Lemon Butter Chicken is a delicious way to elevate chicken breasts for a special meal. It’s also a perfect weeknight dinner, requiring just 8 simple ingredients and 30 minutes of prep time!
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pieces of thin-cut chicken breasts (about ½ inch thick, 1 ¼ – 1 ⅓ pounds total) (see notes)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided (see notes)
- 1 small onion, or ½ large onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
- Garnish: thinly-sliced lemon and fresh herbs (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, reserving the remaining 1 tablespoon for later use.
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Once the butter is foaming, add the chicken breasts and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. If the butter browns too quickly, reduce the heat. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and cover loosely with foil.
- Add the chopped onion to the hot pan and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan while cooking.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for about 30 seconds, allowing the flour to blend with the butter and onions. Ensure there are no visible white bits of flour.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cooking for about 3 minutes while stirring frequently. The sauce should thicken; if it doesn’t, cook for another minute until it does.
- Turn off the heat and gradually stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into small pieces. Add the lemon zest and half of the lemon juice. Taste the sauce and adjust with more lemon juice if desired.
- If using, stir in the heavy cream.
- Taste the sauce again and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Return the chicken breasts to the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Turn the chicken in the sauce to coat. Garnish with thinly sliced lemon and fresh herbs (optional) and serve immediately.
NOTES
- You can buy pre-cut thin chicken breasts or slice two regular breasts in half horizontally to create thin-cut pieces.
- You can use either salted or unsalted butter. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt when seasoning the chicken.
