Buca Di Beppo Chicken Limone

Buca Di Beppo Chicken Limone are chicken breasts pan-seared with a buttery lemon sauce and capers. Lemon chicken is the perfect light dinner. You really can recreate this popular chicken dish at home!

homemade Buca di Beppo chicken limone (lemon chicken) with capers.


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Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe

Who says chicken is boring? 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 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 lemon sauce is the real standout in this recipe. The flavor combination between the citrus acidity of the lemon juice and the pungent acidity and slight bitterness of the capers cuts the richness of the butter.

Chicken Limone Recipe Ingredients

To make lemon caper chicken, you’ll need:

  • Egg
  • Lemon juice
  • All-purpose flour
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Butter
  • Chicken bouillon
  • Water
  • Capers

Try to use fresh lemon juice in this recipe. It makes a huge difference to the taste of the dish.

Buca di Beppo chicken limone (lemon chicken) ingredients on a tray.

What are Capers?

Capers are the flower buds of the caper bush and have a taste that’s 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 people 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 this process for making Buca Di Beppo Chicken Limone into two separate parts.

To prep the chicken:

  1. Cover your work surface with plastic wrap.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 thickness. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture using your “wet hand.” Shake off any excess eggs. You can stay cleaner by using tongs.
  6. 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.
  7. Repeat the flouring process for all the chicken. Let the chicken breasts rest for a few minutes to allow the coating to 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.
breaded chicken breasts for chicken limone (lemon chicken).

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. While the chicken is cooking, dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water and stir in two tablespoons of lemon juice.
  4. When the chicken is brown on both sides, pour the chicken stock mixture on top of the chicken breasts still in the pan. Be careful, and expect some splattering.
  5. 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.
  6. 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. 
cooking lemon chicken in a skillet.
  1. 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.  Pour sauce over the top of chicken breasts before serving.
lemon chicken with capers on a plate.

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.

Recipe Variation

If you want a low-carb dinner, use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour. Serve Chicken Limone with a salad, cauliflower rice, or zoodles.

How to Serve the Dish 

Lemon Butter Chicken is fantastic when served with thin pasta or mashed potatoes. 

The lemon sauce for chicken recipe makes a delightful light pasta sauce on its own, 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 chardonney.

How to Store Lemon Chicken

Plan to eat the chicken you cook because this is a dish that doesn’t keep very well in the fridge or freezer. If you find yourself with an extra portion or two, keep it covered in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days at most. 

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. 

homemade Buca di Beppo chicken limone (lemon chicken).

Perfect Sides to Serve with Lemon Chicken

Favorite Chicken Recipes

Check out more of my easy chicken breast recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!

homemade Buca di Beppo chicken limone (lemon chicken) with capers.

Buca di Beppo Chicken Limone

You can make Lemon Chicken like Buca di Beppo at home with this easy copycat recipe. This delicious chicken with lemon butter sauce and capers is great for a weeknight meal.
4.91 from 10 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Chicken Limone, Chicken Recipes, Copycat, Lemon, Lemon Butter Chicken, Lemon Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 214kcal

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

Thanks to breadilious for sharing this chicken recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 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.

  2. John Strom

    4 stars
    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.

4.91 from 10 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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