Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken (Printable)

Golden chicken in a bright lemon garlic butter sauce, ready in 35 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Coating & Sautéing

03 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

→ Lemon Garlic Sauce

06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
09 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

# Steps:

01 - Season chicken breasts evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece lightly in flour, shaking off any excess coating.
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the fat is shimmering, add chicken breasts and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil to rest.
03 - Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Sauté minced garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to brown.
04 - Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to reduce slightly.
05 - Return the chicken along with any accumulated juices to the skillet. Spoon sauce over each piece and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately with extra sauce ladled over the top.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together from pantry staples you probably already have sitting around
  • It tastes like something you would pay good money for at a nice bistro but takes zero fancy technique
02 -
  • Dry your chicken with paper towels before dredging because wet chicken and flour make a paste instead of a crust
  • Let the pan get properly hot before adding oil because a cold skillet is the number one reason chicken sticks and tears
03 -
  • Zest your lemon before juicing it because trying to zest a squeezed lemon is basically impossible
  • Use a meat thermometer and pull the chicken at 165 degrees because overcooked chicken breast is dry and no amount of sauce can fully fix that

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