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 last week and everyone loved it. I’m making it again tomorrow for dinner and I forgot the shallots at the grocery store today. Are the shallots absolutely necessary for flavor?
I made this with pork chops on the bone, and “OH MY” they were delicious!!! Will do again, with chicken next time! ?
This looks amazing! Just wondering if anyone has made it in the Instant Pot?
I don’t have a oven safe skillet. Can I cook the whole thing on stove top?
I think a few commenters mentioned cooking it completely on the stove top, haven’t tried it myself though!
The flavor was delicious but my cream separated from the broth…. not sure why. Broth was off of heat too.
I’m glad to enjoyed the flavor, Lynell! As far as the cream separating it could be something small like the temperature of the cream, fat content, etc. For next time, you can add the heavy cream to a bowl, stir in about a tablespoon of the prepared sauce from the pan and then add the cream mixture to the pan. This should keep it from separating. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight….delish! I doubled the recipe and made it in an electric fry pan. I served it with rice and sauteed asparaagus…It turned out great and will definitely make it again!
We LOVE this! I first came across it last year but have been making it quite often recently. Kids and hubby approved. I need to make the sauce by itself because my husband likes it so much. I do wish it was just a little thicker but I think I’ll experiment with some flour next time. I serve with linguine fini
This is my new favorite recipe. It tastes restaurant quality and is so quick and easy to prepare! I’ve made it with chicken breasts and thighs and definitely prefer it with thigh meat. The last time I prepared it I sauteed the shallots with mushrooms before adding the stock, and it turned out fabulous! Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!
This was delicious. I used boneless, skinless thighs because that’s what I had. They’re not the most attractive piece of the chicken when cooked, so maybe next time I’ll spend a little bit of time trimming them up to make them pretty. The sauce was excellent and the amount of lemon in the sauce was perfect – very light. Highly recommend. I used brown rice to serve the chicken and sauce over. A new fave with the hubby.
Did you pound the chicken thighs prior to cooking?
Wow, what an amazing delicious recipe! family loved it! thanks for sharing!
So I’ve been making this for awhile now and it turns out beautifully every time. Thank you so much! I had been looking for a lemon chicken dish like one served where my hubby used to work for so long. This isn’t it, but just as good. I always make asparagus w it. Goes wonderfully with the sauce. Got my 4yr old and hubby to like asparagus! Try it if you haven’t. I share this with everyone I know who likes to cook.
Wow! After reviewing all of the comments, I thought this was a sure-fire recipe to try. And I was right! It’s delicious. We will definitely be adding it to the menu on a regular basis.
Doubled the recipe, maybe should not have doubled up on the red pepper, depends on your taste for heat, but excellent flavor, love it.
I dont have a pan that can be placed in the oven. Do you think i could prepare as listed but then tranafer to a glass pyrex cookware for the baking portion?
I put mine into a glass pyrex for the baking and it turns out perfect. The skillet is easier but the glass works just as good.
Needed to use some heavy cream up so googled chicken and heavy cream and I had all the ingredients on hand for this so gave it a go and wow everyone thought the sauce was amazing even after I forgot to put the shallots in on the first reduction. Cheers
Was getting tired of all my usual chicken recipes so did a quick Pinterest search and this was the first one that caught my eye. SO Glad I tried it. I’m no chef and have only been experimenting with cooking for about two months (college student here) and this one was actually easy for me to ace. My boyfriend ate with me and loved it too! This was the first time he didn’t have to fake liking my cooking ? So thank you for sharing!
After making this for the 1000th time I just wanted to say thanks for this recipie! We always serve with rice or fetuccini, and we always quadruple the sauce! For some people asking how to thicken up the sauce, sometimes I add 1/4-1/2 cup of freshly grated parm and it thickens it right up!
The sauce should thicken when you add the heavy cream! That’s what I did and it was super thick and yummy
Great recipe, thank you very much for sharing it, this chicken breast turned out just amazing. My husband can’t wait to cook it again. 🙂
Absolute heaven! I’ve made lemon chicken before but this tops all! I’m not a fan of spicy however since we’ve all been fighting colds I went for it. Not unbearable. I didn’t add extra sauce on the kids plate since the chicken had enough kick. Too die for, i served it with rice and a broccoli cauliflower blend. I didnt have the rice but I couldn’t get enough sauce on my vegetables! I did add a little parmesean cheese hoping to calm the kick, great addition.
This was delicious!!!! Next time I make it, I will either make more sauce or reduce it to 1/2 cup instead of 1/3 cup. Other than that, this was so good!!!
This was very good. I’m happy to be able to add a new recipe to our dinner menu and even better that is a one pot meal. I made broccoli and spooned the sauce from the chicken on the broccoli. Delicious.
So easy and delicious! I added sliced mushrooms to the skillet before putting in the oven – soaked up flavor and rendered more liquid to the sauce. Yum!
This recipe is delicious!!! Very easy and simple eirh great flavor! I made it according to directions with only one exception, I used onion instead of scallions. This a keeper?Ty so much for sharing.
This recipe is AMAZING!! I followed the recipe exactly except two things, I used a cast iron skillet and only cooked the chicken on the stove instead of putting it in the oven and I didn’t have any shallots so I just skipped it. Still turned out delicious! Only thing is I wish I made more sauce lol next time I’m doubling for sure! Everyone got seconds. This one is a keeper for sure. Thank you for posting!
So…I try to change up my dinners quite a bit. After stumbling across this recipe, I thought lemon? I am not a fan of lemon anything. However, this changed my mind. My husband LOVED it!! My adult daughter too!! This will be a keeper in my dinner repertoire.
I made it exactly the way the recipe is written. I did not have to make changes. The lemon was quite subtle and the sauce was so light, yet very flavorful.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Awesome
Literally the best chicken I’ve ever made. I’ve shared this recipe with my extended family and we all love it! Thank you!
Hi, I am going to make this tonight for dinner, however I can not have milk. I was wondering if I could substitute heavy cream with canned coconut milk?
Yes! I love cooking with unsweetened coconut milk in place of milk!
Made this dish for my family and they all loved it. They said they felt like it came from a wedding or restaurant. My sides where steamed veggies & brown rice. Thank you so much for sharing♥️
Great recipe, but definitely needs Capers to take it over the top. Also, if you want to speed things up, grab a lemon pepper roasted chicken from Wally World. Make the sauce as per the recipe except slightly less lemon juice (You may want to double the recipe for more sauce). Cook in a deep stove-top pan, bringing to a low boil then use some flour or corn starch to thicken BEFORE you reduce the heat & add the cream. Add the chopped up chicken toward the end. Works out nicely and makes it a simple 30 min quick meal and you won’t need to heat up the house by using the oven. I serve it over whole grain/wild rice.