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This easy honey lemon chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken that’s smothered in a sticky lemon and honey sauce. It’s quick and uses everyday ingredients!

I think you’ll also like my Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken or this Easy Chicken Francese.

closeup of a skillet with honey lemon chicken

Why you’ll love it

I’m always trying to come up with new ways to make boneless skinless chicken breasts taste delicious, and I’m really happy with this 20-minute chicken recipe. Does it get any better than the sweet, savory, tangy, and buttery flavor combo? So good.

This sticky honey lemon chicken is ideal for picky eaters. It doesn’t have any cream, but it does have butter. Both the lemon and honey flavors shine in this recipe. You’ll enjoy the sweet-savory-tangy combination with melt-in-your-mouth chicken.

What you’ll need

  • Chicken – we’re cutting two chicken breasts to make four thinner cutlets. This helps it cook more evenly and remain tender.
  • Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, it’s to infuse savory goodness into the chicken
  • Flour – for dredging and getting a nice crust
  • Olive oil and butter – for sautéing and making the base of the sauce
  • Chicken broth – another layer of flavor for the sauce
  • Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice adds acidity and brightness
  • Honey – a pop of sweet flavor!
ingredients for honey lemon chicken in prep bowls

Helpful tips

  • The sauce isn’t meant to be super thick or syrupy in this recipe, but it will reduce and thicken up a fair bit while the chicken finishes cooking. 
  • A general cooking suggestion: I always try to err on the side of adding less rather than more flour to the plate/bowl for coating the chicken. You can always add more if needed, but you have to discard all the flour that you don’t use. It’s easy to overestimate the amount and waste flour. 

How to make sticky honey lemon chicken

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

seasoning chicken and pan frying in a skillet until golden

Cut the chicken breasts into four cutlets. Sprinkle them with garlic powder, salt & pepper, and then dredge with flour. Cook in the olive oil and half the butter until golden, then transfer to a plate.

making a honey lemon pan sauce and returning chicken to the skillet

Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken, and cook until it’s 165F and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed.

Tools for this recipe

Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!

  • This butter dish has markers to easily measure out the right amount of butter.
  • Chicken is cooked at 165F, so use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure it’s perfect every time.
  • I use this cast iron skillet to make this recipe.

Substitutions and variations

  • If you want to add a little zing, grate some fresh ginger into the sauce!
  • This recipe is really good with the zest of 1/2 a lemon added in. I use my handy Microplane grater/zester to do this. 

What to serve with lemon honey chicken

Leftovers and storage

  • Store leftover lemon honey chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • Reheat slowly over a low heat until warmed through.
  • I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
a plate with honey lemon chicken, rice, and green beans

I hope you’ll give this honey lemon glazed chicken recipe a try! Leave a star rating and review below if you made it, or tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.

closeup of a skillet with honey lemon chicken
4.94 from 31 votes

Honey Lemon Chicken

This easy honey lemon chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken that's smothered in a sticky lemon and honey sauce. It's quick and uses everyday ingredients! 
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Flour for dredging
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter divided
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions 

  • Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge them in flour so they're evenly coated.
  • Add the oil and one tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook it for 4-5 minutes/side or until golden. If it starts to splatter a lot, reduce the heat a bit.
  • Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, honey, and the rest of the butter. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add the chicken back in.
  • Cook the chicken for another 5 minutes or so (medium-high heat), until the sauce has reduced and thickened a bit and the chicken is fully cooked through. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.

Notes

  • In most recipes, including this one, I use medium-to-large size chicken breasts. If you buy particularly small ones, you can probably skip the step of cutting them in half lengthwise – just ensure they’re cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 289mg, Potassium: 459mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 210IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

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.

Leave a star rating and comment below!

This recipe was originally published on September 10, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!


Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

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4.94 from 31 votes (1 rating without comment)

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90 Comments

  1. Colton says:

    New to cooking, but can I use a saucepan instead of a frying pan? Very excited to try this recipe!

    1. Natasha says:

      How big is your saucepan? If you think it’ll fit all the chicken pieces, then why not. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!

  2. Brietta Vasser says:

    5 stars
    Very good! The only thing I did differently is add minced onion and minced garlic to the sauce. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    1. Natasha says:

      You’re very welcome!

  3. AngelaML says:

    5 stars
    Thank you Natasha, another hit! This was very easy and nice and light. I’ve made now about 5 of your pan fried chicken recipes so have that part down pat. Loved this, as did the family too!

    Thank you so much for giving me so many easy and delicious recipes to help us get through COVID. It helps so much to know I can feed the family (something I can control).

    1. Natasha says:

      That’s awesome!! So happy it was a hit… and you’re very welcome.

  4. Tracey says:

    5 stars
    This chicken dish was not only crazy easy but unbelievably good!! I did double the sauce recipe and had it on top of basmati rice!! I’ve shared this recipe with all my friends and family!!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so happy to hear you liked it! And thanks for sharing! 🙂

  5. Tara says:

    5 stars
    Really delicious, made this from my family and even my sister who’s very picky loved it .

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so glad to hear that, Tara!

    2. Sindy says:

      5 stars
      Beautiful, will be making again, ahead for my family while I’m in hospital.. Is it freezable?

      1. Natasha says:

        So glad you liked it! I think you could freeze it… but the sauce may kinda disappear as it thaws. Maybe double the sauce? And make sure they warm it on a low heat. Reheated chicken can go dry/tough. Good luck in the hospital. 🙂 XO

  6. India says:

    5 stars
    Wow! This was crazy good I was not expecting it to be THAT good. I soaked my chicken breasts in buttermilk for two hours prior. I cooked the halved breasts 4 minutes on each side. Doubled the sauce recipe because everyone said it was so good. simmered for 10 minutes then I put chicken breasts in and simmered for ten minutes more. INCREDIBLE!!!!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so glad it was a hit! Love the buttermilk idea.

  7. Anastasia says:

    Can’t wait to try this for tomorrow’s dinner! Thank you! You did it again! #inspiration

    How would you season rice to pair so it’s not so bland?

    1. Natasha says:

      Hope you enjoy it!! Hmmm… I guess I never thought of rice as bland haha. I like it as-is (but salted well or made with chicken broth instead of water), but I’m sure there’s plenty of dressed up rice recipes out there (unfortunately none on my blog at this time!).

    2. Raquel Green says:

      I make a easy Parmesan “risotto” right that I made with this chicken tonight and it was amazing! Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a pot/sauce pan as well as some garlic (I use a lot because we love garlic), let that sauté until fragrant and then pour 1 cup of uncooked rice it. Stir it all together until the rice is all coated and 1 cup of milk/heavy cream and 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down on low/simmer heat. Once the liquid absorbs a little, put the cheese in (again as much to your liking) and salt and pepper. Let it cook a little longer until all liquid is absorbed and cheese it melted. Parsley is optional. I hope you enjoy!

      1. Natasha says:

        Ooh sounds good to me! Thanks for sharing!

  8. Ilene says:

    5 stars
    Super yum! Amazing flavor! I will definitely make it again. Family approved.

    1. Natasha says:

      So happy to hear that!

  9. KatieMae says:

    5 stars
    Chicken came out perfect! So good and easy. Next time i would up the lemon, honey & chick broth because the sauce was SO GOOD 🙂

    1. Natasha says:

      Wonderful! So glad it was a hit! XO

  10. Liz says:

    What can I do if I don’t have chicken broth?

    1. Natasha says:

      Do you have a bouillon/stock cube by chance? You could use water, but it won’t be quite as flavorful. Make sure to add plenty of salt.