Creamy Lemon Chicken
Bright and flavorful, this Creamy Lemon Chicken is an absolute delight. Made with fresh lemon juice, this delicious dinner will be one of your new favorites.
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Recipe
I always say it and I'll say it again: Weeknight dinners DO NOT have to be hard or time-consuming. Around here, busy weeknights just cannot include difficult recipes. Life is too chaotic!
One of my recent favorites is this Creamy Lemon Chicken. This delicious dish is a great way to enjoy the flavors of lemon and chicken together. It is an easy-to-make meal that's both flavorful and hearty.
The creamy lemon sauce adds a luxurious richness to the dish, and the fresh lemon juice and zest provide a nice acidic kick to this tender chicken.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
The whole family is going to love this Creamy Lemon Chicken for a few reasons:
- It's fast! This recipe comes together in less than half an hour. Win win!
- Uses simple ingredients. You can feel good about every ingredient in this recipe.
- So versatile. Serve it over a bed of salad greens, pasta or rice for a complete meal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
You can make this recipe with super simple ingredients.
Start with boneless chicken thighs. You'll need about 1.5 to 2 lbs, about 6 thighs.
You can use chicken breasts if you prefer - just keep the weight about the same and you will need to adjust the cooking time. You can cook them whole or cut them into bite-sized pieces.
For the breading of the chicken, flour locks in moisture, giving it a nice melt-in-your-mouth texture! Dried thyme, dried oregano, salt and black pepper add flavor.
For cooking fat, unsalted or salted butter both work. If you want to skip the butter, you can use olive oil or avocado oil instead. Regular and low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock help make the base of the sauce. It's also okay to substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Use what you have!
Whole milk is what gives the sauce its creaminess. Heavy cream and half-and-half will make an even creamier sauce. Dairy-free milk works too, or use a plant-based milk like coconut milk or almond milk instead of the whole milk.
You will need lemons for both the zest and the juice. Fresh lemons have the best flavor but bottled concentrate works in a pinch. For even more lemon flavor (especially if you are using bottled lemon juice), use lemon pepper instead of regular pepper. If your blend has salt, be sure to use less salt.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Chicken
Putting together this delicious creamy lemon chicken is super simple! First, trim excess fat from boneless thighs. I use kitchen shears for this.
- Mix together flour and spices for the breading in a shallow bowl.
- Stir in half the lemon zest. Mix with your fingers until everything is well-distributed.
- Dredge both sides of chicken thighs in the flour mixture. There's no need to add a binder - the flour will stick to the chicken just fine.
- Once the chicken is breaded, heat up a large skillet to medium-high heat. Melt some butter (or oil) in the pan. Cook the thighs in the melted butter on each side for 3-4 minutes until browned.
- Then cover until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), about 5 minutes or so. Remove the chicken from pan.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the broth, milk and lemon juice plus the rest of the lemon zest, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour into the same pan (don't wipe away the brown bits!) and boil for 3-5 minutes until it reduces by half. Add chicken back to pan, coating the chicken pieces in the lemon cream sauce. Then serve!
Always check the temperature!
Use an instant-read meat thermometer to verify the meat is cooked all the way. The thermometer should read 165°F (74°C) when the chicken is done.
Serving Suggestions
Before serving, add a few garnishes for extra color and flavor. Here are a few ideas:
- fresh herbs (I used fresh parsley)
- parmesan cheese
- lemon slices or lemon wedges
- red pepper flakes
Tips & Tricks
Bottled lemon juice is okay to use, but I highly suggest using fresh lemons for the best flavor. The zest adds an extra punch of lemon flavor and fresh juice isn't as sharp as the store-bought kind.
Before you get started, trim the excess fat from the chicken. Some fat is okay for flavor, but too much can be frustrating to cut around once cooked.
Always check your spices to make sure they haven't expired. (I set a reminder for every New Year's Day to go through my pantry!)
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken
This lemony chicken has a creamy sauce that's perfect for serving over grains. Try it over risotto, rice, quinoa, cooked pasta or cauliflower rice.
It's so good over your favorite pasta recipes. It would be so good with this lemon orzo pasta especially. Or this lemon mascarpone pasta - *chef's kiss*! (Can you tell I have a thing for lemon?)
You can also serve it solo with sides like garlic green beans, roasted rosemary potatoes or roasted root vegetables.
For even more ideas, check these side dishes for chicken.
FAQ
Let the chicken cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power to keep the sauce from separating.
Yes, you can cook the chicken and make the sauce up to 24 hours in advance. Store them separately and reheat slowly, then combine just before serving. This keeps the chicken from getting soggy and the sauce silky.
If it's too thick, whisk in a splash of broth or milk until it loosens. If it's too thin, let it simmer a minute or two longer to reduce and thicken. It will continue to thicken slightly as it cools, so stop cooking when it's just creamy enough.
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Creamy Lemon Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs about 6
- ½ cup flour
- 2 lemons zested and juiced (about ⅓ cup juice)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from boneless thighs.
- Mix flour, spices and half the lemon zest. Dredge both sides of chicken thighs in flour mixture.
- Melt butter in pan. Cook thighs on each side for 3-4 minutes until browned. Then cover until internal temperature reaches 165ºF, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.
- Mix together broth, milk and lemon juice plus remaining zest. Pour into pan and bring to a boil until it reduces by half, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add chicken back to pan, coating chicken in sauce.
- Serve with parsley and lemon for garnish.
Notes
Substitutions
Fresh lemons have the best flavor but bottled concentrate works in a pinch. Feel free to use a plant-based milk like coconut milk or almond milk instead of the whole milk. For even more lemon flavor (especially if you are using bottled lemon juice) use lemon pepper instead of regular pepper. If your blend has salt, be sure to use less salt. If you want to skip the butter, you can use olive oil or avocado oil instead. It's also okay to substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Use what you have!Tips & Tricks
Bottled lemon juice is okay to use, but I highly suggest using fresh lemons for the best flavor. The zest adds an extra punch of lemon flavor and fresh juice isn't as sharp as the store-bought kind. Before you get started, trim the excess fat from the chicken. Some fat is okay for flavor, but too much can be frustrating to cut around once cooked. Always check your spices to make sure they haven't expired.Nutrition
More Chicken Recipes
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Can the creamy lemon chicken be frozen? I'm making meals for my daughter and son in law to have on hand after their baby arrives.
Hi Mariann! What a great idea. I've never done it myself, but a lot of people recommend freezing breaded chicken raw. I've cooked this and then frozen the chicken and it thawed and reheated fine that way too 🙂
Will try to make the chicken recipe tonight as someone gave me a bunch of lemons. Perfect timing. Thanks
Yay! So happy to be here sharing this recipe, now I'm craving it looking at it again 🙂
This sounds amazing! I can't wait to try!
Chicken is a staple at our house, so I'm always looking for new recipes to try! And this one looks SOOOO good!
This sounds and looks delicious! I'm am literally going to try it tonight!:) thanks for sharing
This looks so amazing!!! I think I'll be making this for dinner next week! Thanks! 🙂
Mmmm this looks SO good! I don't make creamy things very often, but they are my favorite. This one is definitely going on the list.
Oh WOW that looks good. Pinning!