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This 20-minute lemon chicken recipe has juicy chicken with a simple buttery lemon sauce. It’s the ideal dinner for when you don’t want to put in a lot of effort!
Try my Easy Roast Chicken (Lemon & Herb) or Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones that shine the most! This lemon butter chicken recipe is super easy, and you only need a few basic ingredients to make something really delicious after work for your family that’s low effort and inexpensive.
I’m all about pairing lemon and chicken. They’re just so good together, so we’re also using lemon zest to really amp up the bright flavor here. This chicken with lemon sauce is basically a simplified Chicken Piccata and elevates pantry ingredients.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, it’s an easy way to infuse a lot of flavor right into the cutlets
- Flour – to get that golden crust on the chicken
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and making the base of the sauce
- Chicken broth – more savory flavor
- Lemon – using both juice and zest makes the lemony flavor really pop
- Parsley – for contrast and freshness
Pro tip
- Cutting chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make four smaller cutlets ensures that they’re more uniform in size. That way, they also cook faster and more evenly so dinner is on the table quickly.
How to make lemon chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken into four cutlets. Season them with salt & pepper and garlic powder, then dredge in flour. Pan fry until golden in the oil and some of the butter, then transfer to a plate. To the skillet add the broth, lemon juice and zest, and remaining butter.
Let it bubble for a few minutes. Return the chicken, and simmer until it’s cooked through and the sauce has reduced some more. Give it a taste, season with extra salt & pepper as needed, and add chopped parsley and lemon slices if using.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use my handy Microplane to zest the lemon.
- Cut the chicken in half with ease using a classic chef’s knife.
- I love my Le Creuset cast iron skillet for this one. It comes in a variety of fun colors!
- Chicken is cooked when it’s 165F. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure it’s perfectly cooked.
What to serve with lemon chicken
- I like to serve this with rice, Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, or pasta like these Quick and Easy Garlic Butter Noodles.
- For a veggie pairing, try some broccoli or my Easy Roasted Green Beans or Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.
- A salad works too! Spring mix with my Homemade Olive Garden Dressing is a great idea.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover chicken in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat until warmed through for best results.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
If you made this chicken with a lemon butter sauce, leave a review below! Ask any questions the post didn’t answer. Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made any of my recipes.
Easy Lemon 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on November 5, 2018. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
We had this for dinner tonight. Typically I don’t change a recipe that is new to me, but after reading some comments, and because I’ve made this so many times before, I did basically use this recipe as a guide. My favorite part is the simple and easy prep.
I used about 3 Tbsp lemon juice because I didn’t have a lemon. Instead of garlic powder I used 2 Tbsp minced garlic. I added ¼ cup of white cooking wine, but I didn’t reduce the chicken broth. Adding the wine first, I scraped the pan bits up then added the broth. We like more sauce so I didn’t reduce the liquids. Using 1Tbsp cornstarch and chicken broth, I made a slurry to thicken up the sauce so that it would coat the chicken better.
I served the Lemon Chicken with white rice and extra sauce, a Ceasar salad, asparagus and frozen Red Lobster biscuits. For dessert we had lemon meringue pie and Mardi Gras coffee.
Tomorrow, I’ll serve the leftover lemon chicken with angel hair pasta. I’ll probably make more sauce.
Yes, I basically used the recipe for a guide. This is an excellent recipe because it’s so easy without all the fuss that most recipes require. Using this recipe I can fry the chicken, set it aside, and add everything else to the pan all at once. Put the chicken in the sauce, cover it, turn the heat low while I get the rest of the meal ready, and done. I love that! Thank you for doing the work so I don’t have to do the process thinking.
You’re very welcome, Karole!
Tried this with chicken thighs and drumsticks. Did everything the same except added a total of 3/4 cup of broth and simmered for 12 minutes at the end to compensate for the bone in chicken! Check with thermometer to be sure of doneness. So good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Ryan!!
Made this tonight. I enjoyed it very much. The only addition I made was to add some white dry wine.
Wonderful!! Thank you, Bernadette!
Got a little distracted at grocery store and forgot to grab chicken stock. Sooo…the chicken breasts and I shared a beer! Had 4 chicken breasts and cut them in half. Pan fried in batches. Laid them in a heavy baking sheet, drizzled the “salsa de limon” over them. Popped in oven for 20min with a sheet pan of broccoli beside. Crispy on top and tender in the middle!!
Hi. I tried this recipe tonight and it was good. Chicken was moist. However, initially before I let the chicken rest, it looked slimy. Did I do this right? What am I missing? Thanks for the tips!
Hi! I am not really sure what you mean by slimy. Can you be a bit more specific? It sounds like if you liked it, you probably did everything correctly. 🙂
Loved it. It was quick and easy and tasted perfect. Just the right amount of everything. I did add a little white wine to the recipe because I had some I needed to use.
But wasn’t a necessary addition
I’m thrilled to hear that!! Thank you!!
Quick, easy and delicious! I didn’t feel like dredging it so I just pan sautéed the chicken. Served with salt potatoes and steamed broccoli. Next time going to use white wine instead of chicken broth just to mix it up a little. This time the broth was pretty dark so the sauce was dark too. If I knew how to post a pic I would.
Glad you liked it!!
Thank you for the recipe!
You’re very welcome, Paula!
I’ve made this before and love it. I want to double it and have 8 thinner breasts. Any suggestions on how to do this w a larger amount of chicken? Not sure I have a oan big enough to put them back in the finished off.
Hi! I’m glad you like this one! A Dutch oven/pot perhaps? Or 2 pans if need be.
Great recipe I added a bunch of spices I like to the chicken beyond salt and pepper and garlic. I used pink salt and black garlic, Badia all purpose seasoning, a seasoning blend from Spain. Followed the rest of the receive exact. I also added at the end steamed broccoli and cauliflower into the sauce with the chicken. Made a yellow rice as a side as well. Keeping this for future week night dinner.
So glad you liked it!! Yes, it’s definitely easy to dress it up any way you like. Sounds good to me!