This healthy chicken piccata isn’t breaded or fried, but it still has all the flavor of the original. As a bonus, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes using your pressure cooker or Instant Pot!

I bought an Instant Pot awhile ago and while I mainly use it for making boiled eggs, I also frequently cook chicken in it. I should probably branch out, but I tend to be a creature of habit. Chicken with salsa verde, chicken with regular salsa, and Shelly’s chicken piccata. We love Shelly’s chicken piccata.
Since I was doing Whole30 and I was still craving chicken piccata, I decided to make it compliant to the program and also lighten it up a bit (it’s not a super heavy recipe to begin with but this recipe is lower calorie, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Ben and I both loved this version, and truthfully, it’s easier too since it eliminates a couple of steps.
There I go again, making things easier and healthier. It’s kinda what I do.
This healthy chicken piccata is ready in 30 minutes, which is probably one of the reasons it is one of my go-to recipes. You’ll find that it’s full of flavor thanks to garlic, lemon, chicken broth, oregano, and basil. The capers add a nice salty bite that keeps you coming back for more.
Recipe Tip
If you’re following the Whole30 program, make sure you’re reading labels! Many store-bought chicken broths and chicken stocks contain sugar or honey.
I usually serve chicken piccata with rice (try making brown rice in the Instant Pot!) topped with the delicious sauce from the pan. We always have vegetables with it. Asparagus and green beans (try these Parmesan roasted green beans!) are my favorites with this healthy chicken piccata. It’s also great with pasta – you could slice the chicken and serve it over a bed of pasta with the sauce that you find in the Instant Pot when it’s done cooking.
If you keep capers stocked in your pantry like I do, this recipe uses all ingredients you’re likely to have on hand!
Enjoy!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala (one of our favorites!)
- Southwestern Instant Pot Chicken and Quinoa
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta (cheesy ranch perfection)
- Instant Pot Honey Sriracha Chicken — serve this one with steamed broccoli and rice, so good!
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta — the pasta and chicken cooked in one pot!
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili — always a crowd pleaser.
Healthy Chicken Piccata in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 – 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock (see note)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 jar (4 oz) capers, drained
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot to Saute and add oil. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and add to hot Instant Pot. Brown chicken for about 4 minutes on each side and then remove to a plate.
- Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add broth, lemon juice, oregano, and basil and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the Instant Pot. Return chicken to Instant Pot and sprinkle capers on top.
- Put cover on (make sure vent is turned to “seal”). Set Instant Pot to Manual (or Pressure Cook, depending on the model) for 10 minutes.
- Once done, quick release the pressure. Use an instant read thermometer and ensure chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve chicken with sauce in pan.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I feel like the lemon juice cooked off in the pressure cooker so I’m trying it for the second time and I’m going to put the lemon juice on at the end. It is a super yummy and simple recipe. I love it. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the review!
Very good and super easy! Thank you. I doubled the ingredients and it was wonderful.
So glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving a review!
It was delicious! I used chicken thighs.
I’ll make it again !
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review!
Had 4 chicken breasts, 2 zucchini, and a loaf of garlic bread. Needed a quick, easy, relatively healthy meal. Found this recipe and had everything else I needed to make it. Toss the garlic bread in the oven and sautéed the zucchini on the stove top, and viola. Supper. It was a hit here. Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
This was delicious. The recipe was easy to understand and to be honest I have never used the sauté function on my instapot until now.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review!
I increased the broth by 1/2 cup and added a 14 oz. jar of artichokes at the same time as the capers. Pulled the chicken out once cooked, set the IP to sauté and then added a corn starch slurry to thicken the liquid and make a sauce. Shredded the chicken and added it back to the sauce, serving the whole shebang over white rice. It was heavenly. Thank you for the inspiration!
Artichokes are a great addition! Glad you liked the recipe!
My husband and I loved it.
So happy to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I made this recipe last night. The chicken was extremely rubbery. Ten minutes of pressure cooking is too long. I would suggest limiting it to only two minutes of cook time.
It definitely depends on the size of your chicken breasts. Did you have thinner cuts?