Lemon Garlic Chicken with White Cream Sauce

Juicy and delicious, this pan seared lemon garlic chicken starts with a lemon cream sauce made in a skillet on the stovetop, and then finishes cooking in the oven. Topped with fresh chopped basil and lemon slices, this one pairs well on its own, on a bed of rice, or served over pasta!

Skillet chicken recipes are easy and convenient to make and this lemon chicken is the perfect meal any night of the week. With an easy prep, this lemon garlic chicken is full of flavor and ready to serve in 30 minutes!

ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works

• Since we're dealing with pan seared chicken breast, it's easy to trigger the Maillard reaction which helps intensify the flavor in this dish.
• If you're a fan of garlic flavored dishes, you'll really enjoy the garlic cream sauce. I use a lot of garlic!
• You'll make the sauce and the chicken in one pan, which is extremely convenient. One skillet meals also make for an easy clean up!
• The creamy garlic sauce is smooth and buttery, full of fresh lemon flavor, and is the perfect cream sauce for chicken!

Maillard Reaction

When cooking chicken breast in a skillet on the stovetop, most people don't realize they are triggering what's called the Maillard reaction. It's also called the "browning reaction", and if you're not familiar with what this is, it's a chemical reaction that occurs in many different types of foods, such as cookies, steak, and chicken, when proteins and/or amino acids chemically react when there is a reduction of sugars. Applying higher heat during this process helps intensify the aroma and flavor in foods and is called the Maillard reaction.

While similar to caramelizing, it's different. Caramelization typically begins around 248ºF, which is a lower temperature of when the Maillard reaction triggers, which is around 285°F.

❔ How to Trigger the Maillard Reaction

Why does all this matter? Because triggering the Maillard reaction makes your food considerably more flavorful. If you trigger this reaction with this lemon garlic chicken, you will enjoy one of the best chicken dishes you could ever make in your own kitchen. If you've made my lemon butter chicken or my brown sugar chicken recipe, you've more than likely triggered the reaction and that's why it's one of my most popular recipes.

So how do you trigger the Maillard reaction when pan searing chicken? It's actually really easy to do. You want the temperatures in the skillet to be high enough to dehydrate the surface of the food really quickly at temperatures above the boiling point of water. It's these two factors, dryness and high temperature, that are key for triggering the Maillard reaction.

So how do you do actually put it into practice? Using a cast iron skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil on high heat until very hot, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then, place the breasts in the skillet and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

For this creamy chicken, I only use simple ingredients that can easily be found at your local grocery store. The key to obtaining a creamy sauce is by using heavy whipping cream and butter. Land O Lakes makes an amazing European style creamy butter that I use in this recipe that really helps add to the texture and flavor. When making cream sauce, go for the quality and brand name butter. The type of butter makes a huge difference in both taste and texture so don't skimp on the quality of butter you use.

I also use ground mustard with this creamy garlic chicken. It's adds a layer of depth to the flavor. The flavor of ground mustard is pretty tasteless unless mixed with a liquid, so when it's mixed with the broth and lemon juice, the flavor really pops!

I also use a lot of garlic, about 7 cloves. When sauteed with the shallot, the aroma will make your mouth water.

📋 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

Pound the Chicken

Before pan searing, I pound the breasts with a meat tenderizer. Breasts are typically pretty thick so pounding them to an even thickness helps them cook evenly as well as makes them more tender. Pound each breasts until it is about ½ inch thick.

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 375°F so it can get hot while you prep the rest of the ingredients. In a medium size bowl, add the broth and lemon juice and mix well with a whisk.

Pan Searing

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken and then add the chicken to the skillet and pan sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Important Note: The chicken will not be completely cooked at this point in the process and that's ok. We'll finish cooking this lemon garlic chicken in the oven with the creamy garlic butter sauce.

Once seared, remove each breast from the skillet and place on a plate. Set aside. Reduce the heat on the stovetop to medium. Add the chopped shallot and minced garlic to the skillet and saute long enough to trigger the aroma, about 1-2 minutes.

Making the Creamy Garlic Sauce

Add the chicken broth and lemon juice mixture, along with the ground mustard to the skillet and using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the skillet so all brown bits are loosened. Expert Tip: Don't skip this part. This process introduces a ton of flavor.

Let the sauce cook for about 7-10 minutes on medium heat until the sauce mixture has thickened and slightly reduced.

Remove the skillet from the direct heat and add the butter and whisk until it melts. Add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the skillet back on the burner on medium heat for about 3 minutes longer, ensuring the mixture does not come to a boil.

Add the breasts back into the skillet and place in the middle of the white cream sauce. Place the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for about 15 more minutes uncovered until the chicken registers 165°F.

To finish off this garlic chicken, place the skillet back on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to slow boil, about 3-4 minutes. Top with fresh chopped basil and lemon slices and serve.

📖 Variations

This lemon garlic chicken recipe is extremely versatile. If you're looking to make a creamy garlic pasta recipe, just serve it over your favorite cooked pasta noodles. It makes for a delicious pasta white sauce recipe and is amazing over noodles. Or, you can serve this over a bed of your favorite rice. I love this one served on a bed of basmati rice.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• I highly recommend cooking this chicken in a cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat extremely well and also helps with a more even and balanced cook. I use either my Le Creuset Dutch Oven or my Le Creuset Skillet.
• If you're not a fan of breasts, you can substitute and use chicken thighs.
• Use a digital thermometer while the chicken is cooking to ensure complete doneness.
• If you would like to thicken the sauce, add 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot during the last step of the process when when it's at a low boil.
• I love adding capers and mushrooms to intensify the flavor.
• If you want to add some leafy greens, try adding fresh spinach or kale.
• Instead of using a shallot, try using fresh fennel.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container with a lid and place in the refrigerator. Leftovers should keep for about 3 days.

🍽️ Other Chicken Recipes

If you like this recipe, you might also like my Creamy Tuscan Chicken. A restaurant worthy dinner, it also has a creamy garlic sauce and is made in an Instant Pot with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon. My Creamy Chicken Curry is also a one pan meal with tender chicken in a creamy curry sauce cooked on top of fresh asparagus.

If you're looking for side dishes for chicken, check out these Slow Cooker Herb Roasted Potatoes. They are full of flavor and zest and are one of the most delicious and easiest side dishes you will ever make! And that bed of rice I was mentioning earlier, this is my aunt's rice recipe and it's phenomenal paired with this dish.

I literally can't wait to hear how you like this dish! If you’ve tried this or any other recipe of mine on the website, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! I love hearing from you! You can also sign up for my newsletter and FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food I’m creating!

Recipe inspired by Little Spice Jar