This easy lemon chicken recipe is ready in 30 minutes with a few basic ingredients. Tender chicken breasts simmer in a buttery lemon-garlic sauce that works with rice, quinoa, pasta or bread.
📷 Recipe Snapshot
🍽️ Recipe: Easy Lemon Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce
⏲️ Ready In: 30 minutes
👥 Serves: 4 servings
🌏 Cuisine: Mediterranean
💪 Difficulty: Easy
📌 Recipe Type: Main Course / Entrée
🌟 Ingredient Highlights: chicken breast, olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon juice, chicken broth, parsley
❤️ Why You'll Love It: Tender chicken in a lemon butter sauce made in the same pan.
💡 Summarize and save this recipe on
More chicken dinners from my kitchen: chicken in tomato sauce, creamy Boursin cheese chicken, baked cornflake chicken nuggets, my reader favorite, creamy spinach and pepper chicken, and for a weekend dinner, a creamy chicken pot pie with a braided puff pastry lid.
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🍋 Why This Lemon Chicken Works
- The sauce is made in the same pan, so there is little to wash.
- Pounding the chicken to an even thickness helps it cook through at the same rate.
- A little flour thickens the sauce so it coats the chicken.
🥘 Ingredients
*See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Olive oil: Dark glass bottles protect olive oil from light.
- Parsley: It adds color and freshness. I chop a few bunches at once and freeze them in small zip-top bags.
- Chicken broth: Dissolve ½ a bouillon cube in 1 cup (240 ml) hot water for a richer sauce.
- Flour: I use flour to thicken the sauce, but cornstarch works too.
- Sliced lemon (optional): For garnish.
♻️ Substitutes & Variations
- Chicken thighs: Boneless thighs work too and stay juicier. Pound them lightly so they cook evenly.
- More heat: Add chili flakes to the sauce.
- Herbs: Use fresh or dried thyme and rosemary instead of parsley.
- Mediterranean twist: Add olives, capers and cherry tomatoes, and serve over couscous or quinoa.
- Dijon: Stir a small spoonful into the sauce for a mild kick.
👩🍳 How To Make Easy Lemon Chicken
Step 1: Marinate and pound the chicken
Coat the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Cover and chill for 30 minutes, then pound each breast between plastic wrap or parchment with a mallet.
Step 2: Start cooking
Heat olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook with the lid on until golden, about 10 minutes per side
Step 3: Finish cooking
When the liquid evaporates, add ½ cup (120 ml) water to keep the meat moist. Cook until tender, then move the chicken to a plate.
Step 4: Make the sauce
In the same pan, add the butter, garlic, lemon juice, broth, flour, pepper and salt. Stir until the flour dissolves and the sauce thickens, then return the chicken to the pan.
Take the pan off the heat. Season with chopped fresh parsley and garnish with lemon slices.
Serve with couscous, Turkish bulgur, Lebanese rice, quinoa, pasta or freshly baked bread to dip in the sauce. In summer, add a cool side like this watermelon feta salad with cucumber and lime.
*See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
Claudia's Top Tips
- Whisk the sauce instead of stirring it. A whisk dissolves the flour fast and keeps the sauce smooth.
- Adjust the sauce as you go. If it's too thick, add a splash of water. If it's too thin, whisk in a little more flour.
- Taste before serving and adjust the lemon juice and black pepper to your liking.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the pounding. Thick and thin parts cook at different speeds, so the thin parts dry out. Pound to an even thickness.
- Marinating too long. After 2 hours, the lemon juice starts to change the texture of the chicken.
- Leaving the pan on the heat. The sauce keeps reducing and can turn too thick or burn. Take it off the heat once it thickens.
❓ Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe FAQs
30 minutes is enough for this recipe. You can go up to 2 hours for a stronger lemon taste, but no longer, because the acid starts to change the texture. Keep it covered in the fridge.
Yes. Take the pan off the heat, stir in a small splash of cream at the end and don't let it boil again. Start with a little and taste.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for about a minute or use a pan over low to medium heat. You can also freeze extra portions-just label them with the date so they're easy to grab later.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Lemon Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce
Video
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 3½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth made with ½ chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
To Garnish
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ lemon sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: Add the chicken to a bowl with olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.2-3 large chicken breasts, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, Pinch of salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Place each breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment and pound slightly with a meat mallet to an even thickness.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, cover and cook about 10 minutes per side until fully cooked and golden. Add half a cup of water if the pan dries out.1 tbsp olive oil
- Move the chicken to a plate.
- Make the Sauce: In the same pan, whisk the butter, garlic, lemon juice, broth, flour, pepper and salt until smooth. Cook over low-medium heat until the sauce thickens. If it's too thick, add a splash of water. If it's too thin, add a little more flour.3½ tbsp unsalted butter, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, Salt
- Return the chicken to the pan, garnish with parsley and lemon slices, and serve hot.2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, ½ lemon
Claudia-Cristina Ciorteanu says
My family loved this!
Irena says
Super easy and delicious, great lemony flavor but not overpowering.