This lemon butter chicken recipe is fast and makes the best dinner. Tender chicken is pan-fried and coated in the easiest, most delicious lemon butter sauce!
I'm hoping this recipe will become a new weeknight favorite of yours. It's ready in about 20 minutes - not bad! This recipe is quite similar to chicken piccata, but there's no capers in this lemon chicken skillet recipe.
Lemons and butter. One of life's best combos. 😉
How to make lemon butter chicken
The chicken is quickly sprinkled with some garlic powder and salt & pepper, then coated in flour and fried until golden on both sides. I prefer to cut the chicken in half lengthwise (to make thinner cutlets) because it allows the chicken to cook faster without drying it out.
And making lemon butter chicken sauce is simple. After pan-frying the chicken, you deglaze the pan with butter, chicken broth, and lemon juice. No fancy ingredients in here. You finish cooking the chicken in the sauce, and voilà - dinner is served!
This dish has a bright lemon flavor, partially because I use a fair bit of lemon juice, but I also love to add some lemon zest. The zest isn't strictly necessary, but it's one of my favorite things to add to a dish to really make the flavors pop.
What to serve with this dish
Serve this chicken with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes, or go low-carb with some veggies (try my Easy Roasted Green Beans) and/or a salad.
More easy lemon chicken recipes:
- Honey Lemon Chicken
- Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Lemon Parmesan Chicken Alfredo Recipe
- Lemon Chicken Stuffed Shells Recipe
Let me know if you've made this easy chicken recipe!
Questions? Ask me in the comments below. 🙂

Lemon Butter Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
- Chopped fresh parsley optional, to taste
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge them in flour so they're nicely coated.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken cutlets and cook them for 4-5 minutes/side or until they're nice and golden. Take them out of the pan and set aside.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon juice + zest, and remaining butter to the pan and let it bubble for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chicken back in and cook for another few minutes until it's cooked through and the sauce is further reduced. Season with salt & pepper as needed and sprinkle the fresh parsley over top if using.
Notes
- If you buy particularly small chicken breasts, you can skip the step of cutting them in half lengthwise - just ensure they're cooked through.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Hunter says
I can’t wait to make this! Hopefully I don’t mess this one up lol! Also hope it impress this certain someone!
Natasha says
Good luck, Hunter! 🙂 Hope it's a hit!
Hunter says
Out of all the recipes I’ve seen for this. THIS! THIS IS THE BEST ONE !! Success!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Aw we love to hear that, Hunter! Thrilled you liked it!
Elise says
How many calories per serving
Natasha says
Just added it for ya. Keep in mind it's just an estimate and will vary depending on size of chicken breasts, etc. Hope you like the recipe!
Alex B says
I love this recipe! I made it with broccoli florets - added them for a few minutes in the sauce on a lower temp before adding the chicken back in at the end. Also made penne and added some of the pasta water before draining. So good! Everyone said I could make this one again!
Natasha says
Fabulous! That sounds delicious!! 🙂 I'm glad it's a keeper.
Allison says
This was amazing - so easy and delicious!!!!
Natasha says
So glad to hear that!
Rabia Cariem says
We’ve made this twice already, my family loves this dish! It’s delicious! Not often that I make a dish that suits everyone’s taste, but if my kids love it, then it’s definitely great!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that! It can be so hard to please everyone. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Stacey says
Amazing! I have picky kids and they LOVED this! Will be making again soon. So good. Thank you!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! 🙂 Thank you!
Leslie Ruch says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was DELISH!! Definitely will be making this often!
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know!
Elizabeth Seeley says
Would it be possible to use almond flour?
Natasha says
I think that should be fine. I don’t cook with it, but you could definitely give it a go!
luda says
I love easy and delicious chicken dinners like this!
I loved the flavors.
Natasha says
So happy to hear it!
Teresa says
This is my husband favorite. I always ask him what he wants for dinner and he says that lemon chicken. Lol so the new name for this is “that lemon chicken”. Lol
Natasha says
Haha that's great!!
Maria Kleinman says
Yet another amazing recipe my entire family enjoyed...super easy to prepare and super flavorful!!
Natasha says
Aww so glad to hear it! 🙂
Shimulshimu says
Is there anything except heavy cream?
Natasha says
Hi, there's no heavy cream in this recipe so I'm confused by your comment.
Robo Sutherland says
Fantastic recipe that everyone loves. Thank you.
Natasha says
You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment. 🙂
Amy Lai says
Can't wait to make this for my husband, who loves lemon chicken. And we have ripe Meyer lemons from our tree. Thanks, Natasha, I am glad I discovered you.
Natasha says
Your own lemon tree... I’m so jealous haha. Hope you like the recipe! ❤️
Sherry says
Where did your nutritional information go? This looks so good wanted to try.
Natasha says
Hi Sherry! I only include nutritional info on select recipes, and even then it’s just calories. It takes me a while to calculate it (I don’t just plug it into a calculator because that’s usually totally inaccurate). A lot of the nutritional info on recipes online is way off. I don’t want to mislead readers. If you want nutritional info, I suggest using an online calculator but entering the exact weight of the chicken you used and reading the labels of the exact ingredients you used. That’ll give you a much better idea than me guessing on chicken weight and such.
Yogesh says
Looking soo testy 😋😋
Matt Robinson says
Adding this to my weeknight dinner list for sure! My boys would love this.
Natasha says
Hope you all enjoy it, Matt! 🙂
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
Lemon? Butter? Chicken? Sold!
Natasha says
🙂
Leigh Ann says
I love easy and delicious chicken dinners like this!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Leigh Ann!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
This looks totally mouthwatering Natasha! Seriously, we NEED to be neighbors!
Natasha says
I'll gladly move to Philly! 🙂
Sarah Fennel says
So perfect for dinner!!
Natasha says
Thanks, Sarah!