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.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I made this for the first time today, after my friend Coleen (commenter up above ^^) recommended it to me. I am a busy mom of 5 year old twins, so cooking healthy quick meals is important, but tough to do do every night – night after night. This was super easy!! I thought I defrosted enough chicken, turns out I didn’t, so I started with some frozen ones. I just upped the cooking time and it turned out fine. In fact a little too fine, lol! I couldn’t stop pigging out! The kids loved, the hubs loved it – it will definitely go on heavy rotation in my house. There’s just something about lemon + garlic + capers that is like crack! :-) I made spaghetti, tossed with butter and some of the sauce, and green beans (cooked in the pata water) and honestly I felt like Rachel ray and one of her 30 minutes meals shows! Thanks for such an easy tasty meal.
Hi Celeste! I’m so glad you and your family liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment! It means so much to me. :)
This was delicious! I used boneless, skinless thighs because that’s what I had and I doubled it. I also thicked a smidge with arrowroot. Turned out great. The whole family enjoyed it.
So happy you liked this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
While this dish was quite tasty, both the capers (and canned artichokes that I added) were overcooked, losing their texture and color. Now I add only half the capers and artichokes to the Instant Pot, heating the other half separately in a small pan and adding them to the IP just after the dish is finished cooking . Perfecto!
Hi Toni,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! I didn’t feel as though the caper were overcooked, but I’ll have to give it a try your way! Thanks for the feedback!
A friend made this recipe and shared some with us.
We cooked spaghetti to go with. Added a little butter, olive oil, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and parsley to the pasta. Tossed in a couple spoonfuls of the pasta water. Sorry I don’t have measurements; I was eyeballing it.
Verdict? Starting with the chicken piccata…will make agian!
Hi Margaret! I’m so glad you liked the chicken piccata! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Hi! How would I adjust this recipe so that I could include uncooked pasta to he instapot?
I haven’t tested it that way yet so I can’t make any promises, but if I was going to try it, I’d start with a half pound of pasta and and an additional two cups of liquid (chicken broth). I would worry that the pasta would overcook in the time it takes to cook the chicken, though…it might be best just to cook it on the stove separately for this recipe. Let me know if you try it though, I’d love to hear what you try!
I used frozen chicken and it worked great. I also sauteed an onion with the garlic and increased the amount of broth. Was easy and delicious. I didn’t increase the cook time, but I did let the pressure release naturally and it sat briefly on the warmer. It was like shredded chicken it came apart so easily. Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it, Jessica! My husband doesn’t love garlic, but if it were up to me, I’d up the garlic too. ;) Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Hi There, Has anyone made this recipe using boneless pork chops?
I haven’t, but I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
super tough chicken – such a bummer
Did you have small pieces of chicken or a particularly inexpensive brand of chicken? I’ve found that both of those scenarios can lead to tough chicken.
Perfection. I’ve had a cuisinart electric pressure cooker for years and just bought the 8qt Instant Pot. This was the first recipe I tried in it. We poured the sauce into a bowl and dipped our bites of chicken. After dinner we went right to Trader Joe’s to buy more capers and chicken. So easy and delicious. So happy I found you on my search for Instant Pot recipe ms
Oh yay! I’m so happy you liked this – we dip our chicken in the sauce, too! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave your comment and review, I really appreciate it!
Does cook time need to be increased if doubling recipe?
I haven’t doubled this recipe so I’m not sure, but in past experiences of doubling other chicken recipes in the Instant Pot, I would recommend increasing the cooking time by 4-5 minutes. Make sure you check the temperature of your chicken when it’s done cooking. Let me know how it turns out!
I just got an instapot and used this recipe for my first meal— it came out absolutely delicious! Makes being on the Whole30 a little bit easier :-) Thanks for sharing, Rachel.
Yay! That makes me so happy! The Instapot is my fave when I’m doing a Whole30. Hope it goes well!