One-pan creamy lemon chicken dinner ready in just 25 minutes from start to finish! Perfect for busy weeknights, this dinner is family-friendly and low-carb. Golden crispy and tender chicken cutlets are smothered in an incredible creamy lemon sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Quick chicken dinner recipes always save the day on those busy weeknights, when I have little time to cook and still need to get dinner ready on the table.
On busy nights, I usually go for something that’s quick and easy that my whole family can enjoy. These Baked Chicken Tacos are an absolute favorite and a lifesaver recipe! I’ve also been making this Chicken Scampi quite a lot, it’s an Olive Garden copycat recipe and it’s always requested by the kids.
But sometimes all I’m craving is chicken and creamy sauce, and I’ve been alternating between 2 recipes. This Creamy Lemon Chicken recipe and the incredible Marry Me Chicken. If you haven’t heard of this dish yet, you need to check it out ASAP. It’s creamy, quick, flavorful, and there are sundried tomatoes in it! Plus, the name is quite cute, don’t you think? 😉
The Ingredients
All you need to make this chicken dinner is a handful of ingredients, and 25 minutes! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken cutlets are just thin cuts of chicken breast, you might be able to find them at the grocery store. If not, you can butterfly them at home (I do!) just slice a chicken breast in half lengthwise to make 2 cutlets from each half chicken breast. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used here.
- I strongly recommend dredging the chicken in flour before frying, as that will give you that lovely crispy crust and create lots of flavor for your sauce.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Dredge the chicken in flour, and shake off any excess.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil and melt the butter, then brown the chicken (4-5 minutes per side) or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken onto a plate, cover, and set aside.
- To make the lemon garlic cream sauce, melt more butter, and saute garlic for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add heavy cream, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese, let it simmer on low-medium heat until the sauce is creamy and nice. Season the sauce with salt, and pepper.
- Put the chicken back in, garnish with fresh lemon slices and chopped parsley.
What to Serve it With?
- My favorite way to serve Creamy Lemon Chicken is over pasta. It’s a match made in heaven, chicken, creamy sauce, and pasta! 😍 This garlic butter pasta is so good, but if you double the sauce then plain pasta works great.
- You can also serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or with crusty bread.
- For a low-carb meal, serve it with butternut squash or zucchini noodles, or cauliflower rice.
Recipe Tips
- If you choose to use whole chicken breasts, the meat will be quite thick so you’ll need to finish the dish off in the oven to make sure that the chicken is cooked through and safe to eat.
- If you’re using cutlets, and there are parts where the meat is too thick, use a meat tenderizer and pound the chicken so it cooks evenly and quickly.
- I don’t recommend using half and half (single cream in the UK), as the sauce will turn out runny.
- I recommend buying a block of parmesan cheese and grating it at home. I found that store-bought parmesan cheese doesn’t have much flavor, and doesn’t dissolve well in sauces.
- To add more flavor, consider adding some capers and lemon zest. This will turn out similar to my chicken piccata but creamier! You can also try this with salmon instead of chicken.
Storing Tips
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven, you will need to add a splash of water to thin out the sauce as it thickens in the fridge.
I don’t recommend freezing creamy sauces as they change textures to grainy when frozen.
Recommended Tools
- I love this stainless steel pan. It’s a great pan and I use it all the time, plenty of surface area, cooks and browns the chicken very evenly and I love the helper handle.
- Kitchen tongs, I use for browning chicken, flipping food, etc. A kitchen essential for sure.
- A silicone spatula, I use this spatula for cooking all the time. It doesn’t damage my pots and pans, and it’s heat resistant so you can safely use it for cooking.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
- Teriyaki chicken stir fry
- Chicken scampi (Olive Garden copycat recipe)
- Chicken fajita casserole
- Garlic butter chicken tenders
- Marry Me chicken
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Creamy Lemon Chicken
Recipe Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large (600 g) chicken breasts boneless and skinless, sliced into thin cutlets
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons (45 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock or chicken broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 4 teaspoons (20 ml) fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup (43 g) parmesan cheese grated
To serve
- cooked pasta
- parsley chopped
- fresh lemon slices
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour and shake off any excess.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil and melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat. Swirl pan to coat with oil and butter evenly. Add the chicken cutlets to the pan.
- Brown the chicken (do not overcrowd and work in batches if needed) for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer onto a plate, cover, and set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, and saute the garlic for a minute or until it's fragrant. Add the chicken stock, and deglaze the pan scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low, and add the heavy cream, lemon juice, and the parmesan cheese to the skillet. Allow the sauce to gently simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste, then put the chicken back in the sauce and the sauce simmer and thicken for a few more minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley leaves and serve warm over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Notes:
- If you choose to use whole chicken breasts, the meat will be quite thick so you’ll need to finish the dish off in the oven to make sure that the chicken is cooked through and safe to eat.
- If you’re using cutlets, and there are parts where the meat is too thick, use a meat tenderizer and pound the chicken so it cooks evenly and quickly.
- Do not use single/light cream as that won’t thicken the sauce enough.
- I recommend buying a block of parmesan cheese and grating it at home. I found that store-bought parmesan cheese doesn’t have much flavor, and doesn’t dissolve well in sauces.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Annie says
It was very good! And very easy to make.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you so much for stopping back with feedback for me. I appreciate you!
AlwaysVictoria says
The Hubs LOVED this!! Def a keeper recipe.
Diana says
So glad to hear that, Victoria! Love that it was a hit with your husband, thanks for the sweet feedback!
Joyce M says
?? If I don’t have heavy cream, would alfredo sauce work in it’s place??
Thanks, looks great!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I don’t know that I would make that substitution, but I haven’t really used jarred alfredo sauce much. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Kristen Lanz says
Simple and delicious! Even the kiddos enjoyed it
Charla says
Not necessarily a comment, but a question.
Could you add frozen cooked shrimp with the chicken and it turn out just as well with just the chicken?
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Hi Charla! I think that you could add shrimp to the recipe. I would probably cook them in the skillet separately from the chicken so that I could be sure not to overcook them. Just like the chicken, remove them from the pan, make the sauce, and then add them back just before serving. Enjoy!