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Honey Lemon Chicken

Name: Honey Lemon Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise); 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; Salt & pepper (to taste); Flour (for dredging); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter (divided); 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 tablespoons honey

Published: Sep 10, 2019 / Updated: Feb 8, 2021 / 60 Comments

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This easy honey lemon chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken that's smothered in a sticky lemon and honey sauce. It's quick and uses everyday ingredients!

I'm always trying to come up with new ways to make boneless, skinless chicken breasts taste delicious. They're a reader favorite, and so I am always jotting down ideas when they come to me. Sometimes my ideas flop, but luckily this one turned out. I recently made a creamy honey mustard chicken recipe, and I guess I must still have honey on the brain since this recipe is now here!

This sticky honey lemon chicken doesn't have any cream, but it does have butter. Everything is better with butter IMO. Never were truer words spoken. Both the lemon and honey flavors shine in this recipe, and the sauce is pretty sweet. I have a sneaking suspicion that picky eaters would like this recipe. 😉

So, if you like that sweet-savory-tangy combination with melt-in-your-mouth chicken, the chances are fairly high that you will like this recipe.

How to make sticky honey lemon chicken

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you've got 4 thinner pieces. This helps the chicken cook more evenly and remain tender;
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic powder and salt & pepper. Dredge each piece in flour;
Cook the chicken in the butter and oil until golden on both sides;
Add the sauce ingredients to the pan and finish cooking the chicken while the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).

Pro tip: If you want to add a little zing, grate some fresh ginger into the sauce!

A few recipe notes:

If you have a lemon zester, this recipe is really good with the zest of 1/2 a lemon added in. I use my handy Microplane grater/zester to do this.
The sauce isn't meant to be super thick or syrupy in this recipe, but it will reduce and thicken up quite a bit while the chicken finishes cooking.
A general cooking suggestion: I always try to err on the side of adding less rather than more flour to the plate/bowl for coating the chicken. You can always add more if needed, but you have to discard all the flour that you don't use. It's easy to overestimate the amount and waste flour.

What to serve with lemon honey chicken:

You can't go wrong with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta. I would also serve this with a side of steamed veggies (try broccolini or green beans) or a salad.

Other easy chicken breast recipes you may like:

I hope you'll give this honey lemon glazed chicken recipe a try!

Questions? Ask me in the comments below.