Easy Lemon Chicken

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Here’s an easy to make chicken breast recipe that is absolutely bursting with flavor – Lemon Chicken. With just a few easy ingredients and steps to make one of the most delicious chicken recipes you’ve ever had.

Chicken is extremely versatile. There are so many different things you can do with it! From chicken tetrazzini to chicken parm, it’s so hard to get tired of this lead meat. And this easy lemon chicken recipe gives you chicken that you can use in many other recipes.

Plates of lemon chicken and other sides presented in a mint green bowl

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What Is Lemon Chicken

Lemon chicken is a really simple recipe. The chicken is coated in flour, seasoned with fresh lemon, and cooked in a buttery wine sauce. The result is a mild-tasting chicken breast that goes with any side dish you make.

A delicious meal of lemon chicken, veggies and mashed potatoes on a green platter

How To Make Lemon Chicken

Keep reading and I’ll share my best tips and tricks so that you can make a tasty fried chicken breast every single time. I’ll even answer some common questions, too.

Plates of lemon chicken and other sides presented in a mint green bowl

What You Need

Here’s what you’ll need from the store. The exact amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Kitchen Tools

Ingredients

  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • Olive Oil
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • White Wine
  • Lemon
A delicious meal of lemon chicken, veggies and mashed potatoes on a green platter

Tips

Here are some tips and answers to common questions about cooking lemon chicken on the stove.

Use Thin Chicken

For best results, make sure the chicken breast is no thicker than 3/4-inch thick. If your chicken breast is too thick, use a meat mallet to pound it thin or use a knife to slice it in half.

Alternatively, you can also choose to use chicken breast tenders.

Why use thin chicken breasts? It’s because it cooks quicker. The outside won’t burn while the inside is still raw. And, the chicken breast will stay juicier without drying out.

Floured raw chicken breasts sitting on a white plate

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Chicken Coating Options

Now that your chicken breasts are the correct thickness, coat them in your favorite breading or coating. I used all-purpose flour because it’s easy and always gives me good results.

If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, then use either gluten-free all-purpose flour or cornstarch.

Do you need this recipe to be low-carb? Then coat the chicken in either almond flour or pork rind crumbs.

Floured raw chicken breasts sitting on a white plate

Use Both Butter and Olive Oil

When you cook the chicken in the frying pan, cook it in a combination of both olive oil and butter. This is because when you use them together you increase the smoke point and the flavor.

What does increasing the smoke point mean? The smoke point is the point when the fat in the pan stops simmering and starts to smoke. When the fat reaches the smoke point, the flavor decreases.

So, when you increase the smoke point, you are letting the fat reach a higher temperature before it smokes and burns. That’s why we suggest using both olive oil and butter when you cook chicken breasts in the frying pan.

Cooking chicken with lemon on a cast iron skillet

Drizzle With Lemon Juice

Don’t just add the lemon slices to the pan. Cut an extra lemon in half and drizzle the juice on the chicken breasts.

This will give them the most incredible flavor!

Easy lemon chicken, fresh from the stove, on a cast iron skillet

Check Chicken Temperature

How can you tell when chicken is done cooking? If you cut into it and it’s white – no pink – and the juices run clear, it’s cooked.

But the safest way to verify that chicken is fully cooked is by checking the temperature. Use an instant-read meat thermometer. Stick it into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Your chicken is safe to eat after it reaches at least 165F.

A delicious meal of lemon chicken, veggies and mashed potatoes on a green platter

What To Serve With Chicken.

You’re gonna get a lot of flavor from the fresh lemon and the white wine, so serve some lighter side dishes with it.

Here are some of our favorite easy side dish recipes:

A delicious meal of lemon chicken, veggies and mashed potatoes on a green platter
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Easy Lemon Chicken

Print Recipe
This easy lemon chicken recipe is absolutely bursting with lemony buttery flavor- perfect for a weeknight dinner! 
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Total Time:20 minutes

SERVINGS

2

Equipment

  • Frying Pan

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 3/4″ even thickness
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 sliced lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry. If they are too thick, slice in half or pound thin with a meat mallet. Should be 3/4″ thick or less.
  • Spread out flour on a paper plate and coat both sides of chicken breast with the flour. Doesn’t need to be a lot, just enough to coat them.
  • Heat a frying pan over medium/high heat for about 2 minutes. Place butter in pan and let melt. Add olive oil.
  • Place chicken breasts in pan and add lemon about 4 lemon slices. You can also squeeze the juice from 1 slice of lemon on the chicken. Add salt and pepper.
  • Cook for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip chicken over, add white wine, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until 2nd side is golden brown and internal temperature of 165 degrees F with an instant read thermometer.
  • Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy chicken dish, healthy dinner, lemon chicken
Servings: 2
Calories: 407kcal
Plates of lemon chicken and other sides presented in a mint green bowl

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