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This creamy lemon chicken recipe is fast, simple, and uses everyday pantry ingredients. You will love the tangy lemon sauce, and the chicken melts in your mouth!
Try my Creamy Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup or Easy Chicken Piccata next.
Why you’ll love it
Lemon, cream, butter, and chicken are one undeniably delicious combo. This lemon chicken recipe is ready in just 25 minutes for a showstopping meal any night of the week! It’s perfect for fancier occasions as well if you’re in search of a dish for easy entertaining.
The velvety, creamy lemon sauce in this rich yet zesty chicken recipe is lick-the-plate good. It really doesn’t get much easier to make it with a few pantry staples, and it’ll be your new favorite way to enjoy golden pan-fried chicken breasts. It’s effortless and quick!
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, we’re giving the chicken itself plenty of savory flavor
- Flour – it gives the cutlets that irresistible crust
- Butter and olive oil – for pan frying and the base of the sauce
- Chicken broth – another layer of flavor
- Lemon juice – for that tangy citrus quality
- Heavy cream – real cream is what makes the sauce luxurious and elegant
- Parsley – for a burst of freshness and contrast
Pro tip
Cutting chicken breasts in half lengthwise keeps them tender, and they cook faster and more evenly as well.
How to make creamy lemon chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken into cutlets, and season with salt & pepper and the garlic powder. Dredge in flour. Pan-fry the chicken on both sides in the oil and butter until golden, then transfer to a plate. Add the broth and lemon juice to the skillet.
Cook for a minute, and scrape up the browned bits from the skillet. Add the heavy cream, and return the chicken to the pan. Let it simmer until thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Add more salt & pepper if needed, and garnish with parsley.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer. It’s inexpensive and ensures you never have overdone or underdone chicken. Chicken is safe at 165F. Keep in mind the temperature will rise a bit after you stop cooking it.
- Add a little bit of lemon zest to amp up the brightness using a Microplane.
- Here are the angled measuring cups pictured.
Substitutions and variations
- If you want to leave the garlic powder out, you can, but it adds an extra layer of flavor to this dish that I just love. It’s definitely not overpowering at all. If you’re big into garlic, feel free to sprinkle on a bit extra.
- This chicken is fairly lemony, so if you want a more subtle lemon flavor, I recommend using less lemon juice.
- Feel free to substitute all or half of the chicken broth with dry white wine (e.g. pinot gris or sauvignon blanc).
What to serve with creamy lemon chicken
- I love drizzling the sauce over my Garlic Mashed Potatoes or rice.
- Vegetable-wise, my Stovetop Asparagus, steamed green beans or broccolini, sweet corn, Easy Roasted Cauliflower, or Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes pair fabulously.
- You could even cut up the chicken into strips and serve it over pasta.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this creamy lemon chicken for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Heat it up over a low heat on the stovetop until warmed through, but don’t overcook the chicken.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one due to the dairy.
More easy chicken recipes
If you gave this chicken with a creamy lemon sauce a try, please leave a star rating and review below! I also love seeing your S&L creations when you tag me on Instagram.
Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Salt & pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for dredging
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Slice your chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 thinner cutlets. Generously season them with salt & pepper on both sides, and sprinkle the garlic powder on both sides evenly. Dredge them in flour.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil. When the pan's hot, add the chicken and cook it for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden. Take the chicken out of the pan and transfer to a plate.
- Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the pan, and let it cook for about a minute (make sure to scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan).
- Add the cream to the skillet, then add the chicken back in. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the cream thickens up a bit and the chicken is cooked through completely.
- Add more salt & pepper if needed and sprinkle parsley over top if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You could swap the chicken broth with dry white wine if desired.
- I don’t recommending swapping the cream for half-and-half or milk because the lemon juice may cause the sauce to separate/curdle.
- Before serving, I sometimes will grate some lemon zest and stir it into the sauce, but this is totally optional.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My family loved it!
Great! Thank you!!
I tried this recipe but the cream curdled when I added it. Had to through it away.
Was wondering what I did wrong.
Did you use at least 36% fat cream? That shouldn’t curdle. Was it cold straight out of the fridge?
Love this recipe, added gluten free pasta for hubby, it was great.
Yay!! Thank you!
This recipe is definitely going to be added to my recipe file. I love the creamy lemon sauce. It was very easy to make. I did use Better than Bullion to make my chicken broth.
I also found a lovely lemon pepper noodle in our local market. The noodles are Mrs. Miller’s Homemade Noodles. This is a company in Ohio. Thank you for the delicious recipe.
I’m thrilled it was a hit, Kay! Thanks for your 5-star review!
I add mushrooms to mine and it turned out amazing.
Lovely!! 😀 Thanks so much for your 5-star review, Sallie!
So good!
Thank you, Niki!
Delicious!!!
Thank you, Sally!!
This is always delicious! I started to make it tonight and realized my cream had turned. What I did was use 3/4 of a cup of broth, and 3/4 of a cup of dry white wine. I added them both at the time you would normally add the broth as I wanted to cook out the alcohol. At the end of cooking, I added a bit of corn starch mixed with cold water. This came out great! I highly suggest using the cream but if you don’t have it, this is a very nice alternative.
I’m so glad it worked out with the swaps, Christina! 🙂
Can I omit the flour or sub for almond flour for a gluten-free option?
Almond flour won’t thicken the sauce. I’d just skip it in this case.
This is so easy and delicious. The whole family loves it and we usually include it in our weekly rotation or swap it out for salt and lavender’s chicken florentine.
I’m so happy to hear that, Alyssa! 😀 Appreciate your review!
Delicious recipe!! Thank you for this. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great! Definitely will be making this again!!
Fantastic!! 😀 Thank you, Tanya!