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This easy lemon chicken recipe has tender, juicy chicken, perfectly cooked potatoes, and fresh herbs in an irresistible lemon sauce.
This delicious chicken breast recipe combines simple preparation with a surprisingly complex flavor. It has tender chicken, comforting potatoes, savory aromatics, and fresh herbs in a tangy lemon butter sauce. This recipe is easy enough for a lazy Sunday yet impressive enough for an upscale dinner party.
Serve it with classic creamy mashed potatoes, lemon roasted cauliflower, or quinoa pilaf for a satisfying meal. Work this easy chicken dish into your weekly rotation along with baked chicken marinara, grilled rosemary chicken, and chicken with shallots.
Why You Will Love Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce:
- This recipe is balanced. The savory chicken, potatoes, and buttery sauce are balanced by light, fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices. Every bite has a combination of rich, savory, tangy, and bright notes.
- It’s easier than it looks. While this recipe may be a showstopper with its beautiful presentation and outstanding flavor, it’s actually not that hard to make. There are no special cooking techniques called for and the instructions are tested multiple times by a professional chef to ensure they are clear and accurate.
- It’s lighter than traditional lemon chicken. Many recipes for lemon chicken call for up to a stick of butter. This recipe, adapted from Cooking Light magazine, makes things lighter by using only two tablespoons of butter and developing the remaining flavor with fresh lemon juice, deliciously browned chicken, and fresh herbs.
Professional Tips for Making Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Taste as you go. One of the best ways to improve your home cooking skills is to learn to taste as you go. This will help you determine if more salt is needed and if the balance of acidity tastes right to you.
- Give the chicken ample time to brown. A good amount of the flavor in this dish comes from browning the chicken and allowing the remaining ingredients to cook in the same pan. Be patient and allow the chicken to develop a nicely golden brown exterior before moving forward.
- Use an instant-read thermometer. The best way to tell when chicken is ready is to use a reliable instant-read thermometer. Chicken breasts are cooked through when they have reached an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts & Thighs: I recommend bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts if you can find them, but using boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe will also work well. If your chicken breasts are very thick, you can cut the chicken in half lengthwise. The browned chicken skin will add wonderful flavor to this dish.
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cooking Spray
- Olive Oil: I love to use good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. However, any olive oil you have on hand will work well for this recipe.
- Red Potatoes: I prefer the texture of red potatoes for this recipe. Yukon Gold potatoes would be a good substitute.
- Lemons: You’ll use a Meyer lemon in this recipe and 2 tablespoons of juice. If you only have access to regular lemons, you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Shallots: I like to use shallots instead of onions because they have a more delicate, sweet flavor. You can use a bit of red onion if you can’t find shallots at your local store.
- Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic for this recipe. You can also use a bit of jarred chopped garlic. I prefer the varieties that are stored in water as opposed to oil.
- White Wine: Use a dry white wine that you would be happy drinking for this recipe. Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc are all good options.
- Thyme: Fresh or dried.
- Chicken Stock: Unsalted chicken stock is best for this recipe. This will allow you to add seasoning to your taste rather than have it determined by the stock. If you have a whole chicken and want to make stock, I put together this easy chicken deboning video for you!
- Cornstarch: I recommend using cornstarch or arrowroot powder as a thickening agent for your sauce. Both will work equally well.
- Castelvetrano Olives: This is an optional ingredient. It adds a bit of savory, rich, briny flavor to the overall dish.
- Butter
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a pop of bright, fresh color and flavor to this dish. Be sure to add soft herbs at the end of the end of your cooking time for the best taste and texture.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Marinade: For more lemon flavor, you can use a lemon chicken marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs. Be sure to pat the chicken dry before browning. Don’t marinate for more than 30 minutes or the chicken will not be as moist when cooking.
- More Fresh Herbs: This is a great recipe for using a variety of different fresh herbs. In addition to parsley, you can try dill or basil for more flavor.
- Chicken Cutlets: In place of chicken breasts, which can often be quite large, you can opt to buy chicken cutlets instead. You can also use boneless skinless breasts or thighs and cut the cooking time in half! Save some for this air fryer chicken tenders recipe!
- Meyer Lemon: This dish is EXCELLENT with meyer lemons. They have a slight sweetness which imparts a magnificent floral flavor to the dish.
How to Make Lemon Chicken
Use these instructions to make the perfect lemon chicken every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Step 1: To make this recipe, preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper and salt onto both sides of chicken.
Step 2: Add a small amount of canola oil or cooking spray to the oven safe pan and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken pieces to the pan, skin side down; cook the chicken 6 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Turn chicken over. Place the pan in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of chicken reads 165°F.
It may take longer than 12 minutes, but this depends on the size of your chicken and how long it took to brown. Boneless chicken will cook faster.
Step 3: Remove fried chicken pieces from pan; loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Pour pan drippings over chicken or discard. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add potatoes and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook potatoes over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove potatoes from the pan.
Step 4: Add lemon slices to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove lemon from pan.
Step 5: Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes, stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Add wine and chopped fresh thyme; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits.
Step 6: Return potatoes and lemon slices to the pan. Add 2/3 cup stock, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Step 7: Combine the remaining 1/3 cup stock and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and olives (if you choose) to the pain; bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
One time I was testing this recipe, it took 25 minutes for my potatoes to cook, so I had to continue to add stock and there was no need to thicken my sauce with cornstarch or arrowroot.
Step 8: Stir in lemon juice, sugar (if using), and butter, stirring until butter melts. Add the chicken to the pan, coat the chicken, then sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!
Be sure to add soft herbs at the end of the end of your cooking time for the best taste and texture.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
The dark bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan when you are browning chicken are called fond. When you deglaze a pan, or add a liquid to loosen these bits and incorporate them into a sauce, you add lots of delicious, deep flavor to your final dish!
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover lemon butter chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 6 months. Let them cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container, like a gallon plastic bag.
You can reheat lemon chicken in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. If you’re trying to revive a bit of the crispy chicken skin, try placing the reheated chicken thighs in a pan skin-side down and heating over medium heat until the skin turns crisp.
If you would like to cook lemon chicken in advance, I recommend stopping after step 4 in the recipe instructions and storing the chicken separately. You can then make the sauce and store it separately as well. This way, it will be easier to crisp the skin again when reheated.
Adding an acidic ingredient to a piece of meat helps break down the protein. This makes the chicken more tender.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast bone-in or boneless
- 2 chicken thighs bone-in or boneless
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper divided
- cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound small red potatoes quartered
- 1 Meyer lemon cut into ¼ -inch-thick slices and seeded
- 1 cup shallots chopped
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced (or diced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- 2 oz Castelvetrano olives pitted
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- To make this recipe, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Rub ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper and salt onto both sides of chicken. Add a small amount of canola oil or cooking spray to the oven safe pan and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken pieces to the pan, skin side down; cook the chicken 6 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Turn chicken over. Place the pan in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 12 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of chicken reads 165°F.
- Remove fried chicken pieces from pan; loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Discard pan drippings but do not wipe out the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add potatoes and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook potatoes over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove potatoes from the pan. Add lemon slices to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove lemon from pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes, stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Add wine and chopped fresh thyme; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits.
- Return potatoes and lemon slices to the pan. Add 2/3 cup stock, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup stock and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and olives (if you choose) to the pain; bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in lemon juice, sugar (if using), and butter, stirring until butter melts. Add the chicken to the pan, coat the chicken, then sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed chicken recipes!
