Buca Di Beppo Chicken Limone are chicken breasts pan-seared with a buttery lemon sauce and capers. Lemon chicken is the perfect light dinner. This recreation of Buca di Beppo’s famous dish brings restaurant elegance to your dinner table with surprisingly simple ingredients.
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Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe
Who says chicken is bland? After all, this is a popular chicken dish. This pan-seared lemon chicken breast recipe with capers and butter is anything but your average chicken dinner. With its simple preparation, you can make it any weeknight, but it is so delicious that you’ll want to serve it to guests! Everyone will love this entree!
Why This is the Best Recipe For Lemon Caper Chicken
- The perfect balance of bright lemon and rich butter
- Foolproof pan-searing technique
- Restaurant-quality results at home
- Weeknight-friendly timing V
- Versatile serving options
Chicken Limone Recipe Ingredients
To make lemon caper chicken, you’ll need:
- Egg – helps the breading to adhere
- Lemon juice – adds bright acidity
- All-purpose flour – creates a crispy coating
- Garlic powder – adds savory depth
- Paprika – provides color and mild flavor
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – provide a protein base
- Butter – creates a rich sauce base
- Chicken bouillon – adds concentrated flavor)
- Water – creates sauce consistency
- Capers – provides briny punch
Try to use fresh lemon juice in this recipe. It makes a massive difference to the taste of the dish.
What are Capers?
Capers are the caper bush’s flower buds and taste similar to green olives. They add a lot of punch in a small package.
You can find several varieties of capers in the supermarket, with nonpareil being the most highly prized for their smaller size and more intense flavor.
Ingredient Substitutions
Bouillon cubes can be very salty, and many prefer Better Than Bouillon Organic Reduced Sodium Roasted Chicken Base. Of course, you can also use homemade chicken stock if you have it on hand.
How to Make Lemon Butter Chicken With Capers
You can divide the Buca Di Beppo Chicken Limone process into two parts.
To prep the chicken:
- Cover your work surface with plastic wrap.
- Use a paper towel to dab the chicken breasts dry. Put one chicken breast on the plastic wrap and cover it with another piece of plastic.
- Gently pound the chicken breast with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer until the chicken is the same thickness. Ideally, the chicken breast should be 1/4 inch thick. The exact thickness doesn’t matter as long as the chicken breasts are about the same. This will let them cook evenly and at the same time.
- Set up a flouring station with two wide, shallow containers. Whisk together the egg and one tablespoon of lemon juice in one bowl. Mix the flour, garlic powder, and paprika in the other container.
- Dip the chicken into the egg mixture using your “wet hand.” Shake off any excess eggs. You can stay cleaner by using tongs.
- Transfer the chicken to the container with the flour mixture. Use your “dry” hand or separate tongs to coat the chicken with the flour mixture lightly. Be sure to coat both sides of the chicken breast with flour. Then shake off any excess flour.
- Repeat the flouring process for all the chicken. Let the chicken breasts rest for a few minutes to make the coating stick better to the chicken. Place chicken on a plate or a pan with a piece of parchment paper to allow the breading to set up.
To cook the chicken and sauce:
You can prepare the first part of the recipe in the morning and keep the chicken covered in the fridge until you are ready to cook the chicken for dinner in the evening:
- Melt the butter in a large saute pan or a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Despite what you have heard about cast iron and acidity, it doesn’t leach into the food. A heavy cast iron pan with a tight-fitting lid is perfect for this recipe.
- Add the chicken breasts to the hot pan and saute them for 3 minutes before flipping to cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water and stir in two tablespoons of lemon juice.
- When the chicken is brown on both sides, pour the chicken stock mixture on top of the chicken breasts in the pan. Be careful, and expect some splattering.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken reaches 165 degrees internally, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- At this point, the lemon sauce should be thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon. If not, remove the cooked chicken and simmer the sauce a little longer.
- Once the sauce is thick enough, drag each chicken breast through it to coat both sides. Plate the chicken immediately. Garnish with a few capers and a lemon slice. Spoon sauce over the top of chicken breasts before serving.
Pan-Searing Chicken Tips
Want to get the perfectly browned piece of chicken?
- Grab your cast iron skillet. They are known for browning meat the best.
- Get the pan hot before placing the chicken in the pan. A hot pan keeps the meat from steaming.
- After you put the meat in the pan, resist moving or turning it over too often. Flip it once or twice only. The brown color happens when the chicken isn’t moved around the pan.
CopyKat Tip: Pound chicken breasts thin or slice them in half so they cook quickly.
Variations
Sauce Options
- White wine sauce: Add 1/4 cup white wine
- Creamy version: Add 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Extra lemony: Double lemon juice and zest
- Mediterranean: Add olives and artichokes
Protein Alternatives
- Turkey cutlets
- Veal scaloppini
- Pork tenderloin medallions
Seasonal Additions
- Spring: Add fresh asparagus
- Summer: Add cherry tomatoes
- Fall: Add mushrooms
- Winter: Add roasted garlic
Common Questions & Troubleshooting
Why isn’t my sauce thickening?
- Simmer uncovered longer
- Ensure chicken is well-floured
- Add a cornstarch slurry if needed
Can I make this ahead?
- Bread chicken up to 4 hours ahead
- The sauce is best made fresh
- A complete dish best served immediately
My breading is falling off
- Don’t move the chicken while searing
- Ensure chicken is dry before breading
- Let breaded chicken rest before cooking
Dietary Modifications
- Low-carb: Use almond flour
- Gluten-free: Use GF flour blend
- Lower sodium: Use reduced-sodium bouillon
- Dairy-free: Use olive oil instead of butter
How to Serve the Dish
Lemon Butter Chicken is fantastic when served with thin pasta or mashed potatoes.
The lemon sauce for the chicken recipe makes a delightful light pasta sauce, so try doubling the lemon sauce recipe.
What Goes Well With Lemon Caper Chicken
Besides starches like mashed potatoes and pasta, this dish goes amazingly well with bitter vegetables like grilled or steamed broccolini, broccoli rabe, and Swiss chard. This chicken would go very well with a glass of dry white wine like a chardonnay.
How to Store Lemon Chicken
Plan to eat the chicken you cook because this dish doesn’t keep in the fridge or freezer very well. If you have an extra portion, keep it covered in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days.
How to Reheat Lemon Chicken
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a baking pan and cover with tin foil. Bake in the middle rack for about 15 minutes.
Perfect Sides to Serve with Lemon Chicken
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Caesar Salad
- Old-Fashioned Mashed Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Steamed Green Beans
- Twice Baked Cauliflower
Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Francese
- Chicken Katsu
- Chicken Madeira
- Chicken Margherita
- Chicken Romano
- Smoked Beer Can Chicken
- Sweet N Sour Chicken
Check out my easy chicken breast recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!
Buca di Beppo Chicken Limone
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice divided use
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon capers
- lemon slices
Instructions
- Place the egg and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk until the egg is well beaten.
- Place the flour, garlic powder, and paprika in another small bowl, and stir to combine.
- Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of waxed paper. Pound until they are flattened and even in thickness.
- Dry off the chicken by patting it with paper towels – the drier the chicken, the more the batter will adhere to the chicken.
- Dip the chicken in the egg mixture.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Dissolve the bouillon in the hot water.
- Add the bouillon mixture and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the chicken in the pan and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done.
- Transfer the chicken to serving plates.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with capers and lemon slices.
Notes
Pro Tips
- Use fresh lemon juice for brightest flavor
- Keep “wet” and “dry” hands separate when breading
- Don’t move chicken while searing
- Let sauce thicken to coat spoon back
- Room temperature chicken cooks more evenly
Dani
Can I make this using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter…….I LOVE the recipe as is BUT my husband can’t stand butter.
Stephanie Manley
You can do it, it will change the sauce, I would use it, but I would maybe add some more lemon juice instead. The sauce will not thicken as it would with butter.
Samantha
Tried this for dinner, my family loved it.
John Strom
In order to keep the breading/crust adhering to the chicken (or any meat), the meat should first be patted completely dry prior to dredging. Water will cause bubbling and separation due to the steam created when heated. Also, if you want a slightly crispier crust, try dredging in the flour mixture prior to dipping in the egg mixture and then again in the flour after the egg mixture.