This savory lemon butter chicken is super easy to make and over the top in taste! Full of flavor, every bite is unforgettable. The lemon butter sauce is hands down the best homemade sauce you'll ever make at home and pairs perfectly with the tender and juicy chicken!
Best. Chicken. Recipe. EVER! This lemon butter chicken is just out-of-this world delicious! And that's a big statement because I have a lot of really good chicken recipes, like this sautéed chicken, this easy sesame chicken, this skillet chicken with garlic butter, and this baked chicken dijon.
We all need an easy and delicious chicken recipe for weeknights meals. And this lemon butter chicken is rich in flavor and has the most delicious lemon butter sauce. It's about to become a favorite recipe that you will make over and over again!
This lemon butter chicken is a one pan recipe that is simple to prep, easy to cook, and makes clean up incredibly easy. It starts on the stove top and finishes cooking in the oven. We're talking the most delicious sauce that is incredibly easy to make and it's made without flour.
Similar to the white sauce in this lemon garlic chicken recipe, this lemon butter sauce is so good you'll want to eat it by the spoonful! Made in under an hour, this lemon chicken will quickly become a dinner that is requested often! While it's excellent on its own, it's amazing served over buttery penne pasta, fluffy white rice, or creamy mashed potatoes and with these grilled green beans.
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Quick Recipe Overview
What Makes This Lemon Butter Chicken Better Than The Rest: Rich and flavorful, this creamy lemon butter sauce is restaurant quality you can make in your own kitchen! The sauce cooks with the tender and juicy chicken breasts, making it a one pan recipe that is perfect for any weeknight dinner!
How Long It Takes: 40 minutes
Equipment You'll Need: skillet, oven safe dish
Why This Recipe Works
1. Covered in the most delicious lemon sauce for chicken, it's made with simple ingredients you can find at any local grocery store.
2. The chicken is seared to a golden brown which helps lock in the juices, making this the most flavorful lemon butter chicken recipe!
3. It tastes amazing the next day!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
The ingredients needed to make this lemon butter chicken recipe are not only budget-friendly, but you probably already have these in your kitchen. And fresh ingredients taste best in this dish.
- Garlic - use fresh garlic instead of the jar version. Fresh chopped garlic tastes way better!
- Lemon juice - the same rule applies when it comes to lemon juice...freshly squeezed juice from the lemon adds a hint of zesty freshness.
- Spinach - while frozen spinach can work in a pinch, fresh spinach holds up better in this dish.
- Paprika - use a smoked paprika. It adds a hint of smokiness to the dish adding a lot of depth to the flavor.
- White wine - while optional, adding a splash of white wine, like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, really finishes off this dish and adds a rich flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
📋 Variations
- Chicken breasts work best, but this recipe also works well using chicken thighs.
- Regular paprika works fine in this recipe, but I highly recommend using smoked paprika. Regular paprika is just crushed dried chilies. Smoked paprika uses chilies that are smoke-dried and then crushed. There truly is a huge flavor difference.
- To kick this up a level, try adding fresh mushrooms and capers. Add them in when you add in the spinach and parsley.
- The addition of Sun dried tomatoes also tastes great in this dish.
- If you're not a fan of spinach, try adding in fresh kale.
🔪 How To Make Lemon Butter Chicken Step-By-Step
Step 1: Start by seasoning the breasts with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Step 2: Next, add the unsalted butter and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, on each side.
Step 3: When it's finished sautéing, set the breasts aside on a plate so you can sauté the garlic and butter.
👩🍳 Important Note: The chicken is NOT done at this point!
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Step 4: When the garlic is sautéd, you're ready to start making the sauce. Combine the sautéd garlic, broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and thyme. Oh - and if you're adding a splash of wine, add it now!
Step 5: From there, bring the sauce to a slow rolling boil.
Step 6: Add a large handful of fresh spinach to the sauce and stir once to coat.
Step 7: The spinach will start to wilt as the sauce gets hot and starts to slowly thicken.
👩🍳 Expert Tip! The sauce will be a little thin. To thicken the sauce, add a cornstarch slurry. To do this, add one tablespoon of cornstarch to one tablespoon of water into a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it forms a slurry. While the skillet is still on medium heat, slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and continue to whisk until the sauce has slightly thickened.
Step 8: When the sauce slightly thickens, add the sautéd chicken into the dish with the sauce so it can bake together with the other ingredients. The sautéd garlic mixed with the juices and other ingredients makes you want to eat it at this stage...but since the chicken is not fully cooked, you'll have to wait a bit longer!
Step 9: After it bakes in the oven, this lemon garlic butter chicken is ready to eat! Super fast and easy to make, the lemon butter sauce is delicious to soak up with these ciabatta rolls! We're talking flavor that is so good, this is about to become your favorite chicken dinner!
💭 Expert Tips
- If using thick chicken breasts, use a meat tenderizer to pound the meat. This helps break down the fibers making the meat extra tender.
- Don't use flour to thicken the sauce. It adds a pasty flour flavor and texture and will ruin the sauce. The cornstarch slurry I mentioned above works best.
- Depending on the size of the breasts will determine how long it takes to fully cook. Use a digital thermometer to check for doneness. When the breasts reach 165°F, it's done.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Do not freeze.
- Use a stove top and oven safe dish when making this recipe. A shallow dutch oven works well.
🙋 Recipe FAQs
In this recipe, it's made with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, chicken broth, butter, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, and a splash of white wine. It's so good you'll want to eat it by the spoonful!
Yes! Boneless and skinless work best.
This recipe should not be made ahead of time. It's best fresh out of the oven.
🥘 More Chicken Recipes
If you tried this Lemon Butter Chicken recipe or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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How To Make Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- splash of dry white wine, optional
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Season the chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large ovenproof dish (dutch oven or deep cast iron works best) 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 the chicken back to the same skillet and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth, ½ cup heavy cream, ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon thyme, and a splash of wine.
- Bring sauce to a boil and reduce heat.
- Add in the 2 cups of spinach and 2 Tablespoons of fresh 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.
- Once the sauce has reached the desired thickness, return the chicken to the ovenproof 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. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- The sauce will be a little thin. To thicken the sauce, add a cornstarch slurry in step 10 above. To do this, add one tablespoon of cornstarch to one tablespoon of water into a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it forms a slurry. While the skillet is still on medium heat, slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into sauce and continue to whisk until it has slightly thickened.
- If using thick breasts, use a meat tenderizer to pound the meat. This helps break down the fibers making the meat extra tender.
- Don't use flour to thicken the sauce. It adds a pasty flour flavor and will ruin the sauce. The cornstarch slurry I mentioned above works best.
- Depending on the size of the breasts will determine how long it takes to fully cook. Use a digital thermometer to check for doneness. When the breasts reach 165°F, it's done.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Do not freeze.
- Use a stove top and oven safe dish when making this recipe. A shallow dutch oven works well.
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Nutrition
Recipe inspired by: Damn Delicious. This recipe was originally written for Eazy Peazy Mealz.
Marissa | Squirrels of a Feather
I just want to reach into the picture and eat it! Fantastic color!
My kids JUST at some butter chicken for the first time...but the sauce was from a jar. I would love to try this recipe!
Amanda Mason
You're kids will love this dish! My recipe is better than the jar!
Tamy
This dish looks absolutely delectable!
Amanda Mason
Thanks! I hope you enjoy!
Clare
Do you think this would be suitable to freeze?
So yummy
Amanda Mason
Yes - you can freeze these for sure!
Kristen
This looks delicious. Is there anyway to cook this in an instant pot? If so, how?
Amanda Mason
I have not tried making this in my Instant Pot, but you should be able to just use the poultry option! I'd let the pressure release for a good 15 minutes on this one to ensure it's done after it's done pressurizing.
Mary Skelly
What cooking time would you suggest?
Amanda Mason
Not sure what you mean by this question. The cook times are in the recipe steps. Let me know if you need clarification on anything!
Mary Skelly
thanks so much! I have a Crock Pot express pot (like an Instant Pot) and it has a poultry option. The timer is for 15 min on poultry. So I was wondering if that would be the time needed to cook or if there should be more time.
Amanda Mason
I would "think" that would be a good enough time to cook it - not sure on the pressure release aspect...maybe 10 minutes? Try it and see!! Let me know how it turns out!!
Christina
Do you take the spinach out once its wilted? And if so when do u add it back in? Or do u leave it in the whole time? Im in the middle of cooking this recipe and am not sure plzz help
Amanda Mason
Hi Christina!
Leave the spinach in there! It's DELISH!!! Don't take it out!!
Stacey
When do you add the splash of wine
Amanda Mason
Oopps! It goes in #6! I'll add that in now!!
Denise Smith
Ohh my goodness, this is Absolutely AMAZING!! I work nights so I had to make this morning for my family tonight and of course had to try it out first ;). Extremely flavorful, I think my family will LOVE it!!! Thank you! (I made in my Pampered Chef Rock Crock)
Amanda Mason
YEAH!! I'm SO glad you liked it! Yes - making it in the Pampered Chef Rock Crock is SO convenient!! I hope it becomes a family favorite for you guys!!
Pam
Why does the ingredient list say 4in chicken breasts "cut half"? What do. You mean by 'cut half'?
Amanda Mason
What I mean is thin sliced chicken breasts. The regular super thick chicken breasts stores sell today take forever to cook so I always buy thin sliced. If you can't find those in the store, you can cut those regular "thick" sized chicken breasts in half. I hope that helps clarify things!
Carmen
The recipe is delicious.
I used 2 thick chicken brests and splitted them butterfly like. Then instead of wite wine ( didn’t have any) used 1once red wine. Also added the capers. It turned up delicious, over white rice and garlic butter brusells sprouts.
Amanda Mason
Carmen - thank you SO much for taking the time to add this comment! Yes - this one is super super delish! And over rice with garlic brussel sprouts sounds like the perfect pairing!! So glad you loved it! Check out my other recipes here at Recipes Worth Repeating! You wont be dissapointed!
Sasha @ Eat Love Eat
This looks lovely Amanda!
Amanda Mason
thanks! It's a family favorite so enjoy!
Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! I'm more of a dark meat chicken girl, and I think this would be awesome with chicken thighs
Amanda Mason
Yes- it is great with chicken thighs!! Definately tastes amazing with dark meat!!!