Need an easy, crowd-pleasing dish for a gathering or a comforting meal to bring to someone in need? This Oven-Baked Creamy Lemon-Caper Chicken is a perfect choice.
This is one of my favorite recipes. My mom made a version of it when I was growing up — hers was richer, made with real flour and lots of butter — and it became a family staple. It’s creamy, comforting, and appealing to most palates (aside from strict vegans). Even my kids beg for it.
With spring holidays approaching, it’s a lovely option for Easter or any family meal. If you want a quicker alternative, try the skillet version of chicken piccata for a 30-minute meal. When delivering this to someone, I often stop before baking, then hand it off with instructions to bake at 300°F for two hours so they can enjoy it fresh and hot whenever they’re ready.
- 4 lbs. chicken cutlets
- Salt and pepper
- About 1 cup arrowroot flour
- 2–8 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 lemons
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2–3 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. arrowroot flour
- 2–3 tbsp. capers, drained
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- A chicken cutlet is a chicken breast butterflied open. You can butterfly and halve the breasts yourself or buy pre-cut cutlets. Each piece should be a thinner breast portion.
- Season both sides of the cutlets with salt and pepper.
- Place about 1/2 cup arrowroot flour in a bowl. Lightly dredge both sides of each cutlet so they are thinly coated; add more flour if needed.
- Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the cutlets for about 3 minutes per side to form a light crust. Transfer browned cutlets to a plate as you go. Add an extra tablespoon of oil for each batch if the pan becomes dry — the arrowroot coating can stick without enough oil.
- After browning all the chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low in the same pan to prepare the sauce.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, taking care not to burn it.
- Pour 2 cups of chicken broth into the pan and whisk, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of broth with 2 tbsp. arrowroot flour and the juice of one lemon. Pour this mixture into the pan and whisk constantly until the sauce thickens and reaches a light simmer, about 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Stir in the drained capers. If the sauce seems too thick, add another 1/2 cup of broth to reach your desired consistency.
- Nestle the browned cutlets into the sauce so they are partially submerged.
- If using a slow cooker: transfer the sauce and capers to the crockpot, add the chicken, and cook on Low for 4 hours.
- If using the oven: cover the Dutch oven and bake at 300°F for 2 hours.
- Remove from the oven and let the dish rest for 10 minutes; the sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. Garnish with chopped parsley and thin lemon slices.
- Serve and enjoy!