Fall in love with this bright, zesty, and juicy Lemon Butter Chicken, soaked in a citrusy, tangy, buttery lemon garlic butter sauce that is so good you’ll want to cook with it all the time!
Chicken is first seared on the stovetop then sent into the oven in the hot skillet to finish cooking. This simple skillet lemon butter chicken recipe is a one-pan recipe and ready under 25 minutes. You’ll want to keep this yummy chicken dish in your repertoire!
Love cooking with lemons? Check out some of my other lemon favorites such as Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup, Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pasta, and One-Pan Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes.
Chicken with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce
This buttery lemon chicken is one of my favorite easy skillet chicken recipes because it is so flavorful and calls for only a handful of ingredients inside and outside of your pantry.
The incredible lemon butter sauce that is no doubt the star of the dish, responsible for waking up this chicken dish and making it all bright, juicy and tasty.
Made with lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and butter, the sauce will also be soaked up by the lightly breaded chicken and incorporated into the chicken itself.
The technique for making this recipe is very similar to one of my all time favorite chicken recipe, Garlic Butter Chicken Breast, which was inspired by one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had. It was so good I had to do a lemon version of it.
It incorporates a simple 2-minutes searing of the lightly breaded (in flour) chicken breasts and then chicken finishes cooking in the oven.
By finishing up cooking in the oven, chicken is baked slowly so it comes out undeniably juicy and moist. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the chicken so it does not overcook.
skillet to use for the oven?
This recipe will require a large skillet that can go from the stovetop to the oven. Typically a 12-inch skillet and it should comfortably fit all the chicken breasts.
Generally, oven-safe skillets are typically made out of stainless steel or cast iron. Non-stick pans typically cannot be used in the oven. And most skillets with a plastic handles will not be able to be used in the oven. But when in doubt, check your manual.
If you cannot find an oven-safe skillet, you have a couple of other options:
- After searing, transfer chicken and lemon butter sauce to an oven safe dish and bake it in the oven safe dish.
- Cover skillet and finish cooking chicken in the skillet under lower heat.
Ingredients
These are the Ingredients you will need to make oven baked skillet lemon butter chicken.
For the chicken:
- Chicken breasts – three large chicken breasts, roughly eight ounces each, is the perfect amount for this recipe. Slice the three chicken breasts into half lengthwise so that they cook faster and also absorb more flavor.
- Salted butter – If you want a healthier option, you can use unsalted butter or even a cholesterol free butter, or one of those more heart-healthy butter. However, standard butter will give you the best flavor. This recipe does not use a lot of butter so you will get plenty of the flavors without using too much of it.
- All-purpose flour – Used to bread the chicken. Also acts as a thickening agent for the lemon butter sauce.
- Salt & pepper – sprinkl chicken breast with salt and pepper before searing to sear the spices into the chicken for maximum flavor.
For the Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce:
- Garlic cloves – for the fullest flavor, mince fresh garlic cloves. Fresh garlic yields the best flavor so avoid substituting with garlic powder if possible.
- Lemon – you will use both the lemon zest and the lemon juice from this fruit, so use a fresh lemon to get the best flavors and not the juice from the bottle, which tends to have a lot of preservatives.
How to make Lemon Butter Chicken skillet
First season chicken with salt and black pepper, then toss the thinly sliced chicken in flour.
Pan fry chicken breast until they are golden brown on the outside, flipping halfway through. We don’t have to cook them through, just 1-2 minutes on each side until they are brown.
Then bring chicken off heat to a plate. Add butter to the hot pan, let it melt, along with garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Ahh…smells amazing already.
Add chicken beasts back into the skillet, then transfer the whole skillet into the oven.
Bake for 7-10 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
Check at the 5-7 minute mark by poking a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thickest chicken breast. If chicken reached 165ºF, remove from heat immediately to prevent overcooking.
When you pull out the skillet from the oven, YES, you will smell the incredible butter garlic lemon flavors, and YES, you should be excited!
Spoon garlic butter lemon sauce all over that crusty baked chicken with lemon garlic butter sauce.
You can also garnish it with parsley or your favorite herb. It adds a touch of flavor and brings a touch of green to the aesthetic.
Last but not least – grab a fork and dig in!
I seriously wanna cook all the things in this sauce. I’m telling you, this buttery lemon Chicken is AMAZING.
It’s a lemony, citrusy, buttery flavor bomb, and is the ultimate quick healthy, easy, and delicious dish you need on busy evenings.
What goes with Lemon Butter Chicken
Here are some ideas of side dishes that goes well with lemon butter chicken:
Veggies and Salads:
- Strawberry Bacon Spinach Salad
- Roasted Zucchini
- Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Roasted Whole Carrots
- Roasted Broccolini
Carbs:
Storage and Reheating
Store lemon butter chicken in air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 2 months.
It heats up well in microwave or oven. If it is frozen, bring to a full defrost before reheating.
Tips and Tricks
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Always use fresh lemons and garlic instead of bottled lemon juice or garlic powder for the best flavor. Fresh ingredients make a significant difference in enhancing the overall taste.
- Preheat Oven For Even Cooking: Make sure the oven is properly preheated before finishing the chicken.
- Pat Dry Chicken: Use a paper towel to pat dry chicken to remove extra moisture before coating chicken in flour.
- Sear Chicken in Hot Oil: Make sure oil is hot and bubbly on the skillet before adding chicken to get a good sear.
- Avoid Overcrowding Skillet: When searing the chicken, avoid overcrowding chicken and you may need to cook chicken in two batches to give every piece a good sear.
- Deglaze the Pan: After searing the chicken, deglaze the skillet by adding butter. Use a spatula to scrap off the browned bits left in it – it adds additional flavor to the sauce.
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken: Avoid overcooking the chicken as it can lead to dryness. Cook the chicken just until it is no longer pink in the center. Check for doneness at the 5-7 minute mark in the oven with a meat thermometer for best results. Once chicken reaches 165ºF, it should be remove from heat promptly.
- Rest the Chicken: After cooking, let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing. This helps retain the juices and leads to a more tender and flavorful chicken.
- Garnish for Extra Flavor: Garnish with fresh herbs like parsley or chives before serving to char fresh flavors and add a simple touch of fancy to the plate.
Dietary restriction modification
Need to modify the dish for meals outside your regular weeknight dinner? No problem!
- Dairy free: use dairy free butter
- Low carb: Don’t dredge chicken in all purpose flour or use almond flour.
However, out of all honesty, this dish taste best with regular butter and all purpose flour. Just saying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe should work for any cut of chicken, pork, and even fish (tilapia, salmon, etc). Cooking time will be different.
Yes! Seal it well in an airtight container or zip lock bag, and freeze for up to two months. Store the chicken and butter sauce separately. Chicken will probably be better if it is seared, but not fully cooked yet, if stored for that long.
Yes but I highly recommend finishing the cooking process in the oven for a short period of time. It helps cook it evenly and not overcook the outsides of the chicken while slow cooking the chicken to reach the internal temperature of 165℉. If you do want to skip the oven, make sure the chicken is flat in the skillet and not stacking on each other (meal will be more dry if you stack them), or cook in two batches (pan sear then cook the chicken in two batch, adding butter for each batch).
This could be due to a couple of things. Here are a few things to take note:
1. Chicken should be pat dry before seasoning it and coating in flour.
2. Coat chicken evenly in flour and use fingers to press the flour onto chicken so it sticks.
3. Make sure there’s enough oil in the skillet and that the oil is hot before adding chicken.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
Other Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Garlic Herb Chicken with Cream Sauce
- French Onion Chicken
- Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Baked Chicken Cutlets
- Chicken and Orzo
Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts halved lengthwise
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tbsp lemon zest ~ 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup lemon juice ~ 2 lemons
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Par dry chicken breasts on both sides. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Put flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour until evenly coated.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Drizzle some oil in the hot skillet. Once oil is hot, Cook chicken breasts for ~1-2 minutes on each side, or until browning occurs. Avoid overcrowding chicken and cook in two batches if needed. Remove chicken from skillet once browned. Chicken doesn't have to be fully cooked at this point.
- Lower heat to medium low. Add butter and allow to melt. Once butter melts, add garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir.
- Return chicken beasts to skillet and place in the oven.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165℉. Check at the 5-7 minute mark and remove from heat immediately if they are done to prevent overcooking.
- Spoon lemon butter over chicken.
- Let chicken rest for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!
