Chicken Piccata Cheesecake Factory Copycat Recipe
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Chicken Piccata from Cheesecake Factory is a classic dish featuring juicy breaded chicken cutlets in a silky smooth and luscious lemon butter sauce with capers. Believe it or not, this copycat Cheesecake Factory Chicken Piccata recipe takes just 30 minutes to make! Who says you need fancy ingredients and lots of time to make a wow-worthy dish?!
Cheesecake Factory® has such a flavor-packed, family-friendly menu. No matter how many times we go, we always go home full and satisfied! But, it can be expensive.
So, I like to recreate as many of those dishes as I can. Making your favorite restaurant meals at home is so easy, and much cheaper than eating out!
If you’re looking for new recipes, you’re in the right place.
This Cheesecake Factory’s chicken piccata will soon become one of your favorite dishes, and it just takes a little time to make. The whole dish is delicious – even picky eaters will love it!
Chicken Piccata Cheesecake Factory
This copycat Cheesecake Factory Chicken Piccata recipe creates a dish of juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken that your family will want seconds (and thirds) of!
In fact, you may want to double the recipe from the get-go!
Just like you’d get in the restaurant, this Cheesecake Factory Chicken Piccata is perfectly tender and moist and packed with incredible Italian flavor.
Homemade has never tasted so good!
Looking for more Cheesecake Factory copycat recipes?
There’s Chicken Madeira if you’re looking for more poultry, or try Cajun Jambalaya Pasta if you’re craving seafood!
And, of course, I have to mention the Avocado Egg Rolls. They pair perfectly with homemade chipotle ranch dipping sauce.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken – Go with breast meat and butterfly it for the flattest, most level cut you can get. That’s the trick to even cooking! Really, though, any boneless cut will do.
Important! Keep an eye on the internal temperature of your chicken piccata Cheesecake Factory dupe.
The safe internal temp for poultry is 165°F at the thickest part. - Chicken Broth – I prefer low sodium broth, but regular is fine. You could even use vegetable or mushroom broth in a pinch, although it will affect the flavor.
- Lemon Juice – If you don’t have lemon juice and want to be a bit fancy, you can use a dry white wine. Something like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio will do the trick!
- Salt and Pepper – Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper are the prime choices here. But don’t hesitate to add some other seasonings as you see fit!
Feel free to throw in some crushed red peppers or oregano into this Chicken Piccata Cheesecake Factory recipe, or even swap out the salt with garlic salt.
Tips for Making Cheesecake Factory Chicken Piccata at Home
- Be sure to flatten the chicken.
Don’t skip this step! Trust me, it’s worth it. When you pound the meat to an even thickness, it cooks more evenly. You’ll have perfect results, guaranteed!
- Add garlic and onions for more flavor.
An easy way to add more flavor to your Cheesecake Factory chicken piccata is to sauté some garlic and onions in the pan before adding the meat.
Wow, what a difference!
- Toss in a few veggies.
Almost any vegetable tastes beyond scrumptious in the lemon caper sauce.
Some great choices for this chicken piccata Cheesecake Factory recipe are asparagus, zucchini, or mushrooms.
Cheesecake Factory Chicken Piccata Recipe FAQ
The pan sauce for a classic chicken piccata recipe is made with a simple but flavorful combination of butter, olive oil, and capers.
It’s what makes this one of our favorite Cheesecake Factory copycat recipes!
Dredging is simply laying the meat in a bed of flour and gently patting it onto the surface.
It creates texture and flavor. Not only does the flour bake right onto the meat, giving it a delicious crust, but also soaks up flavors from the pan drippings.
Piccata describes any type of thinly sliced meat (but typically chicken or veal) that is dredged in seasoned flour, browned in fat, then served in a sauce containing lemon juice, butter, and capers.
This chicken piccata Cheesecake Factory copycat recipe checks all those boxes!
To reheat, add your leftovers back to a skillet over medium heat. Cook just long enough for your Cheesecake Factory chicken piccata to reach 165°F.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Cooked chicken piccata can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store it in an airtight container along with the pan sauce, rather than separately.
Frozen, it will last for up to 4 months.
Note: If you’re making it from frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge before adding it to the pan.
Serving Suggestions
The chicken piccata at Cheesecake Factory is served over a bed of pasta or with angel hair pasta, but there are plenty of other options!
Brown rice, cauliflower rice, and mashed potatoes are great options, and you can plate up any veggie you wish. It’s all about comforting, tasty flavors.
Don’t forget to serve with some copycat Cheesecake Factory bread for the whole effect!
If you’re making this for a special night, the chicken piccata Cheesecake Factory copycat tastes amazing with just about anything.
White rice is another solid ingredient to pair with, and don’t forget that keeping it simple with just some fresh parsley and lemon slices can be a simple and popular choice as well.
This dish is the perfect opportunity to make a yummy chicken piccata dish for a picky eater, where you can easily make each serving of food taste unique.
Put your own take on it and have fun!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Chicken Piccata Cheesecake Factory Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and sliced into two cutlets per breast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or as desired
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or as desired
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup capers, drained
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Place a piece of cling wrap large enough to cover your cutting board over the board. Place a piece of chicken on the plastic wrap, then another piece of cling wrap on top of the chicken.
- Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken cutlets to about ¼ inch thick. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper.
- Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook on the other side until browned. Remove and transfer to a plate.
- Add 1 more tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown as directed in Step 4. Transfer cooked chicken to the plate, then repeat this step one more time for the remaining 2 cutlets. **NOTE: As the pan gets hot, the chicken will cook more quickly, only about 1 minute on each side for the second and third batches.
- Add the lemon juice and broth to the pan. Return to the stove and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Simmer to reduce the liquid by about half. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if desired.
- Return all the chicken to the pan and cook just until the chicken heats through. Add capers to the pan and stir into the sauce.
- Remove chicken to a serving platter. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally Published July 2011. Updated and republished August 2024
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We just had this for dinner the night before last!! Too funny! My son asks me to make this at LEAST once every week – he LOVES it!! I found my recipe in one of my Bon Appetit cookbooks. I love the flavor combinations and I add capers to mine which add a nice little bite to it when combined with the lemon, but not every family member likes them.
Looks yummy! Great post!
I am a cheater but I use the box that Macaroni Grill does for chicken piccata super yummy!!! I need to try it the NON cheating way! I bet it is WAY better!
This looks awesome, Donna. Glad your sweetie loved it as well. 🙂
this doesnt sound too difficult to cook and the best thing is that everyone enjoyed it so much!
It's always wonderful to make something that everyone enjoys. I love your recipe for this. It really sounds delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings. ..Mary
I love chicken piccata! I think pounding the meat really helps to keep the chicken from drying out bc it's all the same size and (I think) much easier to cook without drying it out. The whole piece cooks at the same rate, making it easier to not over cook it. …also the reason I buy a lot of chicken tenders 😉
Look delicious! gloria
Chicken Piccata is great because the chicken is so thin it cooks in no time at all. It's a lot easier to get perfectly cooked chicken when it's pounded out before you cook it. My hubby bought me a Thermapen and I'm SO excited to try a roast chicken without overcooking it for the first time in, well ever =P
This is so yummy. But then, if you're super picky husband liked it it must be!
Fabulous! Chicken Piccatta is one of mine and hubby's all time favorite chicken dishes! All I can say is it's a good thing he doesn't do what your baby does…if he stacked it or thew it on the floor….we'd have a rumble on our hands! The chicken looks terrific!
Yes I agree..punding the meat helps release all the hidden flavours.So when I use garlic(squash it) onion (press it) and so on.Always helps improve the flavour.Great dish:)
Looks like you did a great job on this chicken! Funny about the throwing and stacking of food. It's been a while for me (since I stacked and threw my food and since I had anybody around that did that!) Have a great weekend.
Wow that looks delicious and it's only morning here! It reminds me of when I went to a private cooking class in Italy and we made the same recipe. It was delicious!
Isn't it fabulous when the men in our lives like our stuff? That's how I know it's really good when they wolf it down and ask for more. 🙂 Your piccata looks fab!
You did a beautiful job on your piccata, and the step-by-step is great!
I love to make chicken piccata, so quick and I usually always have all the ingredients on hand. This was one of the first dishes that my daughter would eat with a sauce on it.
Lovely, lovely recipe – I love chicken piccata – actually anything piccata – super photos!
Mary
This is one of my favorite dishes, had it Tuesday night!
I love chicken picatta and your's looks so moist and tender! So cute how your husband responds to great cooking!
I had to make the cheesecake factory bread with it, and it was great! Cheesecake factory isn’t anywhere close to me, so it’s easier to make than go to the restaurant