In summary: The suggested side dishes that pair well with chicken piccata include Avocado & Orange Salad, Tomato Cucumber & Avocado Salad, Roasted Broccolini, Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad, and more. These side dishes offer a variety of flavors and textures to complement the taste of chicken piccata.
Piccata is an Italian method of cooking meat – thinly sliced, dusted in flour and fried, and served in a lemon butter and caper sauce.
The meat is lightly dusted in flour and then pan-fried in a bit of oil, to which once the meat has finished cooking, butter is added to the pan, with a squeeze of lemon and a handful of capers.
The meat is served golden-brown with the sauce spooned over it. The result is a delicious, crisp, tender piece of meat with a salty buttery lemon caper sauce.
Not sure what to serve with chicken piccata, or what goes well with chicken piccata?
Here are my suggestions of what to eat with chicken piccata and what chicken piccata side dishes to give a try.
Here’s What to Serve With Chicken Piccata:
#1. Avocado & orange salad recipe with fennel
This is a simple salad that will work perfectly well with chicken piccata. Its fresh, light with citrus and liquorice flavors that will cut through the buttery and saltiness of the piccata sauce.
Simply sliced, all the ingredients are mixed together on a platter and then dressed with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
Salads make great side dishes for chicken piccata. Tomato, cucumber, and avo in a salad are a winning combination of flavors and can be made all year round. The trick to great-tasting tomatoes is to toss them in a pinch of sugar.
The salad is dressed in a simple vinaigrette of olive oil and red wine vinegar, with the addition of dried oregano. So simple, yet perfect served with chicken piccata.
Broccolini is a great side to serve, and in this recipe, it is simply roasted. The broccolini is tossed in garlic and lemon olive oil and then roasted in a hot oven for about 10 minutes or until the florets start to blacken slightly.
The broccoli is then sprinkled with grated parmesan and put back into the oven, and baked until the cheese has melted and the broccoli is tender. Once done, the broccoli is served with a final squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chili flakes.
Roasted vegetables make a great hearty salad. The roasted root vegetables are mixed through some mixed green leaves and tossed in a herbed vinaigrette.
The vinaigrette is what makes the salad, and it’s made up of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, chopped basil, parsley, and coriander. The salad is finished off with a crumbling of feta.
You can make this pasta dish in under 20 minutes. The pappardelle pasta is simply cooked as per instructions and, once cooked, tossed with a splash of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
The chopped shallots are sautéed, and the greens are added to the pan and wilted down. Once cooked, the pasta is added together with the grated parmesan and lemon juice. Once all tossed together, the pasta is plated up with crumbled ricotta and chopped hazelnuts over the top.
#6.Charred Green Beans With Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
I love green beans, and charred green beans are the best; they have so much flavor. To get charred green beans, they are grilled on a piping hot grill pan. The secret here is not to overcrowd the pan and cause the temperature to drop.
The cilantro vinaigrette is easy to make; simply blend all the ingredients in a food processor until emulsified. The green beans are tossed in the vinaigrette and finished with a sprinkling of salt and a garnish of coriander leaves. This side dish can be served hot or cold.
A pasta side would work great with the piccata, and pesto pasta would be even better as it’s not too rich. This pesto is made up not only of herbs but vegetables too.
The courgettes and kale are first cooked, the courgettes are sautéed, and the kale boiled, then blended with the basil, parmesan, walnuts, olive oil, and lemon juice.
The pasta is cooked by the packet instruction and then tossed together with the pesto.
Packed with green veggies and nuts, this salad is full of crunch, and it’s delicious to eat. Mix the chopped cabbage, lettuce, scallions, cucumber, and edamame beans in a big bowl. And prepare the nutty dressing; whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup, tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
Toss the vegetables in the nutty sauce and garnish with chopped peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.
Mashed potato always makes great sides with chicken piccata, but a creamy garlic mashed potato makes an even better one. The potatoes are boiled until soft; while the potatoes cook, the milk is heated and infused with garlic.
The potatoes are then mashed; it’s important to mash them when they are hot; otherwise, you will have gummy potatoes. The garlic milk is added with butter and sour cream and seasoned with salt. Chopped chives are folded in at the end.
Roasting asparagus is a simple and most delicious way of preparing them. Toss the asparagus in olive oil, season with salt, pop them on a tray, and then into a hot oven. The cardinal rule to remember is to give them space on the tray so they can roast and become crispy. They take a quick 9 to 12 minutes to cook, and in the process, they gain a nice roasted flavor.
You can finish the asparagus with a number of toppings, from balsamic reduction to a squeeze of lemon or some grating of parmesan.
Crispy potatoes are one of the perfect chicken piccata side dishes. These are deliciously crispy and topped with homemade chimichurri sauce. The potatoes are first boiled whole until soft, and they are then smashed with a fork.
The smashed potatoes are drizzled with olive oil and baked in the oven until golden and crispy. They are served with the homemade chimichurri sauce spooned over them.
Not sure what chicken piccata sides to serve? You can’t go wrong with a potato gratin. This recipe calls for a cheese sauce to be made by sautéing onion, garlic, and thyme first to create some flavor. The flour is then stirred into the onions and cooked until light golden brown.
The milk is then slowly added, mixing continuously to prevent any lumps from forming. The cheese is stirred into the sauce and seasoned with nutmeg. The sauce is then poured over the thinly sliced potatoes and then baked until the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.
#13. Arugula Salad With Lemon, Parmesan, And Pine Nuts
This is a great simple salad to serve on the side if you are looking for something light or pressed for time. The flavors of this salad work very well together.
The pepper rocket leaves and the acidity from the lemon will work beautifully with the rich piccata sauce and cut through the richness and balance the saltiness of the capers.
Couscous is always a great side dish option, and this basil-flavored one is perfect for serving alongside chicken piccata. It’s loaded with peas, feta, chopped parsley, walnuts, and a basil vinaigrette.
The basil vinaigrette is made in a blender with basil, vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and all blended and then mixed through the salad.
These carrots are simple to prepare but delicious and the perfect option to serve as a side. The carrots are peeled and tossed in an array of dried herbs and garlic, and they are then roasted in the oven for about 35 minutes until just tender. These carrots are definitely worth a try.
Grilled vegetables are my favorite, and corn and zucchini are the best when grilled and slightly charred. The zucchini is chopped into slices and grilled until soft and well colored, and the corn is grilled in the pan, too, until well colored.
The vegetables are tossed together with feta and some rocket leaves, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
The butternut squash in this dish has the perfect balance of heat and sweetness. The butternut squash is seasoned with chili powder and cumin and roasted. Once tender and soft, remove the butternut squash from the oven, pour over the honey, and toss the butternut until coated.
Finish the dish with a garnish of pepitas and fresh coriander. Serve alongside your chicken piccata, and dinner is ready.
This is a hearty, healthy side to serve with chicken piccata. It’s a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables. In a large pan, the spices are toasted, and then garbanzo beans are added to the spinach, and cooked until the spinach has wilted.
The cooked rice is added to the beans and spinach. The zucchini and peppers are sauteed and added to the dish. The dish is served with a sprinkle of sunflower seeds, lemon wedges, and fresh coriander.
Tomato and basil is a classic flavor pairing; stir it through some risotto; it can’t go wrong. It’s fresh and light and a great side option with chicken piccata. The risotto is made traditionally; when all the stock has been added and absorbed, the chopped tomatoes, baby spinach, and basil are added.
The risotto is cooked through, the parmesan is added, and the final seasonings of salt and pepper are added.
This side takes a bit of effort, but it’s well worthwhile. The eggplant is sliced thinly lengthways, dusted in flour and fried until golden. The eggplant is spread with tomato sauce and then topped with some grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The eggplant is then rolled up and placed in a baking dish.
Once all the eggplant slices have been rolled and placed in the baking dish, the remaining tomato sauce is added over the eggplant and topped with the remaining cheese. The dish is then baked until it’s heated through, and the cheese has melted and golden. Serve hot and enjoy with your chicken piccata.
A good side for chicken piccata is often a starchy accompaniment like buttered pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, or fresh green salad to balance the flavors.
What sides go with veal piccata?
Sides that complement veal piccata well include garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, roasted asparagus, or a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette, offering a mix of flavors and textures to the dish.
What do Italians eat with chicken piccata?
Italians often enjoy chicken piccata with simple sides like pasta (such as linguine or spaghetti) tossed in olive oil or butter, roasted vegetables, or a fresh arugula salad with a light vinaigrette, staying true to the dish’s Mediterranean roots.
Having completed three years at cooking school, Gabi then went into the realm of private cheffing where she got to travel the world, cooking for the rich and famous in their luxury homes and holiday homes. Through her travels, she has experienced different cuisines, which she has added to her cooking repertoire.
