Lemon Garlic Chicken with Fresh Lemon Butter Sauce
By Mason Brooks
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Lemon garlic chicken is a fast skillet dish to make if you want to serve a chicken dish with a pan sauce. Sauté thin chicken cutlets and serve them with a sauce made from lemon juice, garlic, chicken broth, chilled butter pats, and other ingredients. Lemon garlic chicken takes about 30 minutes to prepare.
Slice each breast in half before cooking to form four thin slices that will cook faster and more evenly as a group and are better suited to absorb sauce. Cook chicken in a large skillet in a single layer to prevent the chicken from steaming, which can make it appear rare. Coat the chicken well with flour to prevent clumping while cooking.
After removing the chicken, sauté the garlic for 30 seconds over medium heat. Pour broth and lemon juice into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Browned bits will dissolve into the sauce, which you can simmer for 3-4 minutes. I find it fun to watch browned bits come off the pan. The pan smells sharp at first but settles down as the sauce reduces.
I reduce the heat to low and stir in cold butter to the sauce. I take the pan off the heat when it coats the back of a spoon. I don't want the butter to separate in the hot sauce. I add parsley to the sauce in the pan when I serve it.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Four thin cutlets cook at the same pace, and the sauce can be made in the pan used to cook the cutlets.
- Fresh lemon juice and garlic can be added to the pan sauce to season plain chicken.
- The flour helps brown the chicken and thicken the pan sauce while cooking.
- All ingredients are cooked in the same pan after dredging. Fewer dishes to clean. Meal serves four dinner guests.
- It serves four. A smaller dinner will mean you have extra chicken you can use for another meal.
- The 30-minute cooking time is for non-moist-heat evening meals and thin pork cutlets.
Ingredients
- •2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (large, sliced horizontally into 4 thin cutlets)
- •¼ cup all-purpose flour
- •½ tsp salt
- •¼ tsp black pepper
- •½ tsp garlic powder
- •1 tbsp olive oil
- •3 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
- •4 cloves garlic (minced)
- •½ cup chicken broth
- •¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- •2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- 1
Whisk the flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder together in a shallow dish.
- 2
Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture and shake off the excess.
- 3
Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 4
Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through, then transfer it to a plate.
- 5
Reduce the heat to medium and cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- 6
Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- 7
Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes to reduce slightly.
- 8
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter until the sauce is glossy.
- 9
Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the top.
- 10
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
385
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