Simple chicken piccata side dish recipes and ideas, from delicious roasted potatoes to butter noodles, and lemon herb rice to angel hair pasta. Discover what to serve with chicken piccata today.
Chicken piccata combines the classic Mediterranean ingredients of capers, butter and lemon juice to coat delicious butterflied chicken breast. Originally made with veal, Italian piccata has a subtle tart flavor that’s balanced out with heavy cream to help create a filling, hearty meal.
These easy serving ideas will round off your dinner, including buttered asparagus, sautéed garlic spinach, and homemade polenta. Find your new favorite chicken piccata side dish today.
Angel Hair Pasta
Angel hair pasta is a popular accompaniment to many Italian or Italian-American protein dishes, including flavorful chicken piccata. This thin, delicate pasta absorbs thin sauces, such as the pan sauce from chicken piccata, and doesn’t overwhelm the star of the dish.
Preparing angel hair pasta is quick, it only takes about three minutes of cooking in boiling water to cook through. Make your own angel hair pasta using flour, water, and eggs, and roll it out using a pasta machine.
Roasted Potatoes
Roasted potatoes are a great side dish to accompany chicken piccata because their mild flavor enhances the savoriness of chicken piccata without overwhelming it. The pillowy texture of roasted potatoes also works well with chicken piccata.
Roasting potatoes is easier and quicker than boiling potatoes, with better texture. All you need are potatoes, olive oil, and seasonings. Cube the potatoes and soak in cold water, then season and bake in a roasting pan until crispy.
Lemon Garlic Herb Rice
Lemon garlic herb rice is not a traditional side dish for chicken piccata, but it is still delicious. The light, bright flavor of the rice is the perfect thing to serve with chicken piccata, which can feel too heavy with a side dish that is too rich.
The ingredients list for lemon garlic herb rice is short and pretty obvious: you will need rice, water, chopped garlic, parsley, Italian herbs, and plenty of lemon juice. Cook the rice with the garlic, then stir in the other seasonings once it is done. Stir in a knob of butter to finish the dish and add a bit of richness.
Buttered Noodles
Noodles is a popular side dish with chicken piccata because the mild, rich flavors balance out the savoriness of the chicken piccata. Buttered noodles are a simple, quick dish that you can put together in just a few minutes if you’re rushing to get dinner on the table.
You can use any pasta or noodles as the base for buttered noodles. Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package instructions, then stir in butter until it melts. Season the noodles with salt, pepper, and Parmesan, but be careful not to overseason them so they don’t overwhelm the chicken.
Roasted Asparagus
The seasonal, slightly bitter flavors of roasted asparagus pair well with the salty, slightly bitter flavors of chicken piccata. Asparagus, which is in season in early spring, adds a dash of freshness to a dish that can be a bit too heavy if you’re not careful how you serve it.
It’s quick and easy to roast or bake asparagus to minimize its natural bitterness and make it appealing even to picky eaters. Simply drizzle it in olive oil and salt before wrapping in aluminum foil before cooking in the oven until fork-tender and slightly browned.
Sauteed Spinach
If you want to serve chicken piccata with a vegetable for a healthy, balanced meal, you can’t go wrong with sauteed spinach. Sauteed spinach is a mild dish that’s easy to prepare, allowing you to focus on the real star of the meal, the chicken.
Besides spinach, you need olive oil and garlic to season the vegetables. Some recipes call for salt, pepper, and lemon juice, but you can add whichever seasonings. Prep the spinach, then sauté the garlic in a hot pan. Add the spinach, cook for a few minutes, drain any excess liquid and serve.
Polenta
In many Italian American traditional meals, chicken piccata is served with a starch. Pasta is the most popular, but polenta is the starch of choice for many families from northern Italy. This creamy cornmeal base is rich and mild, perfectly absorbing the sauce from the chicken.
Besides polenta, you will need butter, salt, and Parmesan if you want your polenta to taste extra savory. Boil four parts water for one part polenta, then whisk in the cornmeal until it is smooth. Continue cooking until it is smooth, about 30 minutes, then stir in the cheese and seasonings.
Roasted Carrots
When putting together a meal that includes chicken piccata, you want to create a balanced, healthy meal by also including a vegetable. Roasted carrots are the perfect vegetable side dish because their sweetness balances out the acidity of chicken piccata.
Garlic Bread
No Italian American feast is complete without garlic bread, the savory staple of every restaurant from pizzerias to fancy red sauce joints. Garlic bread is just crusty Italian bread rubbed with garlic butter, then baked again for extra flavor. It’s a great way to sop up the sauce from chicken piccata.
You can buy garlic bread in most supermarkets, but you can also make your own—you don’t even have to make a loaf of bread from scratch. All you need is a crusty loaf of bread, such as a baguette or Italian bread. Mince garlic, then combine with softened butter, salt, and parsley. Spread the butter on the bread, top with Parmesan, then bake until it’s fragrant and toasty.
Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
This recipe is for you if you want to serve chicken piccata with potatoes but are bored of mashed or roasted varieties. Although mixing a French side dish and Italian main may seem strange, these creamy potatoes perfectly balance the chicken piccata with their mild flavor.
Besides potatoes, you will need butter, flour, salt, milk, and shredded cheese to make the sauce. Layer sliced potatoes and onions in a casserole dish, top with the sauce, and bake for 60 to 90 minutes.
Zucchini Noodles
Chicken piccata is traditionally served with pasta, which isn’t very friendly to people who can’t eat carbs. You can reinvent tradition while still following your diet with zucchini noodles, which have the texture of regular noodles without carbs!
You will need a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles. Just run the zucchini through the machine, run the noodles through cold water, season, and serve.
