Chicken Piccata with Zucchini Noodles

This healthy chicken piccata recipe is served over zucchini noodles (or zoodles), and that makes it a delicious and low-carb option with its creamy, lemon butter sauce and almond flour breading. Gluten-free, paleo, Whole30, and keto. This is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe because it's a one-skillet 30-minute meal.

This healthy chicken piccata recipe is served over zucchini noodles (or zoodles, if you want to be one of the cool kids), and that makes it a delicious and low carb option for any paleo, gluten-free, keto, or Whole30 diet.

Oh, and did I mention that it's totally delicious? You're going to be overjoyed with the creamy, lemon butter sauce and the almond flour breading. It's so good.

I remember the first time I ever heard of a spiralizer, when my friend Jill posted asked for recommendations for a good one on Facebook at least 6 or 7 years ago. I was like, "What the heck?" and I asked her why she thought she needed another single-use gadget.

She told me that I had been missing out my entire life, and I thought she was wacky and moved on.

Then, fast forward to 2017, following my bariatric surgery, when I was trying to keep my daily carbs under 50 grams, and pasta was no longer on the menu. I decided to give spiralized zucchini a try.

It was trial and error at the beginning as I tried several different spiralizers (stay away from the Pampered Chef version - it leaves too much waste) and settled on one that we liked (this one which is cheap and works really well with minimal waste).

For a long time, we spiralized several zucchinis a week, and I realized that Jill was a smart woman all those years ago.

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Why you're going to love this healthy chicken piccata recipe

Easy: This recipe is so easy that your kids could make it. There are just a handful of ingredients and a couple of steps, and you're done.

Full of flavor: Thanks to fresh lemon juice, creamy butter, and salty capers, this chicken piccata sauce is bursting with bright flavor.

Quick: Including the time it takes to spiralize the zucchini, you can make this recipe start to finish in under 30 minutes. It's perfect for those hectic weeknight dinners!

Healthy: This recipe has a small amount of heart-healthy fat and a lot of zucchini. Zucchini is a powerhouse of antioxidants, boasting loads of vitamins A, B6, C, and K, plus manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, and more. Plus it's loaded with fiber and very low in calories which makes it great for low carb, keto, paleo, and whole30 diets. It also uses lean chicken breasts which are high in protein and low in fat, as well as fresh lemon juice which is also packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

Allergy-friendly: This simple recipe as written is gluten-free, egg-free, and soy-free. You can make it dairy-free by using a dairy-free butter substitute.

What is chicken piccata?

Chicken piccata (or any piccata, like veal piccata or salmon piccata) is a traditional Italian dish made from a thin, pan-seared piece of meat coated with flour and drenched in a flavorful buttery lemon caper sauce. The chicken is normally breaded.

Picatta dishes are typically served over a fine pasta like angel hair, but I prefer to serve ours over zucchini noodles.

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What you'll need to make the best healthy chicken piccata recipe

EQUIPMENT

• Citrus juicer - I suggest you buy whole lemons and juice them for this recipe. Fresh lemon juice is the not-so-secret star ingredient of chicken piccata. If you use that stuff that comes in a plastic lemon, your piccata is going to have a flat, bland flavor. Please buy yourself two lemons and squeeze them yourself. If you don't have a press like this, go on YouTube and figure out how to squeeze them with a fork.
• Instant read thermometer - I always use a quick read thermometer when I'm cooking meat. Always. There is no consistent or reliable way to determine whether the meat is cooked through and safe to eat, unless you use a thermometer to test it. Always test in the thickest part of the meat.
• Spiralizer - I suggest serving my healthy chicken piccata over zucchini noodles. You can buy zucchini noodles at the store or you can make your own with a spiralizer. Or, serve yours over angel hair or spaghetti noodles. It's totally up to you.

INGREDIENTS

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts - This is the star of healthy chicken piccata, obviously. You are going to pound the breasts to a thickness of ¼ inch, so if they are very thick, you'll need to slice them horizontally before starting to cook. Alternately, buy chicken cutlets which should already be thinner.
• salt & black pepper - To your taste preference
• Almond flour - I used almond flour to bread the chicken in this recipe because it is low in carbs and also because it's gluten-free. Feel free to use all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs if you'd rather. If you're going to do that, you will probably want to sprinkle the chicken on both sides with flour, then dip it in a beaten egg, then coat it in breadcrumbs on both sides. You can dip the chicken in egg and then in almond flour too, if you want a thicker and more consistent gluten-free, low carb breading.
• Olive oil - This is to cook the chicken. Feel free to substitute another neutral oil if you prefer. Avocado oil would be a great alternative if you don't have olive oil.
• Butter - It doesn't matter whether the butter is salted or unsalted. Salted butter contains less than one teaspoon of salt per pound of butter. It's negligible. If you're dairy-free, you can use vegan butter or ghee.
• Whole lemons - You're going to use only the juice, but please buy yourself some actual lemons and don't use that abomination that's sold in a plastic bottle.
• Chicken broth - This is what makes up the bulk of the lemon butter sauce. You can use a little less if you want to.
• Medium zucchini - I serve my healthy chicken piccata over zucchini noodles, so obviously, I need zucchini in my recipe. If you would prefer to serve yours over pasta, leave out the zucchini and make a box of spaghetti or angel hair according to the package instructions.
• Capers - Drain these. Feel free to use more if you want.

How to make the best healthy chicken piccata recipe

1. Wrap the chicken breasts in plastic wrap and pound using a mallet or heavy pan until they are approximately ¼-inch thick. Remove plastic wrap and season with salt and pepper as desired.
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2. Sprinkle flattened chicken breasts with almond flour until coated on both sides. If you want a thicker and more consistent breading on the chicken, whisk an egg in a shallow bowl. Add a generous scoop of almond flour into a second shallow bowl. Dip the chicken on both sides into the egg, and then into the almond flour. You can repeat once if you want a thicker coating. (The nutritional information on the recipe card assumes you sprinkled the chicken with almond flour, so if you use an egg and extra flour, you will have to adjust the nutritional information accordingly.)
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 4 minutes more, until 165ºF in the thickest part.
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4. Transfer hot chicken breasts to a plate to rest.
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5. Reduce skillet to medium heat and add butter to the skillet. When melted, add lemon juice and chicken broth.
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6. Simmer 5 minutes, until liquid is slightly reduced.
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8. Add zucchini noodles to the sauce and toss to coat.
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9. Cook zoodles 3 to 4 minutes, until crisp-tender.
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10. Return chicken to the pan with the zoodles.
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11. Stir in capers. Cook 1 more minute to heat through, then divide onto plates.
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Chicken Piccata Variations

The traditional piccata sauce is served over veal cutlets, so that's an option. You could also use boneless pork chops or serve salmon piccata which I have also featured on my site.

You can use dry white wine in place of the chicken broth.

As I mentioned above in the ingredients section, you can serve this chicken piccata recipe over pasta. I would suggest an angel hair or a traditional spaghetti noodle. Cook them according to the package directions and put the cooked noodles right into the piccata sauce in the skillet. (You won't be able to put a whole pound of pasta into the skillet.)

Also mentioned in the ingredients section, you can use all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs (I'd probably use Italian breadcrumbs if it were me) if you want more crunch on your chicken. To bread the chicken breasts or cutlets, you will want to get two shallow bowls. Place a beaten egg in one of the bowls and your breadcrumbs in the second. Sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with all-purpose flour, then dip them into the egg, then drip them into the breadcrumbs, first on one side then flip over and do the other side. Set the chicken aside and do the next one. This will increase the carbs in your chicken piccata, but it will also give you a much crunchier breading on your chicken.

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Serving lighter chicken piccata

If you're using zucchini noodles, this is a whole meal.

If you're serving the chicken over pasta, you may want to include a vegetable such as this delicious roasted Parmesan asparagus. It's a 15-minute recipe that will be done before your chicken, and the flavors mesh perfectly with the lemon butter sauce.

Storing leftover chicken piccata

I recommend separating the zucchini noodles (or pasta, if you used that) and sauce from the chicken and storing them separately. For both, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds or until hot or place in a large skillet and reheat over medium heat.

You can freeze the chicken and zucchini noodles if you need to. Again, put them in an airtight freezer container or a plastic freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a skillet over medium heat until hot throughout.

Frequently asked questions

How can you thicken the piccata sauce?

Piccata sauce is typically a thin sauce, but if you want to thicken it, you can. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of warm water with a fork or mini whisk until it's a smooth paste with no lumps. Remove the zoodles and chicken from the sauce and whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil for a minute or two and then simmer until it reaches your desired thickness. You can either put the zoodles and chicken back into the sauce or simply spoon it over them when you serve.

Can this recipe be made ahead?

I don't recommend breading the chicken ahead of time because the breading will get soggy. You could spiralize the zucchini ahead of time and store the zucchini noodles in the fridge until you're ready to cook them. You could also make the piccata sauce ahead and store that in the fridge as well. Don't add the capers or mix the zoodles or chicken into the sauce until you're ready to serve.

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Check out these other low carb main dishes:

• Chicken Crust Pizza
• Beef, Cheddar, and Chive Meatballs
• Maryland Crab Cakes with No Filler
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers with Herb Cream Cheese
• Zucchini Sausage Egg Muffins
• Garlic Buffalo Shrimp
• Nut-Crusted Chicken Fingers

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