This savory Lemon Butter Chicken is super easy to make and just over the top in taste! Full of flavor, every bite is unforgettable. The lemon cream sauce mixed with fresh garlic and Parmesan cheese pairs perfectly with the tender and juicy chicken. So savory...this dish will leave you coming back for more! Perfect for any weeknight dinner!
Best. Chicken. Recipe. EVER!
Because we all need an easy and delicious recipe for those weeknights...
This simple and crazy flavorful chicken dish is about to become a favorite in your house. I guarantee it! Gosh...I love a good chicken dish. I mean...who doesn't? If you are anything like me though, you get in this rut of making the same chicken recipes over and over and over again. Well, sometimes you need to switch it up a bit and this recipe is the perfect one to try if you are tired of the same old chicken recipe!
Simple Ingredients
Let's talk about the simple ingredients in this dish because we all need a little bit of simple.
- Chicken Breasts
- Garlic
- Spinach
- Smoked Paprika
- Lemon
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
- Heavy cream
- Unsalted Butter
- Chicken Broth
- Parmesan Cheese
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Wine (optional but soooo worth the splash!)
Video: Step-By-Step
How To Make This Lemon Butter Chicken
First, you're going to start off by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and paprika.
Next, add unsalted butter and sauté the chicken for about 2-3 minutes, on each side.
When it's finished sautéing, you'll set the chicken aside on a plate so you can sauté the garlic and butter. Note - the chicken is NOT done at this point.
When the garlic is sautéd, you're ready to start making the sauce. You're going to combine the sautéd garlic, chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and thyme. Oh - and don't forget to add that splash of wine! So YUM!!
Now, you're going to bring the sauce to a slow rolling boil.
Next, add the fresh spinach to the sauce.
The spinach will start to wilt. Guys...be prepared! This step in the process smells SO GOOD! It's mouthwatering!
Next step...your sauce is going to start slowly thickening. When the sauce slightly thickens, you'll add the sautéd chicken into the sauce so you can bake everything in the oven to finish up the cooking process. And the paprika in this Lemon Butter Chicken recipe! Oh I just love the paprika in this dish. It really helps this chicken sauté beautifully and that flavor...AMAZING!
The sauteed garlic mixed with the juices of the chicken and other ingredients makes you want to eat it at this stage...but please don't! It's worth the wait, I promise!
Lastly, after the chicken bakes in the oven, your Lemon Butter Chicken is ready to eat! Look how savory this dish turns out! Super fast and easy to make, this dish is full of flavor and this chicken is crazy juicy!
What To Pair With Lemon Butter Chicken
This is your PERFECT weeknight dinner recipe and you want to pair this Lemon Butter Chicken with some amazing side dishes. I love pairing this dish with the following:
- Ono Rice (I like to mix the rice with the lemon butter sauce...it makes every bite so divine!)
- Instant Pot Rice
- Brussels Sprout Salad
- Perfect Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
Tips and Tricks About This Lemon Butter Chicken Recipe
- Gluten Free - It's gluten free. YEAH!
- Types of Paprika - You can use regular paprika if that's all you have but I highly recommend using and Smoked Paprika for this dish. To keep it simple...regular paprika is just crushed dried chilies. Smoked paprika uses chilies that are smoke-dried and then crushed. HUGE flavor difference! For more differences, check out this article: Smoked Paprika Vs. Paprika
- Oven Safe Dish - This dish works perfectly in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven, but I used a Rockcrok from Pampered Chef and it worked amazingly well!
- Adding Additional Ingredients - If you want to kick this recipe up a notch and make it a bit more fancy, you can add in the Fresh mushrooms and Capers. I love the added flavor of both of these ingredients with this dish! You would simply add the fresh mushrooms and capers in when you add in the spinach and parsley! Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or your favorite pasta and it's fantastic!
It was inevitable. This dish became a family favorite! It looks and tastes like it took a long time to make, but it's super easy and absolutely fantastic! I promise, you will devour every single bite down to the last drop!
And if you’ve tried my Lemon Butter Chicken recipe, leave me a comment! I love to hear from my readers! And don’t forget to rate the recipe below!!
Looking For More Chicken Recipes?
- Lemon Pepper Chicken with Lemon Sauce
- Curry Chicken Breasts
- Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Sauteed Chicken in Mustard Cream Sauce
- Skillet Chicken with Garlic Butter Lime Sauce
One more thing! Make sure to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest because I’m CONSTANTLY posting recipes that I know you will love, just like this Lemon Butter Chicken recipe! Oh, and share the love by sharing this recipe to your favorite social media channels! For your convenience, I put share buttons at the top of this post!
Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- ½ Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Splash of dry white wine
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large oven-proof skillet (a Le Creuset Dutch Oven works well or a RockCrok or cast iron skillet) over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and set chicken aside on separate plate.
- While the chicken is resting, return back to the same skillet and melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, splash of wine and thyme.
- Bring sauce to a boil and reduce heat. Add in the spinach and parsley and simmer until the spinach and parsley has wilted and the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Continue to cook the sauce about 5-7 minutes so the sauce becomes thicker. You don't want the sauce to become too runny!
- Once your sauce is to the desired thickness, return the chicken to the oven proof dish.
- Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dish and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
- Fresh mushrooms
- Capers
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in September of 2016, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions and tips in April of 2018.
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This recipe was originally written for Eazy Peazy Mealz.
Kathleen Turner
My husband and I often make fairly elaborate meals so I decided to try simple and interesting. This is it. We loved the result. It's quick and easy with about 45 minutes from beginning to end. (30 minutes of which is baking).
I am not a big fan of parmesan but I really enjoyed this. The sauce thickened a little but I would add a thickener if you prefer a thicker sauce. This just got added to my "keeper" recipes included our camping book so I can impress fellow travellers some day.
Amanda Mason
Hi Kathleen! I'm SOOO glad you loved the recipe and that it is getting added to your camper menu!!! Yes - you can definately add a thickener, but I love the thinner sauce over rice or mashed potatoes! I can;t wait to hear what other recipes of mine you try and like!
Patty Hagerty
My husband and I just love this recipe over angel hair pasta!
Its a great recipe and not too difficult to make. It really has tons of flavor. We decided to have it atleast once a week.
Patty Hagerty
Amanda Mason
Hi Patty! I'm SO glad you enjoy it so much!! It's a family favorite in my house, as well!! I can't wait to hear what other recipes of mine you try!!
Judith
I love that I had all the ingredients already at home and didn't have to go shopping. The vidoe was really helpful. It was easy and really good.
Amanda Mason
yeah! I'm so glad you loved it and that the video was helpful! I can't wait to hear what other recipes of mine you try!
Laurie A Howe
This is delicious. Thanks for such an amazing recipe. I mashed potatoes and sauteed fresh green beans with it, the sauce from the chicken works great with all of it...thank you for a delicious meal!
Amanda Mason
Yeah Laurie! I'm SOOO glad you loved it! It's one of my all time favorite recipes! I can't wait to hear what other recipes of mine you try!! Thank you for following me!!
Jessica
So good!! Great recipe
Amanda Mason
Yeah! Thank you! I'm so glad you loved it!
Mike
Everyone that ate this chicken loved it. It truly is the best chicken ever! I did however have to put in an over abundance of spinach by popular demand the second time I made it.
Amanda Mason
Yeah Mike! I'm so glad everyone loved it so much! I know - I love extra spinach, as well....or kale is really good, as well.
Kimberly
Should I use thin sliced chicken breasts or standard cut?
Amanda Mason
Hey Kimberly! Standard cut works great. I also sometimes by thin sliced breasts. Both work well.
COurtney
THis looks delicious. Do I cover the chicken when I put it in the oven?
Amanda Mason
Hi Courtney! It's amazing! No, dont cover it when it's in the oven.
Amacal
My family and I love this recipe. I make at Least three times a month. Thank you for this simple dinner idea.
Amanda Mason
Hi Amacal! I'm so glad you and your family loves the recipe so much!! Thank you so much for letting me know!! Glad it's so easy for you!
Sharon Lucas
This was a big hit - the hubby loved it and the kids liked it (which makes it a winner!) I did add the mushrooms and capers which I would highly recommend. It took a bit for the sauce to thicken - might have been my splash of wine was generous? I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Amanda Mason
Hi Sharon! Yeah! I'm so glad you loved it and that it was such a big hit!! To thicken the sauce, add a bit of cornstarch or arrowroot. That should do the trick! I'm excited to hear what other recipes of mine you try!!
Nancy Allen
This was delicious! Sooo easy too. I had some mushrooms in the fridge, so I added those. Totally yummy. Will definitely be doing this again.
Amanda Mason
Hi Nancy! I'm SO glad you liked it so much and I'm so glad you thought it was easy! Double win!! Please let me know what other recipes of mine you try here at Recipes Worth Repeating!