites. Or check out these easy chicken dinner ideas for some inspiration.