Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken (Printable)
Pan-seared chicken in a bright lemon garlic butter sauce, ready in 35 minutes flat.
# 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
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
# How To Make It:
01 - Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in flour, shaking off excess.
02 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Once hot, add chicken breasts. Cook for 5–6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
03 - Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Sauté garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and chicken broth, scraping browned bits from the pan. Simmer for 3–4 minutes.
05 - Return chicken and accumulated juices to the skillet, spoon sauce over, and simmer 2–3 minutes.
06 - Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately, spooning extra sauce over each piece.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The pan sauce comes together in minutes but tastes like it simmered all afternoon
- It uses pantry staples you probably already have sitting around
02 -
- Crowding the pan drops the temperature and steams the chicken instead of searing it, so cook in batches if your skillet is small
- The browned bits on the pan bottom are pure flavor and scraping them up is what makes the sauce taste like it came from a restaurant
03 -
- Use a microplane or fine zester to avoid the bitter white pith under the lemon skin
- Do not let the garlic go past light golden or it will turn bitter and ruin the sauce