Creamy Lemon Chicken

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

1. Dredge the chicken in flour, and shake off any excess.
2. 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.
3. Remove the chicken onto a plate, cover, and set aside.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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