Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

What is Chicken Piccata?

Chicken Piccata is a popular beloved Italian-American dish. It’s a simple chicken dish where the chicken is sliced and sauteed in a bright lemon-butter piccata sauce.

Flavors & Textures: Tender & juicy chicken bursting with very appetizing, bold, zesty, tangy, savory, buttery sauce. Highlighted by some capers, cheese and fresh parsley.

Even though you can easily make chicken piccata with few simple ingredients in a few simple steps, you can serve this as a fancy main dish for special occasions.

What is Piccata Sauce Made of?

Piccata Sauce is mainly made of Capers, Lemon Juice, Butter, and Dry White Wine.

• Dry White Wine – complements and brings out the flavors; adds a good touch of refreshing, fruity, acidity to the dish
• Capers – add a bright burst of salty, tangy, lemony, olivey flavors & delicate texture
• Lemon Juice – brightens up the dish with tart, zesty flavors; complements the capers
• Butter – complements and enhances the flavors; adds complexity to the sauce

How to Make Chicken Piccata in Instant Pot?

Chicken Piccata is a tasty dish you can make in a few simple steps!

You first slice or butterfly the seasoned chicken, dredge it in flour, then brown and cook it in a tasty, zesty piccata sauce.

Ease Level – Easy: You can make chicken piccata in Instant Pot with some easy-to-find pantry ingredients and dry white wine. You’ll only need basic cooking skills to make this dish!

Cooking Time: You can make this chicken piccata in less than an hour including preparation time.

Equipment: You only need an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and basic kitchen tools to make this Chicken Piccata.

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Here are the ingredients for cooking Chicken Piccata in Instant Pot:

Dry White Wine for Piccata Sauce

Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris are excellent choices for this chicken piccata recipe. We used Sauvignon Blanc to develop this recipe.

Capers

We used small brined capers that was packaged in a jar. They can taste quite salty or acidic, so use sparingly. Take note that larger capers may differ in taste. As always, taste and adjust how much you need according to your personal preferences.

If you’re using brined capers, make sure to drain the liquid before adding them to the dish. You may rinse the capers to remove some of the salt or vinegar. Then pat them dry with a paper towel.

Tools for Cooking Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Pyrex Measuring Cups
• Kitchen Tongs

Butterfly Chicken Breasts

Optional Step: Butterfly the chicken breasts for more uniform thickness throughout the meat. This way, the chicken breasts will cook more evenly and quickly.

How to Butterfly Chicken Breast?

Butterflying is the technique that splits the chicken breast horizontally and opens it up like a book.

1. Put your chicken breast on a chopping board, then put your hand flat on top of the chicken breast.

2. Slice horizontally into one side of the chicken breast. Don’t cut it all the way through to the other side. Leave roughly 1-inch attached.

3. Open up the chicken breast, then slice a bit more if necessary.

Brown Chicken in Instant Pot

First, season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper on both sides. 

How To Dredge Chicken?

Place ¼ cup (32g) all-purpose flour in a large bowl or plate.

Then, lightly coat the chicken breasts with flour on both sides.

Press “Saute” button to choose “Sauté More” function to heat up Instant Pot. It will switch to “ON” on the screen.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen (takes roughly 8 minutes).

*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to induce a Maillard reaction.

Now, add 1½ tbsp (22.5ml) olive oil in the Instant Pot’s inner pot. Make sure you cover the whole bottom with oil.

Place the flour-coated chicken breasts in Instant Pot. Then, brown each side for 3 minutes. 

Then, set aside the browned chicken breasts.

*Note: If you have butterflied the chicken breasts, you can brown them in two batches.

Saute Garlic

Now, add minced garlic in Instant Pot, then saute for 30 seconds.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour ½ cup (125ml) dry white wine in Instant Pot. Then, deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.

First, let the mixture come to a boil. Then let it boil for 1 minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate.

Pressure Cook Chicken Piccata

Add ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock, ¼ cup (64g) drained capers, and optional 1.5 tsp (7.5ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot. Then, give it a quick mix.

Finally, add the browned chicken breasts and all the meat juice (if any) in Instant Pot.

*Pro Tip: Try to get the browned chicken breasts as close to the bottom of the inner pot as possible. So they’re partially submerged in the cooking liquid.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position. Close the lid. Then, turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Butterflied Chicken Breast: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes

Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breast: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes

Boneless & Skinless Chicken Thighs: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes

After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.

When the Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Add Lemon Juice & Unsalted Butter

With your kitchen tongs, place Instant Pot Chicken Piccata on a serving plate.

How to Thicken Chicken Piccata Sauce?

Now, bring the Chicken Piccata sauce to a simmer with the “Saute” function.

Based on your preference, taste and add 1 tbsp – 2 tbsp (15ml – 30ml) lemon juice to the Chicken Piccata sauce.

*Note: For reference, we added roughly 1.5 tbsp (22.5ml) lemon juice to the Chicken Piccata sauce.

Now, stir in 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter into the piccata sauce with your wooden spoon. Stir until the butter fully blends into the sauce.

Allow the sauce to simmer for 3 to 6 minutes to desired thickness. 

Finally, taste and adjust the sauce with more salt and black pepper (if necessary).

Turn off the heat (press “Cancel”) or switch to the Keep Warm mode.

Garnish & Serve Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Finally, drizzle the tasty piccata sauce on your tender & juicy chicken.

Garnish with finely chopped Italian parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

You can also place some lemon wedges on the side to serve with this delicious chicken piccata.

What to Serve with Chicken Piccata

This flavorful and appetizing Italian chicken dish goes great with many side dishes. You can serve it with your favorite salads, a simple pasta like our Instant Pot Spaghetti, fluffy rice, nutty Instant Pot Quinoa, creamy cheesy Instant Pot Polenta, a loaf of crusty artisan bread, or our Michelin-inspired Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. 

Enjoy this Instant Pot Chicken Piccata~