Keto Chicken Piccata

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, seasoned and pan-seared to perfection until the skin is golden crispy, paired with a bright, tangy, buttery sauce. A quick and delicious meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes.
Piccata is a quick and delicious Italian-American dish with Italian roots. Traditionally, it uses veal cutlets lightly dredged in flour, pan-seared and served in a lemon butter sauce and the name reflects exactly its preparation method. I tried a less traditional recipe with chicken thighs and omitted the flour-coating. You are welcome to use chicken breast or cutlets, lightly coated with seasoned flour, if you prefer.

6 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 tsp Sea salt
½ tsp Freshly milled black pepper
2 tbsp Chicken schamltz (or olive oil)
1 Garlic, peeled and minced
120 ml Chicken broth
½ Organic lemon, thinly sliced
3 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Baby capers
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Chives, chopped (or flat parsley)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Heat the chicken schmaltz in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet, skin side down. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the skin is nicely golden and crispy.
Transfer the chicken thighs, skin side up, to an oven-proof baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, drain most of the oil from the skillet, leaving about a teaspoon in the pan. Add in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth, scrape and stir any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Stir in lemon slices and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about 4 tablespoons, 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and capers. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened. Add butter and swirl it into sauce until butter is melted and incorporated. Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with fresh chives or parsley.

15 comments:

Tom 27/7/25 12:23: ...great. and keto is a plus.
Diane 27/7/25 12:58: This sounds perfect for me. I am not fond of chicken breast but thighs are delicious. Hope all is well, Cheers Diane
DEZMOND 27/7/25 13:17: Wishing you a pleasant Sunday meal! It is still hot here, but we had rain last night so at least the plants are refreshed.
Judee 27/7/25 14:01: My husband would love this with the capers, lemon juice, and chives.
eileeninmd 27/7/25 14:01: Another great chicken recipe, thanks for sharing.
Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.
Lola Martínez 27/7/25 15:59: Me gusta la receta, es sencilla y sabrosa, igual a las que preparo normalmente en mi cocina. Un placer degustarlo.
Linda's Relaxing Lair 27/7/25 16:00: It looks delicious.
Anne in the kitchen 27/7/25 16:04: You had me at easy! This sounds great!
Anonymous 27/7/25 16:41: We love chicken piccata! Isn’t it naturally keto? While we prefer chicken thighs, for piccata we usually used thinly sliced breast meat. We need to rethink that! Yours looks incredibly succulent and flavorful. David (C&L)
Christine 27/7/25 16:59: Yummy
David 27/7/25 17:22: Hi Angie, We both love chicken piccata! It's something that I even order when going out to eat. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Frank | Memorie di Angelina 27/7/25 17:33: This is one tasty dish! I've mostly had it with chicken breast cutlets but I really like the idea of using the thighs. So much tastier.
Anonymous 27/7/25 19:36: My husband prefers thighs to breast and would be very happy for me to make your version. Karen (Back Road Journal)
Bill 27/7/25 20:44: A wonderful chicken recipe.
DeniseinVA 27/7/25 21:08: Deliciously appetizing, thank you Angie :)