One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
Say hello to your new favorite one skillet chicken dinner that’s topped with a lemon garlic butter cream sauce! I used thin chicken breasts, but this recipe would be delicious with boneless chicken thighs too!
Hello, hello to my new favorite creamy, garlicky, lemony, delicious skillet chicken!
You guys, I’ve gone completely head over heels for today’s meal.
As many of you have probably guessed, I love white meat chicken. It’s no dark meat for me. But the good news is that today’s chicken dinner is customizable to your chicken needs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs, sure, why not! *Applause* you’ve only just waited half of FOREVER for me to bring you something that could be made with something other than boneless skinless chicken breast.
This one skillet chicken recipe is my go-to chicken dinner of the week decade. Obvi, this recipe requires just one pan. This means we make the lemon garlic chicken and the sauce all from start to finish in one skillet. We’re talking tender chicken covered in a lemon garlic butter sauce that’s creamier than anything you’ve had before.
And if you love capers, don’t be afraid to throw some into the sauce right before you turn the knob to off and serve up this delicious lemon garlic chicken.
Should I just stop here? Are you on your way to the kitchen, cuz ya should be!
One Skillet Lemon Garlic Chicken Video:
This recipe is somewhat, kinda sorta adapted and inspired by my Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil. Today’s Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe is inspired by the same sauce, only we add a splash of cream at the end and deck the whole thing out in an abundance of chopped fresh parsley.
What makes this lemon garlic chicken recipe special?
We’re using many of the same ingredients like butter, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley. What makes this chicken dinner to the next level is chicken broth and a big splash of heavy cream. The sauce has a nice creamy consistency that would taste AMAZING tossed in some angel hair pasta. The pasta-abilities are ENDLESS.
See what I did there.
How to make one skillet chicken with lemon garlic cream sauce:
- Get those chicken breasts cooking on both sides. To get the chicken cooking evenly, I like to start by pounding down the chicken breasts or thighs into a 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. If you’re a big fan of garlic, you can even sprinkle with a little garlic powder!
- Make the sauce. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Feel free to add a dash of Italian seasoning or anything else that you normally like to add to your chicken recipes. You’ll also want to preheat the oven so that we can go right from the stovetop to the skillet when we want to cook the chicken through.
- Saute the chicken. Add a drizzle of olive oil to an oven-safe skillet. You want to make sure it’s hot before adding the chicken so that it instantly starts to brown and develop flavor. Flip the chicken and sear on the other side. Remember, the goal is to gain color on the outside so that the chicken won’t be done yet. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the flame first. Then add the shallots. If you don’t have shallots on hand, feel free to swap them for minced red onions. Add the chicken broth as well and whisk. The natural acids found in the chicken broth will help pick up the stuck-on brown bits. This is free flavor! Then kick the heat up to medium-high and let the sauce simmer and reduce. This is what really intensifies the flavor of the sauce. The chicken broth reduces down, concentrating the flavor of the sauce. Feel free to toss in a few lemon slices while this is happening so that the lemon flavor really intensifies.
- Add the butter, this is a restaurant secret. This is how all the results that have the most addicting sauces make it taste so luxurious! Melting in a couple of tablespoons of butter into the sauce elevates the dish a few notches.
- To be honest with you, I was a little intimidated by the idea of adding heavy cream to a lemon sauce. I had the biggest fear of it curdling on me. Finally, taking the sauce off the heat completely, I whisked in the cream and placed it back on the flame for just a couple of seconds. Don’t let the sauce come to a boil. And it worked beautifully! Place the skillet in the oven and let it cook for a few minutes so that the chicken can finish cooking all the through and soak up a bit of that sauce. Garnishing with fresh parsley, basil, lemon zest, or any other fresh herbs you’d like is a must; we do eat with our eyes first! Serve with garlicky roasted potatoes, pasta, or rice. You can even sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese or add some capers if you’d like!
Not that you’ll actually have any leftovers because that sauce is actual dynamite. But if you do, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, toss in the microwave, and you’ve got a weeknight-friendly, protein-packed dinner on the table in no time!
Leftovers can also be kept in the freezer; I would just reheat them in the microwave slowly, stopping and stirring often so that the sauce doesn’t break!
What to serve with lemon garlic chicken:
You could take this in so many different directions!
- A zucchini stir fry
- With garlic bread or with fluffy coconut rice
- the most amazing crisp roasted potatoes, with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or even rosemary potatoes
- with cauliflower casserole
- creamed or sauteed spinach
- sauteed garlic broccolini
- sauteed or air fryer green beans
- roasted or sauteed asparagus
One skillet chicken dinner and conquering kitchen fears. Just a regular old Wednesday around here! 😉
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- One Skillet Chicken with Fiesta Cream Sauce
- One Skillet Chicken with Garlicky Mushroom Cream Sauce
- One Skillet Chicken with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce
- Cheesy Baked BBQ Chicken
- Garlic Butter Tomato Baked Chicken with Mozzarella
One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
Say hello to your new favorite one skillet chicken dinner that's topped with a lemon garlic butter cream sauce! I used thin chicken breasts but this recipe would be delicious with boneless chicken thighs too!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil
- Prepared broccolini, for serving
Instructions
- Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breasts/thighs into ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
- In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and allow it to brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Don't worry if the chicken isn't cooked thoroughly; we'll finish it in the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the flame to medium, and add the shallots to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Kick the heat back up to medium-high and let sauce come to a simmer. Continue to cook the sauce for 10-15 minutes or until about ⅓ cup of the sauce remains.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove from the flame, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the flame, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the flame for just 30 seconds, DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Top with chopped parsley or basil and serve warm with additional lemon slices. Serve with prepared rice, pasta, or sauteed veggies on the side.
Notes
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs that about the same thickness. I pounded mine down to about ½ inch.
- After a few comments from readers, I've adjusted the amount of time it takes to reduce the sauce (step #5). Keep in mind, the key is to reduce it to ⅓ cup and that I can only provide an estimate. It may take you more or less time than what is actually listed.
I made this tonight for the first time. Made exactly per instructions. For one the side, I didn’t have angel hair pasta, so substituted spaghettini. It was divine! The lemon was not at all overpowering – nor the garlic. All of the flavours just jived perfectly together! This will go into my regular rotation. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Absolutely delicious! It has become one of our family favorite recipes! We have a large family and really love the sauce, so we end up doubling the chicken and quadrupling the sauce. It does take between 15-30 minutes for the sauce to reduce, however, it is well worth the wait! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Just made this recipe! It came out amazing and delicious! Doubled the recipe for the sauce as mentioned in many comments! So happy I did because I want to pour it on top of everything! Thanks for a new great recipe!
Do you have any ideas for substitutes for the heavy cream? I don’t tolerate high fat dairy vey well and the butter is already pushing it! Also I have people in my life with lactose issues. Otherwise I’m eager to make this!
You could try using Elmlea Plant Double Cream if your in the UK. I’ve not used it, so can’t advise if it’s good, but it is an alternative.
You could use almond milk or coconut milk. It wouldn’t be as creamy I don’t think though. I would try coconut milk you can buy in a can. It is creamier than the carton type, but it would also give a little coconut flavor. Possbily cashew milk? I’ve never tried it, but it might work.
Silk makes a dairy free heavy cream. You can find it at Target or Walmart.
Can’t wait to try this!!!!
I was wondering if you could substittue the heavy cream for greek yoghurt? Would this still work?
made this sauce for pan fried swai. It was awesome!! fish done during browning process and just added back at the end to warm and finish. only had 2 big filets so halved recipe. will add just a touch of cornstarch slurry or lightly flour fish next time, sauce was thin but not excessively so. Family absolutely loved this!
I made this recipe using chicken tenderloins, and it was really easy and super scrumptious. I served it over rice. Since there are only two of us, I had a lot of leftovers. The next night, I made another batch of the sauce, cut up the leftover chicken into bitesize pieces, and while the pasta was boiling, I added the chicken to the pan with the finished sauce. I covered the pan and turned it down to simmer while the pasta finished. I tossed the chicken and sauce with the drained pasta; what a treat! Not your average leftovers, that’s for sure.
Hellooo, this was absolutely delicious. I wanted to ask if I wanna implement this into my low carb diet, I seem to can’t find nutrition info.
How many carbs does this meal have?
I made this tonight over white rice with broccoli & it was so good. Although, I did not have the heat high enough I guess, to brown the chicken but was still delish .
A++++++
I just wanted to say how much we enjoyed your recipe for the Pretzel crusted chicken with the hot honey sauce! It was so wonderful!
I also make the best baked potatoes thanks to your instructions!
Keep these recipes coming–I love them!
I was cooking this recipe just for myself so I cooked only 1 chicken breast. When I changed the serving size I saw that I was supposed to sprinkle 2 tsp garlic powder on my one piece of chicken! I just couldn’t do it. I did use a little more than 1 teaspoon though. This was a very flavorful recipe. I loved the lemon flavor.
What is the calorie/carb/fat information, please?
Excellent!!!
This is now my fav sauce served over chicken. I must make this for my mother in law when she comes to visit. My picky husband loved it also.
Very easy to make, served with Jasmine rice and French Bread.
Thank you for sharing
Wow! Made this tonight and it had GREAT flavor!! Here are my adjustments:
1. I doubled the sauce measurements because I served it over white rice.
2. Used 2 lemons because I like that extra flavor
3. I added Rosemary to my chicken seasoning because it is my favorite.
4. I used 1% milk instead of whipping cream because of the fat intake. Instructions say NOT to bring to a boil after adding it, but I did to thicken it up. That was the right decision.
Will definitely make again!!
This is a favorite for my whole family, including my toddler! We’re vegan and make it with tofu and swap cashew cream (blend equal parts water and cashew in high speed blender) and it holds up!!
Do you think I can use coconut milk instead of cream?
I made this tonight. My boyfriend isn’t a super fan of lemony, but the hot pepper balanced it. For those who might not like either, maybe try those ingredients in half and add to your taste. I just did it in one pan on the stove top, browning the chicken first. I did need to add a little cornstarch slurry also because it didn’t thicken down even with the heavy cream. The fresh basil from the garden and parmesean just added to it.
I have been looking for a lemon cream sauce to serve over pasta. This was most excellent! i love it.
I have to say, I read the reviews beginning in 2015 through 2021. It was hilirious to see how times have changed.
Great Receip
My family and I love this dish!!! Every time I cook it everyone is just so amazed by it. I make it a few times a month. I serve mine with a creamy rice bake I make with cream of chicken soup and sour cream and the sauce from the chicken just sets it off! People always ask me for the recipe!
Also I use boneless chicken thighs! It makes it so much juiced and the chicken so tender.
This recipe was delicious. One addition I did was add the zest of lemon along with the lemon juice to get a stronger lemon flavor. This is going to be one of my go to recipes.
I’m making this AGAIN!!! 2ND RECIPE THIS WEEK!!!!!!
.I loved its a go to for me for tasty easy dinner/over angel hair or / jasmine rice..yum..I actually cook chicken tenders coated w panko crumps/parsley/garlic /pepper salt/paprika…in butter….then I create sauce..w/.the drippings ..I put back the tenders I sauce..simmer a bit..it’s fabulous
I’ve made this recipe several times and always love it ! I do add the zest of the lemon for a stronger lemon taste but other than that I love it !!!!
would like to omit the heavy cream to make it more figure friendly. Could I just thicken the sauce with a corn Strachan slurry?
I have searched ALL OVER THE PLACE for a baked chicken breast with lemon garlic cream sauce recipe. NO QUESTION!!!!! YOURS IS THE TOP! Cannot cannot cannot thank you enough! There’s no doubt I’ll love it and am serving it to guests this week who need gluten free! (NOT ME!) If I want more sauce, I’ll increase. THANK YOU!!!!! I’m giving you 5 stars in advance because it’s EXACTLY the recipe I want!
This. Was. Amazing!! My husband and I could stop raving about it! Definitely one of my favorite recipes ever. Thank you!
We tried this tonight, and it was delicious! We will be adding into our rotation of meals for sure. Very easy to make with fantastic results.we served with a side of spinach sautéed in garlic and some spaghetti with this sauce on it. Excellent meal
Can the one skillet chicken with lemon garlic cream sauce be frozen? Sounds really good.
This recipe is in my top favorite recipes ever! It’s addicting I can’t stop eating it! Very easy to make also, thank you so much! I will make this indefinitely