Pan-Fry

Lemon Chicken

by:
June  4, 2021
4.4
36 Ratings
Lemon Chicken
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

Had some chicken breast in the fridge. Didn't feel like breading them, so I made this. —mrslarkin

Test Kitchen Notes

This is a simple but very satisfying recipe. Dredged chicken cutlets are lightly pan-fried, then smothered with a basic lemon butter pan sauce. When it comes to simplicity, the details matter. You want some color on the cutlets, but too much cooking will dry them out, so the thickness of the pieces is important. Too thin and they’ll cook too fast. Too thick and they won’t cook evenly. The sweet spot is about 3/4-inch. For a quick meal, serve this chicken with pasta or rice. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
  • 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 cup flour
  • sea salt
  • olive oil
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • lemon slices to garnish
Directions
  1. Cut the chicken breast in half crosswise, dividing the thicker rounded end from the thinner pointed end, then further divide each half into cutlets roughly 3/4-inch thick. Season the cutlets with salt.
  2. In a large non-stick frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
  3. Add the flour to a wide, shallow bowl. Season the flour with salt, then dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour.
  4. Add a few dashes of olive oil to the melted butter. Add the chicken cutlets and pan fry for 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned and almost cooked through. Remove chicken to a warm platter.
  5. Add lemon juice to the pan and deglaze. Add the chicken broth and stir until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter.
  6. Dip chicken pieces into pan sauce, then return to warm platter. Pour remaining sauce over chicken. Season with fresh ground black pepper, and garnish with the chopped parsley and lemon slices. Serve immediately.
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41 Reviews

Liza P.
Liza P. August 20, 2021
Easy peasy. This recipe a keeper, but the next time I'm adding more lemon and garlic.
 
Xhuliano T.
Xhuliano T. February 15, 2021
Very tender and very juicy.
 
Xhuliano T.
Xhuliano T. February 15, 2021
Delicious.
 
Tyler J.
Tyler J. June 24, 2020
Too sour for my taste. Flavor is just so-so. Recipe gives instructions to cut chicken pieces much smaller than the recipe photo suggests.
 
Britt M.
Britt M. May 20, 2020
Hello! A chicken restaurant near me has a lemon chicken that is baked I think. It is delicious. So, I am guessing this recipe will taste like that! I'll try this recipe very soon! Thank you for this recipe!
 
Ann B.
Ann B. March 29, 2020
After recovering from illness that left me temporarily without much of a sense of taste or smell, I was looking for a dish that was simple but also flavorful. This recipe could not have been a better fit. Just delicious. I did add a bit of wine to deglaze the pan along with the lemon as another reviewer suggested, but other than that followed the directions to the letter. Thank you for sharing this!
 
Amy W.
Amy W. December 1, 2019
Great!
 
Amy W.
Amy W. December 1, 2019
I just made this tonight with chicken tenders - it was awesome!
 
m C.
m C. October 28, 2019
Wow, what can I say simple is best. My husband loves this. I thought no way is this going to be that good I was wrong. So so good.
 
Ueat_Uchew_Uswallow
Ueat_Uchew_Uswallow October 21, 2019
I have made this for years but i add a splash of white wine at the end it adds character to the sauce
 
Danyel D.
Danyel D. March 4, 2019
I’ve made this multiple time. It’s awesome. I will say though that I use the juice of at least a whole lemon if not more, as my family loves lemon, and I definitely let it simmer at the end to a,low the flavors to really soak in. Then I serve it over rice. So easy and it’s become a favorite.
 
Joan M.
Joan M. November 12, 2018
This came out Terrific! I wonder if this resembles the LemonChicken Debra always made on Everybody Loves Raymond😁?
 
Sondra
Sondra February 13, 2024
I as thinking the same thing! 😂
 
Carl C.
Carl C. February 11, 2018
Made this and it's delicious. But any idea how to make it as glossy looking as the picture? Mine kind of just looks like bland chicken pieces.
 
Katie M.
Katie M. March 25, 2019
You can try using a cornstarch slurry (not what they did in the recipe) to thicken the sauce... that will give it a sheen similar to the photos.
 
chop C.
chop C. October 28, 2016
Made this last night. Delicious. I did add a few slice grape tomatoes and some capers to the dish.
 
Renee B.
Renee B. June 20, 2016
Delicious! Add capers and you've got chicken piccata. Yum.
 
sheepfeathers
sheepfeathers June 17, 2016
Anyone know if this reheats well? I do bit meal swaps with my family and think this could be a great hit!
 
Wendy
Wendy January 5, 2016
Absolutely delicious, and so easy. The whole family enjoyed!
 
Jesse726
Jesse726 March 3, 2015
Could it be made with no butter?
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin March 3, 2015
I think so, yes.
 
Heidi
Heidi February 14, 2015
This was very nice. I used organic chicken thighs and doubled the lemon/sauce ingredients. Served it with wild rice and rosemary carrots. Thank you!
 
Craig
Craig January 20, 2015
"depending on the size of your breasts" ??? My wife wears a 49D bra. With that size, she can slice chicken any way she wants to!!!
 
suki
suki June 4, 2015
LMAO
 
Picholine
Picholine June 19, 2016
Stupid remark
 
Sharon
Sharon February 19, 2019
Very funny. Thanks for the laugh.