Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts
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So quick, so easy. And the garlicky lemon herb sauce is THE BEST. Serve with a light salad + crusty bread!
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It’s all in the name. Weeknight chicken goodness. Yup, we can absolutely whip this out on those super busy weeknights when dinner just feels utterly impossible.
So thaw those chicken breasts and let’s get to it! It comes together fast – lightening fast.
The only time consuming part is letting those chicken breasts cook through completely. From there, you can melt some butter in those pan drippings alongside some garlic, fresh rosemary and lemon juice for all that saucy saucy goodness.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking and a better sear.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
what to serve with chicken breasts
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe will work with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (and even tenderloins), but please be mindful of cooking time. Thighs and tenderloins will require less time to cook through.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
While freshly squeezed lemon juice is always recommended, bottled lemon juice will work just fine in a pinch with such a small amount in this recipe (2 tablespoons).
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ medium shallot, diced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Using tongs, flip and cook, covered, until cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, an additional 8 minutes; set aside and keep warm.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic, shallot and rosemary, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Serve immediately.
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Excellent recipe… my girls were shouting out all of the different ways we could have this sauce. Made the whole family happy.
Really enjoyed this! Quick and flavorful. We reduced the lemon a bit and it was actually still a little more lemony that I’d prefer. Even so, it was delicious.
These were DELISH!! I used avacado oil instead of canola, and more butter than the recipe called for. Everybody loved it!
Wow this was good. One question. Why do so many recipes call for unsalted butter? It did say salt to taste, after all.
Yes, definitely double the sauce and squeeze an extra lemon.
With unsalted butter, you can control how much salt goes into your recipe! With salted butter, you run the risk of adding too much or too little salt.
Made this tonight. Mercy…it was good! Double the sauce, it is delicious. This recipe is a keeper.
I love your recipes. I know you recommend a cast iron skillet many times but they are not recommended with my ceramic cooktop on an electric stove. You may have covered this in other posts but can a stainless steel pan be substituted? Thanks.
Michele, I also have a ceramic cooktop. I use a ceramic coated cast iron skillet.
Michele- you actually can use cast iron on a glass/ceramic top stove! You just have to be careful to not slide the pan from burner to burner and be mindful to gently set the pan on the cooktop.
If you use a large pot to make soup or boil water, you can use a cast iron skillet. The weight of the stock pot full of liquid and ingredients probably weighs more than most standard cast iron skillets. I’ve used one on my glass cooktop for years with no issues 🙂
To answer your question though, yes, I’m certain this recipe would work with any type of pan.
Yum- that gravy was sooo good! I doubled the gtavy as suggested in a prior post (glad I did!)
Made couscous on the side (gravy over it, of course!) What I like about this is the short amount of time it takes to fix. Thank you for this recipe!
I, too, doubled the sauce. Very tasty. I served with a sprinkle of cilantro, which added a green, fresh flavor.
Excellent recipe but I definitely agree with others to double the sauce!
This has become a weeknight favorite with rice or pasta and a salad. So easy.
very easy and super delicious! I always double the sauce (2 tbls. flour, 2 cups chix stock and a lot of squeezed lemon!) and serve it with angel hair pasta to get every drop of that sauce!
So yum!
It was easy and delish!!!
Made as directed except 1.5x the sauce, delicious! Served with new potatoes and broccoli, the sauce went over everything, so good!
Delish!! Super easy and very tasty.
So so good!
Cleaning out the freezer and had chicken cutlets. Looked thru a bunch of other recipe sites and remembered D Delicious.
Make it, you won’t be disappointed!
Absolutely amazing. This dish was outstanding, can’t wait to make it over and over again.
Damn delicious!! Almost like a gravy. Very quick and simple. All 4 kids (9,7,6,4) and husband loved it. Is great with everything. Broccoli. baked or mashed potatoes. pasta.
Yet another winner!!! Thank you so much for sharing your culinary gifts with those of us who just “chef on the side”! My boys loved it and my husband who normally is not eager to share spoke up and said, “this is delicious.” Everyone cleared their plates! I doubled the sauce (because I doubled the amount of chicken since my boys eat like they won’t ever get another meal!) and used chicken thighs because that’s what I had on hand. I paired it with angel hair pasta and crispy broccoli (had to carbo load for all the sports tomorrow!) I have already shared this with at least 4 people…so that should say something about this recipe! Again…thank you for sharing! This family is grateful (and full to boot!)
I meant to leave 5 stars!!!
I am generally not a huge chicken fan but this recipe was really delicious and made boneless, skinless breasts not dull. The sauce was also great on my broccoli, which again, ain’t one of my favorite veggies.