Despite the Italian-sounding name, chicken piccata isn’t purely Italian. Indeed, most believe it’s an Italian-American creation. But whichever its origins are, it has become a dish many enjoy on a special dinner during a night out.
But you don’t have to get out of your home to enjoy a hearty meal of chicken piccata. It’s a dish you can whip up in the comforts of your kitchen, if you want a fancy side or two, check out these 13 options for what to serve with chicken piccata.
1. Lemon Rice Pilaf
Chicken piccata is fantastic on a bed of plain, white rice, but you can take it a step towards elegance with this lemon rice pilaf. Pilaf is rice cooked in broth, spices, and other ingredients, so it’s flavorful and not sticky. This recipe uses white, long-grain rice and combines it with olive oil or butter, onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, chicken broth, bay leaf, and salt.
2. Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs
Pasta is another popular pairing with chicken piccata. It is especially perfect with thinner types, like angel hair. That’s because the noodles absorb the piccata’s sauce well, and its original flavors – garlic and herb – would not heavily contrast or overwhelm the chicken itself. Also, it takes only 15 minutes or so to make!
3. Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Another starchy dish that makes a good bed for chicken piccata is mashed potatoes. To bring more flavor to your date night, make this roasted garlic mashed potatoes recipe. It’s perfectly creamy and flavorful, just enough to compliment the chicken. You’ll need garlic, olive oil, sea salt, Yukon gold potatoes, and black pepper. Serve with butter and chopped chives or rosemary for more taste and color.
4. Arugula Salad with Lemon, Olive Oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Green salads are a classic tandem to chicken piccata as they bring much crunch, freshness, and nutrients to the meal. With so many salad options available, you can start with this arugula salad; the flavors are bright and match the chicken piccata’s taste profile. Besides the arugula, it consists of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and much Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
5. Parmesan Risotto
Make this parmesan risotto if you prefer a starchy side that isn’t just plain rice. This creamy treat is made from arborio rice cooked with olive oil, onion, garlic, white wine, and chicken broth, so the flavors are perfectly infused. Parmesan cheese is stirred in after cooking. For more flavor and look, serve with butter, parsley, salt, and pepper.
6. Green Beans with Shallots and Pancetta
Another way to bring greens to your date night is with a side of green beans. But instead of having them plain, make them with shallots and pancetta, which is cured pork popular in Italy. If you can’t find pancetta, ham or bacon is a fine substitute. Besides those ingredients, you’ll need only butter and pepper, so the flavors are just subtle for the chicken piccata.
7. Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Salad
Pair your chicken piccata with this unique yet highly nutritious lentil and roasted eggplant salad. The lentils and eggplants are prepped and flavored separately before preparing the salad. Aside from them, there are also cherry tomatoes, arugula, and feta cheese, so you get a lot of new flavors, aromas, and textures. All those are tossed in a garlic lemon dressing, resulting in a deliciously complex side dish.
8. Bright Spring Salad
Stick to green, fresh flavors with this simple spring salad consisting of asparagus, peas, radishes, feta cheese, nuts, avocados, fresh herbs, and salad greens, like lettuce or arugula. All those are brought together by a homemade dressing made from lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and basil. This side’s light, crispy, and bright taste allows the chicken piccata to shine.
9. Mashed Cauliflower with Parmesan and Chives
If you want a healthier, starch-free alternative to mashed potatoes, try mashed cauliflower! It’s exactly as it sounds: boiled cauliflower blitzed in a food processor. There’s also cream cheese to make the dish smoother and creamier. The taste is distinctly different from potatoes, but the flavors are on the same level, especially with the addition of parmesan and chives.
10. Sautéed Asparagus with Morels
Simple roasted asparagus is classic with chicken piccata and many other proteins. However, you need to up your game for date night, so make this sauteed asparagus with morels instead. There are more flavor, texture, and nutrients, plus an exciting contrast of colors between the morel mushrooms, asparagus, and green garlic.
11. Roasted Baby Carrots
Make a side of roasted baby carrots if you want something quick yet still elegant-looking. They’re healthy, and the simple flavors accentuate the chicken piccata; moreover, if you make more than the usual piccata sauce, you can use those to flavor the carrots. Otherwise, the recipe has flavoring suggestions, like tossing the veggies in fresh herbs or basil pesto.
12. Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions
First, broccoli rabe is different from broccoli – the former is distinctly bitter when raw and not cooked right, so many don’t take a risk. But for your date night, well, you want to make an impression, and this is the way to do it. Don’t worry; the recipe has your back! It ensures your broccoli rabe isn’t bitter all but deliciously sweet, fresh, and tasty.
13. Baked Parmesan Zucchini
Baked parmesan zucchini provides a much-needed crunch and freshness to your chicken piccata. The simply fresh, cheesy flavors compliment the chicken, even highlighting it. Also, it’s effortless to make – you just need some zucchini, olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly-grated parmesan. Within 20 minutes, you have perfectly browned, cheesy, delicious baked parmesan zucchini slices.
