It’s always a good idea to serve other foods with your chicken piccata. Chicken piccata is typically your main dish or a secondary main dish. Either way, you won’t want to serve it alone. The delicate flavor of the lemon infused sauce that gracefully covers the thin chicken breasts opens the door to a variety of complimentary food items to serve alongside.
In this article, you’ll find some helpful ideas for what you can easily serve with your chicken piccata. Most of these recipe ideas are simple and easy to make, I think you’ll find something that will help you!
Let’s get started!
What Pasta to Serve with Chicken Piccata?
Rice or pasta are both great accompaniments for chicken piccata, although choose one or the other – not both. Both options can be served on the side or as a bed for your chicken.
I recommend to keep the rice or pasta simple so the flavors are not overpowering the chicken piccata. For example, do not serve with a heavy sauce on the pasta, but keep it delicate and not tomato based. Use the sauce from the piccata to add flavor to the white rice or pasta.
If you want to serve pasta with your chicken piccata I recommend long pasta such as angel hair or vermicelli which are thin and long. These can be used in side dishes such as cold angel hair pasta salad or served with warm pasta covered in meatless marinara sauce.. If you prefer to thicker pasta then go with spaghetti, linguini or fettuccini.
Any of these pasta choices will accompany your chicken piccata nicely!
Here are some options beyond plain rice or pasta.
Couscous
Couscous is a grain that’s made from wheat. It’s an excellent choice for those who have gluten sensitivities. Couscous cooks quickly, so it’s a great option if you’re looking to serve something at the last minute.
Egg noodles
Egg noodles are a good choice to serve with chicken piccata, although they aren’t considered “Italian”. They’re easy to prepare and pair well with the lemon-butter sauce.
My recommendation when boiling is to add some olive oil to help prevent the noodles from sticking.
Orzo pasta
Orzo pasta is a small, rice-shaped pasta that can be used in any recipe where you’d use rice, including soups and salads. Orzo is also great for soaking up sauces, such as the lemon piccata sauce.
What Sides to Serve with Chicken Piccata?
Quinoa
Quinoa is a grain that, like pasta and rice, is cooked in boiling water until it cooks through – about 20 minutes. White quinoa has a mild taste with a bit of crunch and pairs well with the lemon sauce for chicken piccata. I use white quinoa when I want to absorb the flavor of another dish as I don’t care for it plain.
Red quinoa however has a nuttier flavor. It doesn’t need a sauce. Although it might be too strong for this dish, it would be great for serving with chicken marsala.
Quinoa is very health as described in this article here. A complete protein, quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids you need to build muscle and stay healthy. Quinoa also contains high amounts of fiber, magnesium (good for your heart), iron (helps your body carry oxygen), manganese (essential mineral that helps with metabolism), selenium (helps protects against cancer) and more!
Polenta
Polenta is a porridge made from corn. Think really fine grits. It too takes about 15 minutes to prepare. It’s a great side dish for chicken piccata, people either tend to love polenta or hate it, so if you serve polenta make sure to have some other side options as well.
Salad
When it comes to pairing a salad with chicken piccata, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you want your dressing to complement the flavors of the chicken. A light vinaigrette or oil-and-vinegar combo is best for this dish, as it won’t overshadow its delicate flavor.
Add some dried fruit such as cranberries to compliment the meal, making sure to not overdo it with the fruit causing it to overpower the main dish.
Soup
Like many Italian recipes, serving soup alongside chicken piccata is a winner. If you’re not much of a soup maker, use canned soup, but don’t get anything that will be too strong or includes beef. A vegetable or mushroom soup would be suitable, while a beef and tomato soup would not go well at all.
The issue with store bought soup is that they are very high in sodium, so watch out for this. Also, unless you have had it before, you just don’t know how good it will taste.
I have a great chickpea soup that is easy to make and would compliment the dish. However, even my pasta fagioli soup would most likely be too heavy and contrasting with the tomato-based flavors.
What Vegetables to Serve with Chicken Piccata?
Vegetables that you can use with chicken piccata include:
- Stuffed mushrooms – takes about 45-60 minutes total
- Asparagus in Balsamic Vinaigrette – takes about 45 minutes
- Loose leaf green salad with olive oil – very easy and can be kept simple
- Butternut squash or any winter squash (baked, roasted in chunks)
- Sweet peas are delicious and are a perfect fit – and super easy to make when bought frozen
- Mashed potatoes are also a good option, however you can take it up a notch by modifying it to a garlic flavored mashed potatoes
- Oven roasted potatoes – super easy, follow my steps here and just omit the rosemary if you prefer.
- Roasted cauliflower with Romano cheese
- Bruschetta – this can be served as an appetizer, but ideally not during winter months
In summary, chicken piccata is usually served with a variety of starches, such as rice, pasta, couscous and noodles. Quinoa and polenta are also great options. The chicken can be paired with anything from soup to vegetables to salads (and even fruit).
As far as wine goes— a nice delicate red wine would be nice, not a heavy dry wine. Same with white. However, as I always mention in my recipes, drink what you like – not what everyone else tells you to like. 😊
