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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 think you’ll also like my Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken or this Easy Chicken Francese.
Why you’ll love it
I’m always trying to come up with new ways to make boneless skinless chicken breasts taste delicious, and I’m really happy with this 20-minute chicken recipe. Does it get any better than the sweet, savory, tangy, and buttery flavor combo? So good.
This sticky honey lemon chicken is ideal for picky eaters. It doesn’t have any cream, but it does have butter. Both the lemon and honey flavors shine in this recipe. You’ll enjoy the sweet-savory-tangy combination with melt-in-your-mouth chicken.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re cutting two chicken breasts to make four thinner cutlets. This helps it cook more evenly and remain tender.
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, it’s to infuse savory goodness into the chicken
- Flour – for dredging and getting a nice crust
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing and making the base of the sauce
- Chicken broth – another layer of flavor for the sauce
- Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice adds acidity and brightness
- Honey – a pop of sweet flavor!
Helpful tips
- The sauce isn’t meant to be super thick or syrupy in this recipe, but it will reduce and thicken up a fair 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.
How to make sticky honey lemon chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken breasts into four cutlets. Sprinkle them with garlic powder, salt & pepper, and then dredge with flour. Cook in the olive oil and half the butter until golden, then transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken, and cook until it’s 165F and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This butter dish has markers to easily measure out the right amount of butter.
- Chicken is cooked at 165F, so use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure it’s perfect every time.
- I use this cast iron skillet to make this recipe.
Substitutions and variations
- If you want to add a little zing, grate some fresh ginger into the sauce!
- 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.
What to serve with lemon honey chicken
- I like to plate it with extra slices of lemon, but it’s definitely not necessary.
- You can’t go wrong with rice like my Stick of Butter Rice, Boursin Mashed Potatoes, or pasta like my Quick Garlic Butter Pasta. I would also serve this with a side of steamed veggies. Try broccolini or my Easy Roasted Green Beans.
- A salad is a great pairing too. Try mixed greens with my quick Homemade Ranch Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover lemon honey chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat until warmed through.
- I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
More easy chicken recipes
I hope you’ll give this honey lemon glazed chicken recipe a try! Leave a star rating and review below if you made it, or tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Honey Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 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
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge them in flour so they're evenly coated.
- Add the oil and one tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook it for 4-5 minutes/side or until golden. If it starts to splatter a lot, reduce the heat a bit.
- Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, honey, and the rest of the butter. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add the chicken back in.
- Cook the chicken for another 5 minutes or so (medium-high heat), until the sauce has reduced and thickened a bit and the chicken is fully cooked through. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- In most recipes, including this one, I use medium-to-large size chicken breasts. If you buy particularly small ones, you can probably skip the step of cutting them in half lengthwise – just ensure they’re cooked through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on September 10, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Hello! I am making this recipe for the first time and excited to try. Would blistered tomatoes be good in this? Also, can this be made with gluten free flour?
Hi! I think blistered tomatoes should work. I don’t cook with gluten-free flour, so I can’t really comment on that – I don’t want to steer you wrong in case it has super thickening properties or something. I’d probably just keep an eye on it and add more liquid if needed. Let me know if you try! 🙂
Hi jade, I saw your post as I just finished eating and came to comment how delicious. I always substitute corn starch for flour, but have been known to use arrow root from time to time when dredging chicken or needing a thickening agent or “floured”;chicken. Both are gf and have a neutral flavor. Corn starch is best if I want a thicker sauce, but both work very well. I am taking your suggestion with the blistered tomatoes next time.
May I know the exact weigh of the chicken?
Hi! I don’t use an exact weight. Maybe look for 8-10 oz each?
I have some exceptional local honey.
It’s not an ingredient that I use often. I also was given some wonderful Purdue chicken breasts. And since I have some fresh lemons , I thought honey lemon chicken. It’s 1:25 pm est. Yours is the first recipe that I will try. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I love that! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I’ve made this several times and it is amazing! I doubled up on the sauce and used it over spaghetti and mashed potatoes. This time I paired it with rice and used 3 to 1 water and lemon juice just to marry the flavors.
Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Jay
Fantastic!! 🙂 You’re welcome, Jay!
This was amazing!! I roasted some cauliflower and asparagus to go with it and poured the sauce all over everything and it was incredible. And so so easy to make!! Thank you!
Fabulous!! 🙂
What an amazing recipe! I actually used a 1 lb pkg of chicken tenderloins and pounded them a bit for uniform thickness. I followed your exact instructions (added the suggested ginger and doubled the sauce) – delicious!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes:)
Thank you!! so glad you liked it!!
Hi. Looks great. I have bone in breast. How should I adjust the recipe? Should I finish in the oven?
Hi! Yeah, that might be a good idea. I’m just a bit concerned that the sauce may burn if you cook it in the oven for too long.
Maybe I’ll try to reverse it and oven roast at first and then finish in the pan! That way the sauce won’t be in the oven I’ll give it a try
Yes!
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe.
You’re very welcome!!
Hello! How many calories would you say would be in each serving?
Thanks!
Hi! I just added it for you. Please keep in mind it’s an estimate (it’ll vary depending on chicken breast size, how much flour sticks to the chicken, etc.).
Do you have video of this and aside from chicken breast can I also use different part?
Hi! You could certainly use chicken thighs instead. I don’t have a video for this particular recipe – sorry.