Easy crisp-tender chicken with the creamiest lemon butter sauce ever – you’ll want to forget the chicken and drink the sauce instead!
Happy New Year! I know I should really be sharing some sort of salad or quinoa recipe with the start of the year but you know me and my chicken thigh obsession. I just can’t get enough, especially when a lemon butter cream sauce is involved.
And if you’re in the need of some clean greens for the new year diet, well, this dish has plenty of baby spinach. Good enough, right?
Plus, these chicken thighs carry quite a bit of punch with that fresh, zingy lemon flavor and that smoky goodness from the paprika. And this cream sauce is absolutely heavenly. Just be sure to have a spoon ready because you’ll want to sip on it straight from the pan!
Lemon Butter Chicken
Yield: 8 servings
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 40 minutes
total time: 50 minutes
Easy crisp-tender chicken with the creamiest lemon butter sauce ever – you’ll want to forget the chicken and drink the sauce instead!
Lemon Butter Chicken
10 minutes40 minutesChungah Rhee
Ingredients:
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season chicken thighs with paprika, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; drain excess fat and set aside.
- Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan, lemon juice and thyme.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat, stir in spinach, and simmer until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Servings Per Container 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 277.5
Calories from Fat 204.3
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22.7g
35%
Saturated Fat 10.0g
50%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Cholesterol 94.7mg
32%
Sodium 125.4mg
5%
Total Carbohydrate 2.6g
1%
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
2%
Sugars 0.4g
Protein 15.9g
32%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
AWESOME!!! My Family loved it! The sauce is off the chat!! Keeper!!
My family absolutely LOVES this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!!
This is in the oven cooking right now and I am excited to try. Thank you for easy directions. I do have one question, though. When I saw that you included adding lemon juice into cream sauce, I was immediately wondering how this would work given adding acid to a cream…..and…..just as I thought….mine curdled. How do you keep this from happening? I just went on, so I am hoping for the best.
I’ve made this recipe a few times, hubby asked to add to the chicken rotation, along with green beans and mashed potatoes. Yummmmy, I will keep making this again and again. Awesome.
This was so amazingly delicious, and quite easy, too! I added an entire package of fresh spinach and could have added more. I’m eating it over mashed potatoes but it would be delicious over rice or noodles, too.
Definitely saving this one to make again.
Absolutely delicious. I doubled the sauce also. Made it with egg noodles.
Amazing recipe! Definitely a great comfort food for winter and I can still eat it while on keto! For us we always add extra garlic, a bit more cream and some extra parmesan just to turn up those gorgeous flavours a bit more! We have served it with rice, mashed potato, cauliflower/brocoli, green beans, zucchini, asparagus and pasta. The sauce is perfect on green veggies and my young girls love dipping their veggies in the sauce! A+ recipe have been making it since 2017. Also have added cornflour to make the sauce a little thicker (but not too thick) Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Can you use boneless chicken breast instead of thighs?
Another perfect recipe tonight!! Thank you so much. Followed recipe exactly and it was delicious.
This is mine and my family’s best go to recipe. I add mushrooms and fresh time at the end. Great dish served with garlic mashed potatoes or jasmine rice. Everything I make it the same comment is made, “Best Mom Ever”, just to make it again I bet.
Crowd pleaser! Easy to bring this together and such great solid flavors!
Very tasty sauce, but I wished it was a bit thicker. I served with pasta and everyone seemed to enjoy. I omitted the smoked paprika since they didn’t have it in our vacation house here, but it was not missed!
I love this recipe! I have made this for many years now. Always a favorite! I have always used Chicken thighs. I believe the smoked paprika is also a must. It gives this dish such an incredible flavor. I also double the sauce. I also double the herbs and garlic as I like allot more flavor. I have served this with Egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or Mashed cauliflour if watching carbs and honestly you cannot tell the difference. Amazing recipe.
This is so delicious!!!! I use chicken breasts cut in half instead though. Yummy!!
Love this recipe! It is a favorite of both my husband and I it is fairly quick to prepare, most of the time is the 25 minutes of baking. I love the sauce, although I did increase the cream and lemon juice a bit and thickened a bit with Wondra. It gets an A from me! P.S. I am a retired personal chef and I know good food and recipes.
This is a Fabulous recipe, which is easy to follow
And prepare
It suitable for a family meal , or a dinner party
Plus bonus : it tastes delicious
I love this recipe so much!
Does anyone know a good vegetarian alternative for the chicken thighs? Would tofu with veggie stock instead of chicken stock work? I want to make this for my friends but there are a few veggies in my group so I want to accommodate!
This is my most favorite recipe of off any site ever! Would you be able to figure out a conversion to instant pot? My family has been asking me to make this a lot lately and I just can’t bare to use the stove/oven any more! I used to make this with a side of angel hair pasta, so bonus points if we can make it a dump and go recipe to include any type of whole wheat pasta!! Thank you so much!!
This was delicious! I typically don’t care for cooked spinach, but the flavor was amazing. I used basil and oregano as another commenter suggested. I also sautéed the garlic over medium heat as I did not want it to burn other than that followed the recipe as written and served with mashed potatoes
I’ve made this before and got rave reviews. I have some zucchini, do you think that would work well in this recipe?
I made my own slight modifications but, hands down, this makes the top 10 best savory dishes I’ve ever tasted. Bravo!
I made this dish as a new-to-the-kitchen chef for my then boyfriend. We’re now married, and love having this regularly! Absolutely delicious and hits so many flavor notes. Love serving it with roasted broccoli to sop up the sauce!
Lemon Butter Chicken is the best recipe I have ever cooked.
Amazing! I made this dish today for my family and there were no leftovers WHICH IS UNHEARD OF IN MY HOUSE … so I made a second batch after dinner was cleaned up for everyones lunches tomorrow! Will be adding frequently to my meal plan!
Beautiful, light and bursting with flavour! Super easy to make. Thank you for this recipe!
Has anyone subbed natural yogurt for cream successfully? Have everything but the cream in the house
I have made this recipe so many times. And i don’t like to repeat recipes. I sometimes swap out other greens for the spinach, like chard. Deliscious!
I love this recipe and often use milk instead of cream and cook the sauce a little longer to thicken. Always looks beautiful and is delicious
Delicious! Made this doubling the sauce as recommended by other comments here. We made it with mashed potatoes but will make it with egg noodles next time! Also made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and made it completely on top of the stove. Thank you!!
Dear Miss Rhee,
The Lemmon Butter Chicken is absolutely one of the best recipes we have found. We’ve tried other recipes from your cook book, and they were all big hits. Then we found….Lemmon Butter Chicken, and WOW! Being Italian, family dinners on Sunday means some kind of pasta. But know the Lemmon
butter chicken is in the Sunday mix, thank you.
Gary
Was wondering if It would make much difference (or what else I could substitute) for the Parmesan cheese as my grandson is dairy intolerant. I have read the review and seen that coconut cream is a good substitute for double cream and can get around the butter. Suggestions would be appreciated
An aged Parmesan should not affect a dairy intolerance. That being said nutritional yeast is usually the go to for cheese substitution.
Just found this recipe and made it last night–absolutely delicious!! Sadly, I have a crew of non-spinach eaters so I had to leave that out (I would have loved it) but served it over mashed potatoes and it was a huge hit all around. The sauce is so full of flavor and the chicken was perfectly tender. I cooked it in a cast iron skillet so I could go stovetop to oven and it worked great. Thank you so much for this easy weeknight recipe!
After reading all the reviews on this recipe, I feel I’m the only one whose spinach turned an unappetizing dark brown, green when it came out of the oven! And my question is, why?
It could be because your spinach was not fresh, or had been overcooked. Spinach can get hard and too crispy if kept in the oven for too long. Maybe coat the spinach in some oil and salt and pepper in another bowl and add that in 7-10 minutes before taking the chicken out of the oven, this should do the trick! Please get back if it worked
Good! I did 4 thighs so there was a lot of juice in the pan, I decided to pour rice around the chicken and it was cooked perfectly in the 30 mins! Gotta figure out different seasoning, not crazy about thyme, overall good
We used Tarragon instead of thyme …it was awesome! Give it a try!
This should be called Chicken Crack!! This is so darn good! My husband has made it 4 times now and each time he tweaks it and it gets only BETTER! It’s great with rice but I’m going low carb so cauliflower mash or rice it is going to be tonight!! Simply the best chicken recipe. I’m so glad he was looking for new recipes and found this one!!
I made this dish for the 3rd time. This time the dish came out the best. I served it over rice & my family loved it!
Tonight was the sixth or seventh time I’ve made this dish. My ex boyfriend loves it so much that it’s a great way to get him to visit me. I never thought I could love spinach, but I could eat a pound of it in this lemon butter sauce. Mashed potatoes are our preferred side as they are perfection with the sauce. Between the sauce and the mashed potatoes, I’m pretty sure I used three sticks of butter in this dinner, but at least I got my green veggie in! Ha!
The absolute best! A monthly staple in our house. Everyone loves it
Made this today I had boneless chicken thighs, no skin. I used 1 tsp of paprika because we don’t like as much and changed the tyme to oregano because we do not like tyme. Over pasta and dinner rolls. Family wanted more. Next time I will double the liquid.
I have made so many Damn Delicious recipes and all of them are excellent. Love watching for new recipes. Wish Chunga had a regular tv program as she is beautiful and so inspiring for us cooks that have gotten tired of cooking the same things all the time. Thanks for featuring Damn Delicious.
Barbara
I made this dish four or five times, and it is always a hit.
Love it.
Perfect everytime.
Thank you so much
My husband love chicken but I was looking for a change and I came across that recipe so I made it last night … it was in saine !!! So good that my honey said is the best he ever had !!! I will definitely make it again . As we both love cheese I put a good half a cup of Parmesan instead of the 1/4 cup suggested . Was yummy
Like other reviewers on here, I adore this recipe and have made it four times. I’m writing this at 4 am with insomnia, while cheering myself up by planning to make it again tonight! I use only four thighs, but I don’t halve any of the other ingredients, and I always serve it over mashed potatoes. Heavenly!
This is to die for!! We are literally licking the pan every time I make it, which has been about 5 times so far. I have done both thighs and breasts and both turn out great. I do add more Parmesan cheese, cause I love it so much. I have served over jasmine rice and with near east roasted garlic and olive oil pearled couscous and it’s amazing! My husband usually saves leftover sauce to throw some shrimp in later and he loves it! Thank you so much for this recipe.
This is so delicious! I’ve made it several times before and it’s always such a big hit in our family. The only change I make to it is to double the spinach (because we love spinach). Yes, the sauce is saucy, not thick like a creamy pasta sauce, but that’s perfect for pasta or rice dishes. The flavour is amazing. This latest time, I served it with red potatoes oven roasted in butter, garlic, and lemon, and my husband and I practically licked our plates clean.
This recipe is a tasty, quick, weeknight must. I used thighs and would like to try breast next time, I was in the mood for a lighter chicken flavor/texture tonight. I will say, I used a cast iron skillet and it became too hot, and held heat too long, interfering with the sauce. The meat turned out perfectly, but after my sauce sat in the oven for 23 minutes, it reduced into a black goo. I remade the sauce on the stove and let it simmer 5 min or so, added the cooked chicken from the first try, and let it simmer another 5-10 min. Turned out yummy, but I’m sure if I’d been able to get it right the first time it would have been even better. I’ll have to try again! What is the best oven safe skillet??
Thanks
B
I had this recipe pop up on my yahoo page. Made it for my self . It was amazing. Then I tripled it for 12 added in all the chicken pieces.. Made extra sauce added extra spinach and served it over pasta for a family gathering. Now everybody asks for it when I visit. They ask what I call it .. Lemon butter chicken
We all loved this. I served it on a bed of fresh linguine, which I tossed with a little of the sauce. Yum! I will make this again for sure! Thank you
This was a terrific recipe! Used boneless skinless breasts and it turned out great. Both daughters liked it and were eating the leftover sauce. Definite keeper!
So delicious!! I prefer chicken breasts , cut in half. Thank you!
I absolutely love this dish. I follow it word for word, except for the fact that I use thighs for myself and my daughter and boneless breast for my husband and son, they don’t eat thighs. Crazy, I know! It is so very flavorful and the sauce is awesomeness!!! I always think reviewers that don’t follow the recipe shouldn’t complain when it doesn’t turn out as expected. You cooked a different dish! Geesh! This will always be in rotation at my house!
Well said Aly! I also modified the recipe due to the ingredients I had on hand exchanging for
smoked paprika, organic yogurt, grass fed cheddar instead
of parmesan and peas instead of spinach. Served over
leftover linguine …wow … fab… hubs asked what is this awesome dish I made and I told him it’s called “internet chicken”’LOL Five Star and versatile recipe!
I was low on groceries and had no clue what to make for dinner. I googled a few items in my fridge, and this page was the first result I clicked on. Thankfully, I had all the ingredients on hand.
I used chicken breasts (I was out of thighs), and it turned out great. I put the chicken and sauce on a bed of grilled asparagus, and topped it off with fresh parsley and pine nuts. I also added a small side of egg noodles, baguette bread and a glass of white wine.
Super easy to make and delicious too. Going forward, this will be a go-to recipe!
Do you think adding potatoes would make any changes to the taste and outcome? I love potatoes.
I made this recipe last night and I made rice for the side. I made some mash potatoes because I love them and it was delicious. The sauce is like a thin gravy and spinach mixed with the potatoDezirae es nicely.
Delicious! So flavorful. I added 2 extra cloves of garlic and doubled the cream and parmesan to make the sauce a little thicker. It was a HIT, everyone in the family loved it and said the flavor was off the charts. Thank you for this super easy, yet incredibly delicious recipe.
My daughter said she was SO proud of me because it was so delicious shes 5
I substituted the cream with coconut cream because I didn’t have the regular one and it tasted the same as with regular cream if anyone was thinking of a substitute. But equally tasty either way. One of our family favourites. Thank you for sharing
Can I prep everything in the morning, refrigerate, and then bake the chicken and sauce in the evening?
I love this recipe. It is now a firm family favourite! Do NOT add flour to the chicken when browning Clare as it will burn and burned flour tastes really nasty.
Thanks so much for the recipe Chungah.
Another home run by Damn Delicious!
I made this recipe a month ago for the first time and we love it so much, we have had it twice more since then! The sauce is the BOMB! Do yourself a favor and double the ingredients for the sauce… it’s the star of the show in this dish and the more the better.
I have used frozen spinach (cooked) when I didn’t have fresh and it was just as good. I have also made this dish with chicken breast and love it because the chicken breast absorbs the sauce very nicely.
Do yourself a favor and use fresh grated parmesan as advised. The parmesan in the shaker bottle has no flavor.
We have served this dish over penne pasta, white beans and polenta at various times and each option was great. It’s so delicious it’s perfect to make for company too. 🙂
I needed a recipe to make with chicken thighs and saw this. Can I jus say the gravy was DELICIOUS. Thank you for sharing. I followed the recipe jus doubled the sauce bc I made 12 thighs instead of 8. I also don’t have an oven so I improvised and simmered for 30 minutes instead- stirring occasionally.
Thank you and God bless you!! After multiple flop attempts at cooking something as simple as rice, I cooked basmati rice today thanks to your step by step guide and it was perfect. Had perfect rice after such a long time! Best wishes your way
This is the best chicken dish ever. The sauce is so good you could eat it on it’s own! In fact, I had some leftover sauce and set it aside to have with bread later.
I made this for the first time last night and it was delicious! My boyfriend loved it. I served it with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. Mmmm so good! I’ll definitely be making this again!
I’ll make the Lemony butter chicken thighs tonight, and will substitute cauliflower for the spinach. Why? I have locally grown cauliflower in our fridge.
I made this last night and expected it to blow my socks off from the other reviews but it didn’t. It’s pretty good, but not off the chain good. The only changes I made were I did not discard the butter, etc from frying the chicken because that’s more flavor and I doubled the sauce as recommended. I also don’t care for spinach and didn’t have any so I added a pound of fresh sliced mushrooms. I did not have cream or milk so I added a small container of sour cream and little more butter for a grand total of 1 stick. I cooked some noodles to put this on top of. I also baked for 45-50 minutes at 350 instead of 20 at 400. I didn’t see any reason why this needs to be in a such a hot oven, other than expediency but I wanted the chicken to be really tender and absorb the flavors more so a slower oven is better. This makes more of a pan sauce, not a thicker sauce, being there is no roux so I don’t understand why people are surprised. I am a very experienced home cook. If you want a little more body to your sauce, I would suggesting dredging your chicken in seasoned flour prior to browning.
I just want to point out you weren’t 100% a fan of this recipe but then again very loosely followed it. Your 3 stars are not for their recipe but for yours.
If you make your own variation and it’s just so so that should not be a critique of the original recipe – which you did not make! Come on people!!
Thank goodness you guys said it because it was driving me nuts the whole review. I don’t care if you’re an experienced home cook or a professional chef, when you substitute half the ingredients and alter the cooking method, you did not cook this recipe and you can’t judge it as if you did. It’s ridiculous. This dish is a staple at our house and we made it for guests. It’s always a hit.
I agree, Clare. Your recipe doesn’t sound as tasty. I’ve made this one many times as written and it’s lovely. There’s nothing wrong with making a recipe your own, but it’s terribly unfair to rate the original when you didn’t make it.
This is a family favorite for us. I’ve made it as written and it’s great. We love subbing fresh thyme for dry and doubling the sauce, but neither of those changes are necessary. It’s fabulous as written!
So I seen a couple of people say they did it in the ip, how long did you set it for??
I’ve made this dish numerous times and had numerous requests for the recipe. It’s my picky 24 year olds favorite meal. I would suggest trying it one more time following the recipe and of course doubling the sauce.
WOW, Just Wow Clare! You modified the recipe in so many ways. Your most egregious act is using sour cream in place of heavy cream. Why did you even attempt this recipe at all?
I have made this recipe many times. Outside of doubling the amount of spinach, I did not change a thing. The recipe as written in 100%
I absolutely love this dish. I follow it word for word, except for the fact that I use thighs for myself and my daughter and boneless breast for my husband and son, they don’t eat thighs. Crazy, I know! It is so very flavorful and the sauce is awesomeness!!! I always think reviewers that don’t follow the recipe shouldn’t complain when it doesn’t turn out as expected. You cooked a different dish! Geesh! This will always be in rotation at my house!
I love this recipe, just as Chungah makes it! Thanks so much Chungah, it is a firm family favourite! Adding flour to the chicken before browning the chicken results in the flour burning, giving a nasty burned bitter taste. Not recommended.
How can you give the recipe 3 stars when you changed almost the whole thing? Chicken thighs are already tender… Simmering the sauce for a few minutes longer and baking it at the temperature called for creates a thicker sauce. Your recipe is 3 stars lol.
Try following the recipe exactly, then leave a review. I’ve done the flour dredging and it ruined the recipe IMO.
Clare, please don’t rate a recipe that you didn’t make. Ridiculous!
We loved this dish. So delicious. I added another half the liquid and added a cup of uncooked rice to the bottom of the pan and it was perfect. Just the perfect amount of liquid. We will make it weekly for sure!
My Wife’s fav IP dish I make. Have been making this for years.
Wanted to try this with boneless skinless thighs. Any recommendation on the cook time?
This recipe deserves more than 5 stars! It’s one of our household favs!! Absolutely delicious!!
This recipe was a winner in my household. The sauce also added incredible flavor to our mashed potato sides.
I love this dish! I wonder if you can prep it to the point of baking and hold in the refrigerator and bake it a day later for service?
OMG is this chicken yummy!!! I will be making this often. I did not have any thyme so for my first try it was without thyme and I used white pepper instead of black pepper. But let me tell you, it was so delicious!! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I’ve made this twice—delicious. I don’t understand people’s problem with the sauce. It’s delightful as is. I serve it over jasmine rice to which I added some lemon peel during the last few minutes of cooking. Not every sauce needs to be a thick béchamel or gravy! This is like a pan sauce, and any thicker would not be appetizing with this dish.
Great recipe, we substituted the chicken thighs for breast and is just as tasty
Boy, you weren’t kidding. I could have a bowl of that sauce and been happy. The chicken, however, was delicious. This recipe is a keeper.
Could one substitute the cream for a heavy yoghurt?
Would the extra sauce work well on pasta as a side dish? I’ll be making this this week and can’t wait to try it!
I loved this recipe but after finishing it my first time I’m unsure how to not get the spinach burnt when it’s being baked for 30 minutes? Did anyone else have this problem. I only had it simmer for about 5’ so unsure what went wrong. Anyways I’ll probably try again to see if it comes out better. I can tell that when I perfect it, it will be delicious!
I move mine to a deep oven tray as my skillet has a plastic handle. We found the same but just covering the tray in alfoil stopped the problem
I don’t precook my spinach, (and I use more) I chop, and then I put it in the bottom of the pan, top with the cheese and put the sauce (minus cheese) next, then the chicken.
Always a big hit!
Damn delicious is an apt name! I actually add the spinach at the end…it wilts in residual heat of sauce and stays a nice vibrant green.
Delicious.. Simply perfect.. I made it literally just now and that sauce is to-die for! VERY well done!
My favorite chicken recipe!! I also love making this in the instant pot. The sauce is amazing and we serve over mashed potatoes. I always double the sauce because it so delicious! I like it off the plate soooo good! Highly recommend this!
I have made this dish twice before. I use it as a family time meal. My children enjoy coming in the kitchen and taking part in making this dish. We laugh…we talk. Love it. Great way to teach them how to cook once they are older and on their on.
Made this for dinner tonight. What can I say…. it’s was fab! We made it with 4 bone in chicken thighs and used the full sauce recipe. We serve it with capellini pasta and it has made our best of the best list. The only thing we changed was double the garlic and added red pepper flakes to give it a little heat. The lemon butter sauce was thin, but delish and worked perfectly with a half box (8oz) of pasta. We added a side salad and it feed two of us with one thigh each. We are looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow.
Great job DamnDelicious!!
This was SO yummy. It sounded good, but tasted even better. I followed the directions except: (1) I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts since one of my family members doesn’t like bones in their chicken and two others don’t like dark meat–it was awesome this way; (2) I doubled the sauce which I highly recommend–it is truly drinkable, and I took so many test sips while it was cooking that I’m glad I did double it; (3) I used 2 cups of fresh spinach even though I should have used 4 since I doubled the sauce. I don’t love spinach enough to have a ton in the recipe. Also, I chopped the spinach before measuring and throwing it in. It appears that Chungah had hers chopped before throwing it in as well from the video. In short, this was awesome and I will definitely make this again on a regular basis!
I will be using boneless, skinless too. Same cook time or less?
My family LOVED this dish! Everyone cleaned their plates, and it appealed to all five of us. It sounded good, but tasted even better. I followed the directions except: (1) I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts since one of my family members doesn’t like bones in their chicken and two others don’t like dark meat–it was awesome this way; (2) I doubled the sauce which I highly recommend–it is truly drinkable, and I took so many test sips while it was cooking that I’m glad I did double it; (3) I used 2 cups of fresh spinach even though I should have used 4 since I doubled the sauce. I don’t love spinach enough to have a ton in the recipe. Also, I chopped the spinach before measuring and throwing it in. It appears that Chungah had hers chopped before throwing it in as well from the video. In short, this was awesome and I will definitely make this again on a regular basis!
This recipe is amazing! It taste so wonderful and is
so easy to prepare.
What sides are recommended for this recipe?
I roast asparagus as a side, which works perfectly with the sauce. I also served with rice once and mashed potatoes another time – both were hits!
This looks super delicious. Can’t wait to try this tonight.
This is by far the best chicken recipe ever! And you’re right the sauce is unbelievable. Tasted like a fine restaurant quality dish. The amazing part it was pretty simple to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This will be a family favorite for years to come.
I am definitely going to make this dish again! It was quite tasty!
This is an excellent recipe, very much restaurant quality.
My entire family LOVE this recipe. The Parmesan cheese seems to clump even though I add it slowly. Any suggestions?
What I learned when adding cheese to any sauce is that you must let the roux first cool down then add the cheese slowly. And also having the cheese at room temperature when adding really helps as well. The high heat makes the cheese clump
I have this in the oven right now and it smells AMAZING! My husband is super exited to try this. This may have been answered already but I gotta know, please… should I cover or uncover once in the oven?
For those concerned about the sauce, just reduce it more before adding back the chicken.
Ive made this 20 times …..its now a family staple along with
Several recipes of Marcella Hazan.Thx so much.Brava to you
Delicious!! I made double & only a few pieces are left. This one’s a keeper!
What if I don’t have an oven proof pan; can I use a baking pan?
Yup, we use a deep baking pan and heat for the same punt of time. Also, if anything gets too srospy, you can cover it with alfoil.
It was great. I didn’t have spinach so I used asparagus. Has very good flavor
Absolutely fantastic! My roommates loved it.
Made this for my family. SUPER tasty, great flavors! I wish the sauce was a tad thicker, but other than that, DELISH! Husband wants this on rotation 🙂
I added thinly sliced potatoes after the spinach (I used about 4 cups of spinach), seasoned potatoes, increased liquid to come up to potatoes, put chicken on top, covered and baked until potatoes were fork tender. It was very very good! Easy, one pot meal that my family loved. Will definitely make again. As far as sauce, I didn’t mind it being runny, I wasn’t expecting it to be “thick”. I supposed if you wanted a thicker sauce you could make a roux with chicken fat/butter, flour, cream/chick broth. Then add veggies.
I doubled the lemon because I was craving lemon and I used 1 pound of fresh green beans in place of spinach. This was delicious!!!
Everyone who has issues with it thickening pls read!! I am so glad I finally found a recipe for Lemon pepper chicken!!
This is the best one so far. I think the issue people are having when making the sauce- the common complaint is they are not getting “thickened” in the sauce. Your recipe says slightly and I think when people read the word thickened, you’re expecting the consistency you get like in Alfredo sauce. Well I accomplished that ..it’s great when you can get that thickness. It is really good when you can use the extra sauce to pour over a side of pasta or rice. I think that is what people are looking for and they end up with soupy like. So here is what I did. Something really simple, but does take more time. You don’t have to drain the excess fat if you wish to leave it in for the added flavor benefit, you can if you’re not concerned about diet. I made the sauce exactly like the recipe and yes it does seem runny no matter what you do. I only added a tablespoon of flour at the end. I whisked for several min and it still didn’t do anything. I turned the heat up a smidge to let more heat build up. I whisked constantly some more. I went to go do something else in kitchen for three min I turned back to the sauce and it was really thickened almost too thick lol so I added two more lemon juice squeezes to water it down which worked perfectly. So all you do is add one tablespoon of flour dont add two thinking it’s not enough you will end up with some slime sauce. Who wants that? Lol Stick with one table spoon of flour after making the recipe & whisk it constantly for five minutes don’t do it too longer than that & then just let it sit for few minutes not doing anything to it & not looking at it. Don’t tocuh it don’t look at it once whisked the flour in, don’t be tempted to add more. Go do something for three-4 min around the kitchen as it sits on warm heat when you come back -I promise viola it’s thickened 🙂 by the way me and my boyfriend thank you for sharing this recipe we gobbled it all up no left overs <3
Why doesn’t the sauce for this recipe call for a roux?
I’ve seen this recipe in several places on the internet, and everyone says they have the same issue – the sauce won’t thicken (I’ve had this problem when making it, as well). I’ve seen two suggestions, either a reduction by boiling or adding cornstarch. Why not make a roux? Using a roux as a thickening agent is often preferred as it’s the best way to preserve flavor, texture, and consistency. And there’s a perfect opportunity to add the flour – when the garlic is being sauteed in the butter. It’s pretty much textbook.
Has anyone tried it this way?
When the sauce cooks in the oven it boils off even more, with a roux you may end up with a paste.
I love DD recipes!!! This dish was AHHHHHMAZING!!! And again, the husband is saying “OMG! This as great!” I agree!! I search the web for delicious dinner recipes, but ALWAYS return again and again to Damn Delicious!! Thank you for having the best recipes !!!!
What happened to the fat that was Set aside in the recipe ??
Rick, the excess fat is drained, the chicken is set aside. 🙂
This is in my top 3 for IP recipes. Real easy to make and foolproof. I follow the recipe as-is and always comes out great.
What changes and times are needed to make this in the instant pot?!? Thanks!
One of my go-to recipes for when we have guests, it’s always a success. I use free range thigh fillets, as I can’t get the thighs with skin and bone in here in rural NSW. I also use small cubes of frozen spinach instead of fresh, it becomes part of the sauce. As I have a meyer lemon tree, so I use those lemons, with great result. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
I adore this recipe. This is my ‘go to’ when I have guests. I love it! Just wish mine wasn’t so runny… quantities all good per the recipe, but something makes it too runny. I fix it with thickener but wondering if I am doing something wrong.
This recipe is one of the Best lemon Chicken recipes I have eaten! It is super easy and relatively quick to make, You will savor every bite!
i’ve rethought it, and i’m going to ditch the paprika, caraway seeds, and white onion. instead, i’m going to use Dijon mustard, dried tarragon, and some green onion, along with a knob of herbed goat cheese to add some tang to the Parm. that, along with the chicken stock, cream (heavy and/or sour), S&P, chopped garlic, lemon — zest AND juice … THAT ought to make a tasty sauce, sort of a bearnaise-like flavor profile. it should go well with the braised cabbage.
i’ve got 4 big fat chicken thighs (skin-on, bone-in) thawing right now. i’m going to use smoked paprika, caraway seeds, S&P, lemon juice, chicken stock, heavy cream, grated parm, shredded cabbage (i knew i was saving it for SOMETHING), chopped white onion, chopped garlic, and egg noodles to spoon the sauce over. i’ll be doubling the sauce. omg, is THIS going to be GOOD!!!
p.s. there is NO WAY i’m draining the excess fat — there’s no such thing as excess chicken fat: it’s Jewish gold! and i might use sour cream instead of heavy cream … or both!
This recipe is amazing! TRY IT!
OMG ! I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I have made it several times and it never disappoints! And yes I could drink the sauce !
Took a chance on this recipe and decided to go for it based on the comments… We added mushrooms instead of spinach and WOW… I mean WOW. Restaurant quality meal. It was so delicious, my husband went back for seconds and insisted I pack some for his work lunch. We WILL be making this again.
This delicious dish has turned into one of our most favorite go-to’s for weeknights or company. So easy, but really complex flavors that seem to agree with everyone I’ve shared it with!
This is delicious!
I’ve made this recipe several times over the last 3 years and it hits the spot, every single time. Soooo savory and delicious.
We’re so glad it’s one of your favorites, Janeen. It’s great to have a staple! 🙂
Great recipe! Double the sauce or you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing so.
I use boneless breasts and 2 bags of spinach, but this is a HUGE hit at my house!
One of my favorite recipes and I never used to cook with lemon. Everyone I’ve made it for loves it.
I have made several times now for different people and wows and amazes people every time they love it I love it. I double everything except for the chicken so I can have double the sauce.
Just made this tonight. Delicious and will definitely make this again. Thank you!
I swear I’ve seen this converted for a pressure cooker but cannot find it. Any thoughts?
I made this tonight. It was excellent. My family loved it. I will Definently make it again. Thank you…
You’re so welcome!
Hi,
Do you cover this once in the oven?
Nope, no cover needed here. 🙂
Can I use whipping cream instead of heavy cream?
Yes, you certainly can, but as always, please use your best judgement when making substitutions and modifications.
Heavy cream and whipping cream are the same thing.
I really enjoyed this dish! Super easy. Very tasty, and very adaptable. We substituted fresh parsley for thyme and it was wonderful (I will make again sometime when I have thyme in my cabinet) you could use kale or other greens, etc. Loved it!
Love this recipe. I’ve made it many times. I find that the acidity of the lemon juice makes the spinach turn very dark and lose it’s beautiful green color so instead I steam the spinach separately and serve the chicken over or on the side of it. I have also cut the heavy cream to 1/4 cup to keep the dish lower fat and still tastes great.
Can you use half and half or whipping cream in this recipe??
Sure!
I’ve made this recipe several times and my family and I love it! its great!
This is one of my favorite chicken recipes ever! so good!
I made this tonight and my husband said it’s the best meal I ever made. Thank you for the recipe, it was quite good.
This is my family’s favorite meal. I made this when it was my turn to host the big Sunday dinner and it was a hit! I received numerous request for the recipe. The chicken is so moist and delicious. Follow the recipe exactly as is and you cannot go wrong. Thanks for all your awesome recipes.
One of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. I use boneless skinless chicken breast, I don’t like dark meat. Still amazing!
My boyfriend doesn’t like chicken with bones in it. Would I be able to use boneless chicken breasts instead?? Also, would it still taste the same??
Yes, you can certainly substitute boneless chicken breasts but the taste will not quite be the same.
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made it plenty of times. Can even be done with chicken breast or thigh. So tender! I find I have to thicken it a bit, but this is the perfect excuse to throw some quinoa or extra veggies in to soak up that luscious sauce!
This dish is absolutely phenomenal very simple but full of flavor and very diet friendly. It is definitely a keeper for me I look forward to trying other recipes from you!!
Made this tonight with boneless skinless thighs and it was amazing. My husband loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Does the cream curdle..after adding the lemon?
Nope, it shouldn’t! 🙂
LOVE this dish! I use fresh thyme just added a tablespoon and a half of fresh vs teaspoon of the dried. I also added lemon zest from one lemon if you like a bit more lemon flavor – it was out of this world delicious!
What do you recommend serving with this dish? I usually make orzo but any other ideas? Thank you! I love your site and recipes.
Hi Johanna! My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
This was the best chicken dish I’ve had in a very long time!! I made quinoa with sautéed mushroom, a bit of Parmesan cheese and a splash of lemon in it. I will be having it for dinner with all of the above and some veggies.
I made this last night – turned our perfectly and was delicious! Thanks – it’s hard to find recipes my whole family can enjoy.
We love hearing that!
I have been using this recipe for 2 years and it is truly a great one. I love it so much and so does everyone I make it for. Only had to alter the temperature settings considering I am from South Africa, but really a fantastic recipe!
Thanks for your feedback!
Wonderful recipe, always make it with great success. Never any left overs left though.
Amazing! So moist and delicious, every body in my family loved it ! Thanks for sharing the recipes
Every time I want to impress someone with a nice dinner, I make this. It’s so yummy. And I want to drink the sauce. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you, Joanna!
…Serve immediately and DO NOT GRAB THE HANDLE OF THE HOT PAN WITHOUT AN OVEN MITT! My poor hand
Delicious chicken once the pain subsided though!
Oh no! Hope you’re ok!
Hello! This looks amazing. Can I use breasts instead?
Sure!
Love this recipe and the sun dried tomato cream sauce chicken recipe… we love these in the winter over mashed potatoes. It is like a match made in heaven..best way to use all the sauce.
LOVE THIS! thank you
Thank you so much, Allison!
What side would you recommend with this dish?
Hi Elizabeth! My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Hi! Do I put both the sauce and the chicken in the oven or just the chicken alone? thanks!
Both the sauce and chicken is placed in the oven.
I made this chicken recipe yesterday and it’s as good as you say.
So glad to hear!
This recipe is awesome. I love to try for my husband and friends. I will be back with reviews.
It looks delicious, I love all the ingredients so I will make this recipe.
Great!
Have made this recipes and it was delicious! I was wondering if you could use frozen spinach instead and how much.
Hi Connie! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This was easy and delicious. The subs I made were: I only had ground thyme, so I adjusted the amount to suit my taste. I also did use the ol’ parm-in-a-green-shaker (instead of freshly-grated) since that is what I had on hand. And I made the full sauce recipe with only 4 thighs, but it was even better this way, as I was able to spoon the extra sauce onto white rice. My 10 y/o son loved both the rice and the chicken – high praise, seriously. Will definitely make it again – thanks for sharing!
So good to hear, Keisha! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was crazy delicious! I’ve had a few fails recently and I’m sure my husband was skeptical when I told him I was trying a new recipe. But we both can’t stop talking about how much we loved it. I didn’t use the paprika, ’cause I hate paprika, but otherwise, I followed your recipe to a T. If my 4 year old would try anything new and not boring, she would love it too. Only setback, that damn pan, this is the 2nd time I’ve touched the handle after it was outside of the over. Beware, cover the handle when you take it out of the oven, or maybe i’m the only one whose done this.
Anyway, YUM!
Thank you for your feedback Kelly!
I made this a couple of times. It is super yummy. I swear the sauce goes through like 4 stages during cooking. So don’t worry. At first I thought parmesan over powered it. After it baked a bit then I thought it is bland..I’m sad. Then I thought it is too soupy…Just let it do it’s thing and don’t disturb it. I did not give up. Once it was done baking no it is just right! It balances out at the end so don’t under estimate this recipe! If you modify it too much you will dosappoint yourself! I even made it once without the baby spinach and used baby bella mushrooms and it was so good that way too.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe, Katherine. We appreciate it!
I’ve made this twice and each time it was delicious. It will be in my rotation. Thanks so much for another great recipe.
So great to hear Glenda! Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight and Wow oh, Wow!!! The smoked paprika blended so well with the lemon-garlic-butter-cream sauce.
Super easy to make and packed full of flavor. Thanks for sharing…will definitely be making this one again!
So awesome Mathew! Thank you for sharing with us!
This IS delicious! The recipe calls for 8 chicken thighs, but the video used 4 (with all other ingredient amounts remaining the same. Is is supposed to be 8 or 4.
The recipe is correct as written using 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The video recipe is a scaled-down version.
Made this today, with the addition of my own garlic herb spice blend on the chicken ..before browning with the addition of the paprika! What a great smoky addition! I also added two tablespoons of cream cheese to thicken the sauce even more. Wish I could share a picture here they were quite beautiful! Thank u for sharing this great keeper recipe! Very KETO yum!
I know this recipe wasn’t intended to be low carb, but I’m on a keto diet and always looking for new chicken thigh recipes to mix things up so i don’t get bored.
This really hit the spot with me and my boyfriend. I will have to check out your other stuff. Thank you!
Hi, I would love to try this recipe however my apartment doesn’t have an oven would I be able to sear and then finish in the crockpot with the sauce? Do you have any suggestions?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Because my oven wasn’t working, I finished this recipe on the stove top, in the skillet, uncovered and on Simmer. It turned out perfectly. I did begin with a roux for thickening, doubled the sauce ingredients, added the zest from one lemon and served it on Angle Hair Pasta. Ohhh myyy GOODness!!! There wasn’t a single bite or drop left over!
I made this lemon butter chicken today, but using bone-in breasts as that is what I had on hand. I followed the recipe otherwise, adjusting the cooking time accordingly; this dish was awesome and my family loved it. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for this wonderful (and easy) recipe. And yes, you do want to eat the sauce with a spoon, it is that good!
Delish! Or as my kids put it…”it’s super duper duper duper good!”
So delicious! We’re not crazy about spinach so we substitute mushrooms and it’s super good.
Just discovered your site today via Pinterest. Made this for dinner tonight, My husband absolutely flipped for it. Served it over rice, it was delicious. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. So happy to find another that is “obsessed with chicken thighs”!
The sauce was amazing!! The chicken was tender!! I will definitely put this in my dinner rotation!! Thank you so much!
DEEEEeeelish … my hubby doesn’t even like thighs and he loved this dish. So easy and quick. I’ll be making this for friends and family. Thank you!!!
The video does not mention baking – or did I miss something? It just says reduce heat and simmer. I am going to follow the written directions. I am making this tonight and just put it in the oven – it smells great.
First off LOVE your recipes…I have tried so many and every one has been delicious! Friends have subscribed to your site after I have shared a recipe with them, i.e. fire cracker meatballs (yummy) Can I substitute ghee for the butter? Just discovered this product and am looking for more ways to use it. Thanks this will be on my menu this weekend.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
this might be the best thing that I’ve ever made, ever. I kind of just want to make the sauce and drink it forever.
One thing really worth noting is that this is LCHF/Keto friendly. Which is nice because I’ve always wanted to be friends with lovely things.
Fresh or frozen spinach
Fresh.
I made this this evening and it was so good! I used EVOO along with the butter, added garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning, marinated artichoke hearts and a bit more parmesan cheese than called for. I also didn’t have any spinach on hands so I used green peas and served over penne pasta….delish! I will double the sauce next time though! Thank you for the recipe!
Chungah,
Loved your lemon butter chicken. I prepare butter chicken at home; never tried this one though. Shall definitely check it out this weekend and let you know my response.
Thanks for sharing recipes like this. Appreciated.
Great recipe!! Been making for about a year now. Family loves it!!
Does searing it make that much of a difference?
Yes, absolutely!
I baked this on the grill – and got distracted. It really over-cooked. The sauce and spinach had burnt down to nothing. Nooooo! But the chicken was still perfect. And the sauce made the most incredible fond!!! It was so good. Maybe the best chicken I’ve ever had.
I will make it again, but am conflicted on whether to cook it the right way, or the wrong way.
And I will make this again. I used a big cast iron pan. Maybe I will finish cooking it on the stove? Thanks
This is unbelievably delicious. Thank you!
If spinach is a ‘clean’ green, what is a ‘dirty’ green? so tired of the fad labels!
Just tried it tonight and seriously it was damn delicious!!! My whole family loved it. I really am just meh about online recipes, but this one made me change my tune. That sauce. holywowbatman! I wanted to lick my plate for reals.
Just made it. Ehhhh. It was only okay. I got sucked in by the hype. Guess I’ll vet better next time.
Same experience here.
There seemed to be a lot of hype for this recipe, so I tried it, expecting something amazing. I followed it exactly, and we were not at all impressed with the result. It was edible, but my family found it rather bland and greasy.
I don’t get what everyone is raving over – but obviously people just have different tastes. My taste is with Tray on this one.
This was incredibly delicious, dare I say, damn delicious! An hour after eating this and I’m still basking in the wonderful flavors. My son, who is not on keto, was mopping up the sauce with bread. I just drank it with a spoon.
Your Lemon Butter Chicken looks delicious, going to try it tonight.
Would you mind if I put this recipe on my Gluten Free website, full credit will be given.
Thank you.
Yes, of course! I just ask that the recipe is not republished in any manner.
This looks delicious! I want to make it this weekend but my family only eats chicken breasts ughhh lol any idea how long they would need to go in the oven for? I really don’t want to ruin the recipe. Thx!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Just put this in the oven but the lemon curdled my cream! I’m hoping that when it bakes it gets fixed.
Ours curdled too 🙁
I decided to add onions, carrots, jalapeños, zest & TONS of fresh herbs to distract from the curds. Its still tasty… just not smooth & creamy 🙁
This recipe was absolutely amazing ! Everyone loved it.
How do you keep the cream from separating especially with lemon juice
I have found that it is best when the ingredients are at room temperature before the cream is added.
Wow! So even though I kind of messed this up – it was still amazing! I only had breasts, so I thawed them, cut them in half and sauteed in butter – but I forgot to put the paprika on! So, after transferring them I threw paprika, salt and pepper on and made the sauce (and I didn’t have thyme! so I threw in some seasoned salt). Simmered and wilted the spinach, poured over breasts and baked 20 min. They were sooooo good. Can’t wait to try with this thighs (always on sale).
So delicious! I just made this recipe and the whole family loved it!
Recipe sounds great and video looks good but in picture sauce looks like it broke? Wonder if this happens a lot with this recipe?
“Broke”? What do you mean?
She means the sauce curdled, which can happen when cooking at a high temperature when adding an acid (the lemon juice, or white wine, for another example) to the heavy cream.
Most people don’t bring their ingredients to room temperature before they use them, and that increases the risk of curdled (“broken”) sauce.
When you’re using heavy cream in a dish and you’re going to cook it at a high temp, you need to bring that cream to room temp OR you can even heat it up in a small saucepan, to prevent its breaking. Same thing happens if you add white wine to heavy cream, if the wine is cold or the cream is cold, the sauce will break OR if your pan temperature is too high.
It’s a pan sauce! Nothing to break! It’s not an emulsion!
I love your site. While on Pinterest, I seem to end up on your site. I must say the lemon chicken, I got lost. Lemon chicken is my fav! But I don’t have any greens, how much lemon? lemon juice, or squeeze a whole lemon?
Anyway, I will certainly keep browsing your recipes. Trying to find a batter using buttermilk, I am using frozen fish fillets. I just love fish and chicken!!!! Thank you, a great site!!!!
I made this tonight and used skinless/boneless thighs and half&half cream. The sauce was watery but the dish was good. DH said dinner “smelled good” when it was in the oven and DS2 gave it 8/10. It tasted like rotisserie chicken to me. I’d make it again.
Hi
Can I cook this without oven ?
Like, can I just cook it in my stove ?
Asking this, as I dont have an oven.
Thanks
Yes, it’s definitely possible!
My food came out burnt. lol. put it at 400 for 20 minutes too and the chicken was over 165 degrees internal also the spinach was dried up and black.
This is actually perfect for a low-carb diet! It looks delicious, and I’ll definitely be trying it! Thanks!
The autoplaying video is so annoying. Could you turn that off? I like to have a *choice* as to whether to watch a video and not have it shoved down my throat, and blasting my ears off. THANkS!
Yes, you have the “choice” to turn them off by simply clicking the “close” button.
If you’re using Firefox as your browser, you can stop the automatic playing of videos on any site with an add-on called FlashStopper. Probably available for other browsers, too. When it’s installed, the videos do not start playing until you click on the video’s “play” button.
OMG! I do not write reviews ever! But this was amazing! Both my kids ate every bite! Will definitely be making this again!
My husband and I just started Keto. This recipe was amazing! My husband LOVED it and my super picky 11 year-old really loved it too.
I did use only 4 large organic chicken thighs but the same amount of sauce it calls for. When I removed the chicken from the cast iron pan I used, I put the garlic in when it was still on medium high & it immediately burned, so if you are using cast iron, be careful, turn the heat down before you add the garlic. I ended up having to use a mesh strainer to get the burned garlic from the sauce and replaced it with a generous dash of garlic powder. Otherwise the only change I made was to use 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice (I didn’t have any fresh lemon on hand). I also added another tablespoon of butter and an additional dash of cream near the end of the summer just to thicken it up a bit and make it a little more creamy (but we are on Keto and trying to get fats in!).
Thanks for an awesome recipe! Husband is already talking about making it again for company.
Turning the temperature down will also prevent the sauce from curdling.
Made this last night for dinner and it was beautiful . Flavour spot on. I did not have spinach but served with steamed broccoli. I would go as far to say this is the best chicken recipe I have tried on Pinterest, and so easy. Many thanks
awesome, i want eat it now 😀
Hi, like your dishes. Maintain the Fantastic hard work as well as The photography is great. Given that uncovering your blog on Pinterest, I have added lots of your dishes to my collection. Thanks.
Amazing !!!
In the process of making Lemon Butter Chicken. The recipe calls for 8 chicken thighs. I browned 4 at a time then made the sauce. I ended up putting the chicken in a 9 x 13 baking pan with the sauce over the top. Couldn’t fit 8 thighs in my large skillet. Also, your video shows only 4 chicken thighs. Any insight would be helpful. My house smells Delicious!
The video is a reduced version of the full recipe. If the skillet is not large enough, searing in batches (as you did) works perfectly!
The sauce was SO good. Mine never thickened up at all, though, and was very thin (the consistency was like water). Is that correct, or should it have been thicker? I did double the recipe for the sauce because we wanted extra to put over spaghetti which I made on the side. Could that have affected how thick it got?
Yes, it should be a little bit thicker but not as thick as gravy-like consistency.
I made this tonight with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I seared them as directed and then put in microwave for about 20 minutes as they were large, thick breasts. It was absolutely delicious!
Oven not microwave, oops!
This dish was soooooo incredible! Thank you sooo much! I stumbled onto it and now I am subscribing to you and your talent! Thank you for making me look like a rockstar!!
Can’t wait to try this. No one in my family likes Thyme. Should I substitute with something else, or would it still be flavorful if I completely omit it? BTW, I love the simplicity, yet still fanciness of your recipes. There is rarely one I see posted that I don’t want to try! I also just bought your cookbook! Keep up the great work!
You can substitute with another herb to your liking. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this without- still comes out delicious.
Made this tonight for my family and it was wonderful!!! Even our picky 4-year-old loved it, and it was so easy to make. We already had everything on hand. Thanks!
I can’t wait to try one on my own now! This is way luscious!
Wow, I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow. This was absolutely delicious over rice! Thank you.
I made this Saturday just as the recipe says… Results, AMAZING….I wouldn’t make any changes.
Thank you for sharing this!
So I tried this in my iron cast skillet (I’m just learning how to cook), and when I put in the butter and garlic, it fried the garlic and I couldn’t get the cream, lemon, cheese to mix because the skillet has grill lines on it. So then I made it the next day in a regular pan and it came out better, but I feel that I over cooked the garlic due to it being on medium high heat. And, the cheese didn’t melt so the sauce wasn’t smooth, it had little crumbles of cheese. Almost like a tapioca. And, it was a bit watery. And, I didn’t put it in the oven, just let it simmer. I ended up turning down the heat. What am I doing wrong ? Though it was still delicious ! But didn’t look as yellow as in the picture.
What kind of cheese did you use? Also, some brands of butter are more yellow than others. Which brand did you use?
Made this this other night and served it over spaghetti noodles – – it was delicious! I didn’t have a pan that went from stove to oven, so after I seared the boneless skinless chicken breasts I made the sauce. Placed the chicken in a 9×13 pan and poured the sauce over it. I baked it at 400 for 30 minutes (uncovered) and it came out perfect! Kinda reminded me of Chicken Picatta a little bit minus the capers. My DH told me to put this recipe in the “definitely you need to make this again” folder! 🙂
I’ll tell you about my experience. your mileage may vary. I knew going into this recipe that i had to make some substitutions. I had finely grated thyme rather than dry thyme, granulated garlic rather than fresh, and grated parmesan romano blend rather than fresh parm. I was also using boneless skinless thighs sense my wife balks at the skin. The first problem came when i put the butter in my preheated-to-medium-high cast iron skillet. it turned black almost as soon as it melted. I set a lower heat, wiped out the skillet and tried again. just above medium worked much better. I have a huge cast iron skillet, i cant recall if it is 14 or 16 inches, but it is heavy as hell, wide as all get=out and still was crowded with 8 chicken thighs. I soldered on. the thighs crisped up as nice as can be expected without the skin. I made sure to dry each side of every thigh with paper towels before administering three grinds pepper, one grind salt, and a scant sprinkling of smoked paprika to each side. At this juncture the recipe instructs to remove excess grease. What is excess? All but enough to coat the pan? All but enough to make a grilled cheese? Since we are building a sauce I only removed about half before adding three teaspoons of granulated garlic. It began to burn almost immediately. I reduced the heat and added the wet ingredients, but the ensuing slurry just tasted like burnt garlic and thyme. I rinsed the pan (you’re not supposed to put water on cast iron! whatever man, i gotta make dinner for my wife who has been working all day.) and wiped it down gently making sure to leave a little bit of the baked on particles from the chicken; as much as I could. I seemed to have removed all visible burnt garlic. I tried again, adding wet ingredients and cheese first and then adding thyme and garlic to taste. Now we have a thin sauce that tastes like romano cheese. It needed richness and acid to balance out the salt and build it up. I probably would have accepted this sauce as a middle schooler’s first attempt at alfredo, but I certainly was not getting out the sauce drinkin’ mug.I added sour cream as a good source of both fat and acid. It improved the balacne, but the main flavor was still salty cheese. I tried adding some drippings from the resting chicken. This move resulted in more flavor from the paprika and chicken fat, but still overshadowed by salt. I then kept adding more heavy cream until i reached about quadruple the amount listed in the recipe.The resulting amalgam was a bland cream sauce the color of walnut shells. I added the rest of the drippings from the chicken, and the chicken itself and baked the whole concoction for 20 minutes. I checked and the internal temp of the thickest piece of chicken was 150 degrees F. I let the dish bake another 10 minutes. The thermometer now read 145. There was barely any sauce left in the pan, and the chicken was fork tender, so I decided my thermometer was defective, and removed the chicken. I tasted the thick sludge that was left, and found that a slightly smoky flavor mixed with thyme and romano was my reward. I added about 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream and the juice of another half a lemon to this paste, tasted it, and decided to add a dash of paprika, and a half a teaspoon of garlic. after coming to a boil, the sauce was finally good, but i felt a little more spice would put it over the top. Three grinds of black pepper later, and voila, I finally wanted to drink the sauce. This turned out to be more a smoky cream sauce than a lemon butter sauce. the ramano, and granulated garlic seem to have confounded my results profoundly. However, i feel that regardless of the ingrediends, this recipe has entirely too little cream to make any adeqyate volume of sauce for the end product. you would never be able to add so much as a tablespoon of sauce to each chicken thigh with the listed quantities. I think the moral of my story is, if you don’t have the exact ingredients, beware of making substitutions in an unfamiliar recipe.
You must be a kitchen novice! You totally changed the recipe. Granulated garlic is nothing more than garlic powder and you would NEVER, EVER saute that! Even fresh garlic burns very easily and will ruin a dish. A cast iron pan is not a good pan for this either with the acidity unless it is enameled cast iron. You cannot crisp up skinless chicken unless you have it coated in flour or something otherwise you are simply drying up the meat. I am sure your cheese problem is what you used. Never use that stuff in the green jar/can or in a bag. They have tons of additives that don’t allow it to melt smoothly and frankly don’t taste good and are salty. I think you made every possible mistake you could on this recipe. There is no substitute for good ingredients and the right ones unless you really know what you are doing. Your spice cabinet makes a huge difference too. Huge differences between fresh herbs and spices to ground or whole or dry. And for heaven’s sake NEVER use table salt when you cook or bake! I haven’t used table salt for ANYTHING in decades. If you are not that great in the kitchen, don’t deviate from a recipe.
I must have a couple of hundred recipes, this one is always delicious,one of our favorites. Thank you for how yummy this is!
I have made this dish 3 times………..LOVE IT. I served it with rice. YUMMY.
I made this last night, although I didn’t have any heavy cream, so I used ordinary cream and it was so yummy! My daughter said there wasn’t enough sauce, so I am making it again tonight with triple quantity of sauce! Still only have ordinary cream lol.
Made this for dinner tonight. Even our picky 4-year-old loved it, and it was so easy to make. We already had everything on hand. Thanks!
Based on the number of comment, I can see I’m not the only fan of this recipe! 🙂 Truly – this dinner is not only delish, but a serious family favorite! Love your page — keep the yummieness coming! 🙂
This dish was delicious! I followed the recipe as written and wouldn’t change a thing the next time. Thank you for contributing to our fine dinner.
Absolutely delicious, even better leftover! I did use boneless, skinless thighs and worked perfectly!
Just made it – it’s delicious
Used coconut milk instead of heavy cream and added baby tomatoes when I added the spinach to the mix for some colour. Used a combination of spinach and rocket
Thanks !
I am hooked
Sounds amazing! 🙂
How much broth (from the 4th step)? thanks!!!
1 cup.
I took the skin off of the thighs and trimmed the fat underneath. I think this brought the cholesterol and fat content down. I did everything else according to the recipe. Delicious!!! I’ve tried other lemon and thyme chicken recipes before. This was the best and the easiest!
I like spicy and was thinking I make it spicy by adding Cayenne or Jalapenos? Will that ruin the recipe?
Not at all!
OMG, made this tonight and the only complaint is wish there was more sauce! It was so damndelicious!! will double the sauce next time. Thank you.. I put it over penne pasta.
My sister and I love this chicken, and have made it twice in two weeks! We cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and make extra sauce, then mix it all up into a bunch of bow tie pasta. So good!
This recipe is a winner — absolutely fantastic! You could put this sauce on a dishtowel and it would taste great. You are so talented at developing easy to make, delicious recipes. Thank you!
I followed the recipe to a tee and it didn’t come out creamy, the taste was off and the sauce was a great mess. Was really looking forward to this but unfortunately we won’t be trying this one again. I’m having to salvage what I can tonight. The chicken is moiste so that’s a plus but the sauce isn’t edible 🙁
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. However, I understand that we all have different taste preferences, and I really appreciate your honest feedback.
This is a really easy and tasty meal! I used chicken breast instead of thighs as a personal preference, and the chicken was so juicy and yummy!
I made this tonight, OMG….it’s so delicious, see link to the finished product. I put the spinach in dry, poured the sauce on it, put the chicken on top, then baked it….didn’t have enough room in my skillet. Also I had to sacrifice a piece of the chicken for the broth because I didn’t have any. My family loved this….A TOTAL HIT IN MY HOUSE
https://goo.gl/photos/cQC43cpD3AXNewH3A
You still used everything that was requested we use? Only step you change was cooking the spinach in the oven? Did this change your cooking time? How long did you leave in the oven?
I have tried 4 of your recipes since the weekend and all have been excellent. This one was a hit tonight – especially for the toughest of food critics, my 5YO son and 18 mth daughter! I will continue to frequent this site for more ideas!!!
Can I use bone in chicken breasts? Also, if I cut the recipe in half should I keep the cooking time the same? I’m assuming if I cut the recipe in half then I should cut the ingredients in half as well?
Yes, if the recipe is halved, all ingredients should be halved as well. But cooking time will have to be adjusted as needed to suit this substitution.
How to get more sauce it seems to disappear?
You can double or triple the sauce portion as needed.
I made this for the first time a few months ago and now it goes on to our menu plan at least once a month. It is SO good, I have claimed all leftovers for every time I make this dish and my family knows I am not kidding. 🙂 I LOVE the sauce for it.
OMG, this really is damn delicious! Made it wit roasted cabbage as a side (for husband and son). I ate it with a let and chicory and poored the sauce all over it. I actually drank some of the sauce, soooo gooood!!! 😉 Thank you for this wonderfull recipe!
I have been looking at this recipe for a while now and finally made it today. It was so flavorful, my whole family enjoyed it. Thank you!!
I pinned this awhile ago and made it….a big hit! Tonight I only have drumsticks on hand so hopefully that will do! I’m going to check out more of your recipes 🙂
I was disappointed – next time I would eliminate the spinach and serve the chicken over rice with parsley and peas.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well.
But I understand that failures and mishaps can happen. With a little bit more information, we can troubleshoot what went wrong to have a successful turnaround next time.
So I must ask – did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
THANK YOU!! Just made this with pan seared baby potatoes & carrotts with rosemary & lemon thyme. Super yummy! Love that it goes from stove to oven in my cast iron pan! And mind you we’re renovating so I used a hot plate and toaster oven! Loved by all!
I made this with shrimp instead of chicken, and served with fettucine. It was a hit.
I just made this tonight for my parents and in-laws. It was really good! I made a combination of chicken breast and chicken thighs. I think the chicken breast really soaks up the sauce well because it was very juicy and tender. Bravo on a fabulous recipe!
Just made this and it looks & smells incredible! Gonna dig in!
Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs? And do I need to adjust the cooking time?
Yes, absolutely. Cooking time should relatively stay the same but as always, please use your best judgment.
You can toss out the chicken and just eat the sauce over rice…its that good!!
This is absolutely an epic! so delish! Thank you Damn Delicious.
Just made this tonight. It was DamnDelicious! My husband loved it and it is really hard to get him to try anything new. Just found your site. Can’t wait to try the next dish!
i cooked it yesterday and my bf really like it. thank you for the recipe.
Delicious! I added Italian seasoning instead of Thyme and added diced onion in addition to the garlic. And I added some Ginger powder and Tumeric powder to the sauce. That was just cause I like the mixture of those two flavores. I also thickened up the sauce a bit with some flour cause I like my sauces a little thicker. It was really good!
In addition, I used the extra sauce to make a pasta side.
OMG! I do not write reviews ever! But this was amazing! Both my kids ate every bite! Will definitely be making this again!
I just made this! I used chicken breasts and put it over thyme seasoned brown rice. Delicious!
Sauce came out oily & thin. Poured it over fettuccini noodles. But didn’t’t care for the greainess
Made this tonight. I felt it didn’t need the cheese, and I would use less cream or cut it out altogether. The flavors of the butter, lemon, garlic, and thyme were terrific. Just felt it was heavier than it needed to be.
OH.MY.DELICIOUSNESS!!! I made this just now and had to post RIGHT AWAY! I loved it. I barely tasted the sauce and I’m in heaven…I close my eyes and groan with every bite while me husband looks at me like…”really?”….Yes, really. I am not a fan of thyme usually but lemon and cream and butter, uh yes! This was a perfect balance of all of them and the sauce…sigh. My new favorite way to eat chicken. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!
I made this tonight for dinner… I live alone and only had 1 chicken breast, so I scaled down the recipe…. Amazing!!! If it wasn’t 18 degrees outside if run to the grocery store to get more chicken! I’ll def made a full batch of this very soon!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious. I added flour when I coated chicken in paprika to thicken the sauce 10/10!.
Chungah, do you think an enameled dutch oven could be used in place of a skillet for both the stove-top and oven parts of the recipe? I don’t have a large enough skillet that’s oven-safe, and it seems like the dutch oven would serve the same purpose.
Yes, absolutely.
I make this recipe so often. We love love love it. Thank you.
Need to make these immediately! My mouth is watering!
Greets,
Need to make these immediately! My mouth is watering!
Greets,
I made this last night and have to say it was incredible! Very easy and practical ingredients wise! A lot of times these dishes are so intimidating to make because of the 1,987,657 ingredients! Only change I would make is not chopping the spinach, and maybe adding a bit more so it’s more of a 2 in 1 if that makes sense 🙂 Love love love! Checking out many of these recipes and they all look great! You’ve found a new follower for sure! Keep them coming!
Was unable to get chicken today and was disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to try it…until my husband brought out a pork steak cut of meat. Wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but smelled amazing while it was cooking…by my hubby nonetheless! Oh em gee, best sauce I’ve ever had!!! I even considered using it again tomorrow night and I’ve never liked repeat dinners. And the meat turned out perfect! Although it was pork, the searing made it more like a beef-style steak. Love love love this sauce and so did my picky 10- yr old who never liked any sauces!
This was amazing. I suggest doubling the sauce recipe so there’s plenty to serve over noodles
OMG! Your photography alone is soooo great! I can almost smell the chicken on the computer screen.
This will be the next chicken dinner for us!
this is so simple and delicious! I make this probably every other week and my husband always loves it. I use 2% if that’s all I have and sometimes think I like it better a bit lighter. This is the first and so far only chicken dish in my house good enough even for a sunday dinner!
I tried this tonight – was very rich, but very delicious – I hope you don’t mind but I reviewed it as I’m always trying, often unsuccessfully to find a dish that both my kids will eat! This ticked enough boxes for my two to at least eat, which is a bonus as often they’ll prod a food and declare that it’s utterly inedible or poisonous, rather than actually try it!
http://mummycrochetry.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/foodie-monday.html
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you. Any ideas for the leftover sauce? I hate to throw it away it was so yummy 🙂
Can other pieces of the chicken be used? I’m not really a fan of thighs.
Yes, absolutely.
I made the chicken tonight a it was SO GOOOD!! I made it exactly as recipe except I used chicken breasts (4). I couldn’t get enough!! Next time I am doubling the sauce/spinach part. (you’re right….I could drink it). Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
I made this tonight for my best friend’s birthday and she absolutely loved it! Served it along with some rotini pasta and made a second helping of sauce so it could be poured on top. Can’t wait to try your other chicken recipes!
I followed the recipe, but halved everything, and used chicken breasts instead of thighs.
The Chicken Breasts tasted great, but 30 minutes in the oven caused all the sauce to evaporate and spinach to burn to a black charred crisp. Any suggestions on how to do it better next time? It came out very disappointing with no sauce or spinach.
Matt, perhaps there was not enough sauce to begin with? I recommend halving all of the ingredients but leaving the sauce proportions the same. Hope that helps!
Do you think we can substitute boneless chicken breasts for the thighs?
Yes, that should work just fine but you may have to adjust coking time, as needed.
I cannot get enough of bone in, skin on chicken thighs. Beautiful photos by the way. I love everything you have on your blog. I’m aspiring to be as big as you are someday!
xo,
Brooke
Can’t wait to try this tonight! I would like to add more spinach, can I double the ingredients for the sauce so there’s enough?
Yes, absolutely.
Thanks for the prompt response!
This is absolutely decadent! The flavors are so wonderful. I didn’t have heavy cream, so used plain Greek yogurt. That worked well. I sauteed the spinach separately. Thanks for posting.
Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes, absolutely.
Omg I just made this tonight and it was delicious! I am just getting into cooking so i was pretty impresed. Made half but could’ve used a tad bit more sauce. I also added mushrooms and it went perfect with it! One question:when “searing” the chicken, is it just so the outside cooks or does the whole chicken have to cook or is it done in the oven?
When searing, it’s basically cooking the outside to seal in all the amazing juices and create that amazing crust. The chicken will cook through completely in the oven.
Hi, I need to try this recipe non dairy. I can use some kind of butter substitute, but as far as the heavy cream, do you think something like coconut cream would work? thanks!
Coconut cream sounds absolutely amazing. But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
We really prefer boneless chicken breast, do you think it would come out just as good? It looks delicious.
Yes, chicken breasts will work just fine, although cooking time will have to be adjusted as needed.
Very delicious . I have prepared my boy even this morning and liked very much. Thanks recipe
This was AMAZING !! Everyone LOVED IT 🙂
That looks delicious!
In place of the cream, I will make a simple bechamel out of milk + roux. Roux = equal parts butter and flour. About 2 T for 2 c of milk.
I made this last night for my boyfriend, and it was a hit! I was nervous because I typically undercook chicken when I cook it in the oven and have to throw it back in. The wonderful thing about chicken thighs is I feel like you can cook it forever and it will still be juicy. My pan was not big enough to hold 8 thighs (not sure if I had monster thighs or what…the pan is big) so I did four and cut the recipe in half. The wonderful thing is I feel like I can make this without a recipe after just making it once. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I don’t have an oven safe skillet . Can I cook this on the stove top then transfer it to an oven safe dish? Bi have all the ingredients! Dying to try…
Yes, absolutely.
I’ve made this dish probably 20 times now and have never had the cream curdle. I think those that do may not be using heavy whipping cream. A light cream or even milk may curdle, but not the heavy whipping cream. I’ve also made this dish several times using fish – bass and catfish. I did add cornstarch after cooking the garlic before adding the liquids. I also added some capers. It was FABULOUS! Again – drink the juice!
First of all- I have had nothing but yummy success with all your recipes, keep em coming!! Not sure if anyone asked this in previous comments but if I were using 4 chicken thighs as opposed to 8- do I just divide all ingredients in half? (including the lemon and seasoning???? And would doing so produce enough sauce for that much chicken
Yes, if 4 chicken thighs are used, it is best to halve all of the ingredients as needed.
That sauce…. oh my goodness. I poured it all over the potatoes and green beans I made with it. I actually used half and half bc I forgot to get the heavy cream. Worked fine. Thank you for such a great recipe. LOVE!!!
Lemon Butter Chicken, family loved it. Grilled whole butterflied chicken on rack over baking dish ( after having brined it and seasoning it with garlic and onion powder, pepper and smoked paprika and thyme). I then deglazed the drippings using 1 cup of water and then defatted the broth after simmering for a few minutes. Then added 4 oz of the cream, 1 tbs of butter, juice of a lemon and 1/4 cup of parmesan. Simmered and thickened slightly with corn starch, Cut up the chicken and put it on a serving platter and poured the sauce over the top. Your ideas, my creative adjustments, Great Dish ! No salt added or needed. Thanks for the recipe
Pop
Trying this recipe as I write this and its going wrong, wrong wrong as I go along.
First, I must of added waaaaay to much lemon juice. I added about 4-5 tbls. Dear sweet baby duck it is ridiculously overpowered with lemon.
Secondly ( and again this is MY mistake), I realized I do not own any oven safe skillets so I transferred everything to a baking dish. I’m worried because the sauce was so thin that it’ll burn right up. ***I’m running back and forth to check it.
My main concern at this point is the lemon flavor. We’ll see. I won’t publish this until I’ve tasted the final product.
*****Final Product***
Yeah, no…way to much lemon. While the family and I do enjoy it on some level I’ve decided that I’m going to try the recipe again next week with less lemon. Definitely a recipe I want to work at until I get it right.
We try out new recipes on a regular basis but yours was amazing. Best regards.
Very delicious . Recommended. Eat healthy!
Try with great confidence. It is extraordinarily good
Sorry not sure if someone asked this question or not, tried to read through but so many. Can you make this with chicken breast or boneless chicken breast? Thank you
Yes, absolutely, but cooking time may need to be adjusted.
This was really good. I loved the flavor.
I wish the lemon cream sauce wasn’t as runny, but I’m going to try again with rice or quinoa. I would use arborio rice, but I think it might take too long to cook.
I needed to avoid dairy and nightshades in this recipe to make it AIP. I just left out paprika and black pepper, used duck fat instead of butter, used coconut milk and have also used coconut cream. I’ve made it three times now and it’s lick the plate good. I’ve made it with thigh fillets but I like it much better with the thigh cutlets. Reheats and freezes great. Thank you for the recipe.
This sounds like a wonderful recipe, but I wonder if you can tell me how critical the garlic is to the flavor? A member of our family has developed a severe allergy to garlic, therefore we have had to learn how to cook all over again… without benefit of garlic. Any suggestions regarding the Lemon Butter Chicken recipe? Thanks!
Liz, you can definitely omit the garlic as needed without compromising taste.
Wow this recipe was delicious and so easy! I used boneless skinless chicken tenders and they came out incredibly moist. I doubled the spinach and added a bunch of sliced mushrooms, served with jasmine rice…amazing! My boyfriend straight up inhaled this dish and requested I make it again. This one is now in my regular rotation!
Oh, my, this is way better than anyone has posted. I had pork chops, and I thought why not!! I followed the recipe exactly to your instructions, and everything turned out awesome just like l
Was the best cook in my state. I had no trouble with the sauce, just kept stirring and pouring the lemon juice in slowly. Yes, the sauce was magnificent. I had garlic noodles,from trader joes, and a new slaw recipe. Boy, was I brave serving new recipes when having company. Everyone raved about the entire meal. See..you made me a hero. My theory is, let the company suffer also if the recipe is not good. I do not want to eat a failure all by myself. All of the other comments posted about what kind of chicken to use..any kind of meat would work. Just try
Okay this recipe is ridiculously amazing! I made it for my boyfriend and I tonight and he is eating himself into a food coma at this very moment! I made a side of faux potatoes and a salad. I topped my potatoes with the sauce and it was delicious!
WOW! We made this with 4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts. I did not drain the fat after removing the chicken, our family eats LCHF (low-carb high-fat). Was perfect amount of sauce for 4 portions 🙂 I would definitely double up the sauce if I was to serve it to more than 8 people. My 9 yr son asked if I could make it every day! Going into our weekly rotation!! Thanks 🙂
So amazing. Whole family loved it!
This recipe looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! Though I’m a little confused about the nutritional info what do you mean by Servings Per Container as I’ve noticed that is what it says on most of the nutritional info you have been posting? That could be any amount. So this one says Servings Per Container 8, is that for the whole recipe? Thanks!
Stefani, the entire recipe yields 8 servings but the nutritional information that is listed is always for one serving.
Made this last night and my family loved it, ate every single piece of chicken. The grease on top of the sauce is really thick though, I had to syringe it off with a turkey baster.
Hello, I tried this tonight and it was good but I think I messes something up.. I followed it exactly, I just did 4 chicken thighs instead of 8 and didn’t add the spinach. However, my sauce seperate a little (all the butter was at the top) and it was very creamy. The sauce was white and I only added the 1/2 cup of cream. Do you think it’s because I didn’t add the spinach or maybe because I added the cream first and then the chicken broth? Help! Lol
Jessica, unfortunately, it is very difficult for me to say with certainty as to why the sauce was so white. And as mentioned in the previous comments, a little bit of separation is completely normal. But all in all, I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING! I did double the sauce portion and made it with boneless/skinless thighs. Hubs loved it as did I, thank you for a yummy, quick, elegant meal!
This recipe is AMAZING!!!!!!!
This recipe is AWESOME! I changed it up by using boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut in half and it was VERY good and leftovers heat up just as good!
Could this work with skinless boneless thighs?
Yes, absolutely, but cooking time may need to be adjusted as needed.
I made this tonight and I have to say…it was DELICIOUS! I stuck to the recipe with only one exception. I didn’t have any heavy cream. I don’t drink milk or eat yogurt, so I debated for a while what to substitute for the cream. Finally, I decided to try to sub with cream cheese, but I only used half of what was called for. It didn’t harm the dish at all! I wanted to bottle that sauce and drink it later. So good!! Thanks for a great recipe!
I can’t wait to try this! However, I am not a fan of lemon at all even though my sister says I used to suck on lemons as a kid. She is thinking of someone else as I have been a super taster for as long as I can remember. To me when lemon is in anything, all I taste is lemon and nothing else. That chicken I got once at a Chinese restaurant that had lemon slices in the take-out bag even though I asked them to leave them out tasted like I was eating a lemon, I couldn’t taste the chicken at all. I will leave out the lemon. Will let you know how we liked it after I make it.
Can you make these without the skin or with chicken breast and if you can how many breast pieces would you use
Mariam, you can certainly use boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breasts) but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed if breasts are used instead. I would estimate roughly 2 – 2 1/2 thighs per breast.
Oh my gosh. I made this the other day and it has to be the most easy and delicious recipe ever. I made the 8 thighs. Ate two right away, froze the rest in little baggies with a bit of broth and then heated it up for lunch.
Gave some to my boyfriend as well and he loves it! So happy to have this recipe. Super easy and SO good.
do you bake the chicken in the sauce? (i.e could i transfer the whole cast iron directly from the stovetop to the oven, or do i have to pull the chicken out of the pan and place it in a pan to bake separately from the sauce?)
Yes, you can transfer the oven-proof skillet directly from the stovetop to the oven. Easy peasy!
Finally made it today. Soooo good. Sauce was a little thin but it was really good on some white rice. How it turned out http://imgbox.com/PPKdynj0
Messy plate 😛
I just made this – exactly as the recipe was written. Delicious!!! It will be my go-to chicken dish from now on. With the left overs (I made it for myself so there are a lot of left overs) I will make sure to have a french baguette to soak up all that fantastic sauce (this time I just used a spoon). Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I forgot to come back and leave a review…. I’m not the cook in the family. My fiancé is . Cooking to me is popping a frozen pizza in the oven , for him it’s about dirtying up every pan , every spoon and using every herb in the house . Well it was his birthday so I wanted to fix him a dinner that wasn’t frozen (which I did have frozen pizza on back up just in case haha ) . I found this recipe and wanted to give it a try …. We both loved it! The sauce didn’t thicken for me but I think that was my fault. We still poured it over the chicken tho and it was amazing!
Thank you for the recipe!
Served with jasmine rice. Damn. Delicious.
I was looking for a new recipe for chicken thighs and found this one as well as your Garlic Brown Sugar and the Sun Dried Tomato Cream recipes. Each one sounded delicious and I had a hard time deciding which one to make first. Obviously, I made this one first. It was outrageously delicious!! The only changes I made was to add a whole bag of spinach (unchopped) and fresh thyme. I cannot wait to make the next two! Thanks for sharing your recipes =)
Unfortunately fresh spinach does not agree with me – can I use kale instead?
Yes, absolutely. Kale would be a great substitute.
OMG! This is damn delicious! Seriously!
Hi does anyone have any ideas for side dishes
Desiree, please feel free to check out possible side dish ideas here.
WOW. Made this last night and it was “damn delicious”. In the next batch I would prefer a thicker sauce. Wish there was more spinach. This is my favorite thing I have made.
Damn Delicious!!!!
Made this tonight, used skinless boneless thighs and wanted to drink the sauce. Heavenly! I have made many of your recipes – always delish. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve made this 3x and it keeps getting better! I use coconut milk and just eyeball the cheese. I put less thyme than the recipe and just taste while cooking. I’ve shared with so many people. It’s one of my FAVORITE recipes to cook with. I use kale and zucchini or whatever I have in the fridge. Thank you!!!
I have been making this once a week since I found it. My husband and kids (8,5,2) are completely obsessed! Not only is it an awesome dinner, but it reheats SO WELL – I love it for lunch the next day! One night I made it for a larger group – I used my electric skillet to sear the thighs, made the sauce and put it all together in two glass baking dishes in the oven. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it tonight. I served it with rice and corn (since I already had them both on hand). I think this would be really good with asparagus too. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, it was soooo good! Made it with boneless skinless chicken breasts and just adjusted cooking time. I made it just how the recipe states, the only thing I will do different next time is double the sauce. This sauce would go good with fish or pork also I think. Thank you for a wonderful recipe, as some one else said it is truly restaurant quality!
Any suggestions on what to serve with this dih?
Leslie, please feel free to browse through these side dish recipes: https://damndelicious.net/recipe-index/side-dish/.
Hey just wanted to say this reicpe was a HUGE hit at my household. I truly love love love to cook been using my twitter as a food blog pretty much lol. Here is a picture of mine once it was done. Absolutely loved it and will def make it again! http://imgur.com/FJGunY4
Made last night and was delishhhhhhhhhh! I used fat free half and half for the heavy cream and used skinless and boneless chicken thighs. Came out fine. Would definitely make again.
Hi. I am serving this tomorrow night- it sounds delish. Would it be ok to cook it the night before? I also do not eat chicken with dairy products ie. cream / cheese. Would it be ok to substitute cornstarch with water to make the sauce thick? I cant wait to try it
Dani, this is really best when served immediately. As for the cornstarch – yes, this is a great substitute for a thickener.
I absolutely LOVED this recipe. However, I made some adjustments as I used what I had available:
I used boneless skinless chicken breast- as Chungah noted, adjust cooking time as needed (I wound up cooking them for about 30 minutes as they were thick cut…just take out and cut into them to make sure juices run clear)
I omitted the paprika because paprika and I do not get along…added a few dashes of cayenne instead.
I used the zest of the lemon as well because I just love all things lemon-y.
I did not have spinach so I used broccoli instead-however, broccoli should be added within about 10-15 minutes of taking out of the oven or else it will burn.
Overall I LOVED this. Even without the paprika it was so flavorful and juicy. The sauce was delicious. Everyone loved it. I will DEFINITELY be making this again. Perhaps next time I’ll serve with quinoa or rice, but it is so good that it doesn’t even need the starch. Thanks for the recipe!!
I have made this numerous times since finding the recipe and we LOVE it!! But to be honest I had to make one change…I use a whole bag of spinach. It is so easy to make and so good!
Malinda in Mississippi
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING! Probably one of my favorite dishes I ever made! I used 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts and doubled the paprika/salt/pepper rub since they were thicker cuts but did everything else exactly as the instructions stated. I will be making this often!!!
I am sitting and eating this *right now* and had to comment. I made it with legs (skin on, bone in) and breasts (skinless, boneless) because that was what I had in the fridge – it is fabulous!
Served it with the spinach over cous cous and the whole family loves it. This one is a keeper!
I’m about to go share it with my Facebook foodie friends. 🙂
Thinking about trying this tonight but using boneless chicken breasts as a substitute. That should be ok right?
Yes, many of my readers here have tried using chicken breasts with great results!
Yeah I went for it and it came out great. It very well may have been one of my favorite things I ever made. I made rice pilaf and green beans with it and it was perfect! My neighbor tried it and said that it was “restaurant quality”. Which was funny because I had told my wife that it tasted and looked like something you would get at a restaurant. Thanks again for the GREAT recipe!!!!!
I have a question about the amount of smoked paprika to use in this recipe. I used a tablespoon as the recipe instructed but it overpowered the dish. You couldn’t taste the lemon, butter or cheese and the chicken, although tender also had a very strong taste of paprika. The sauce was red and didn’t look anything like the lemony, buttery picture. I used organic smoked paprika. Would that make a difference?
Using organic shouldn’t have made too much of a difference. Although I worry that you may have used super tiny chicken thighs, resulting in too much paprika per chicken.
i made this last night, it was so good! There are only two of us so I only used four chicken thighs but followed the rest of the recipe as it was written ,I served it with baked potatoes but I think next time I will make pasta to spoon the sauce over!
Can i add shiitake mushrooms to the sauce? I recently bought a pack and they’re just lying in my fridge. I was wondering how it’d taste if i added chopped shiitake to the sauce.
Yes, that sounds like a great addition!
Made this tonight for my family and it was wonderful!!! Didn’t have any issues, made it close to how it is written, except I didn’t have any smoked paprika, so I used a little bit of cumin and a little chili powder, and I didn’t have a real lemon, so I had to use the fake stuff and it was still wonderful!!!! Had some broccoli on the side it was fabulous in the juices of the chicken!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
Just made this tonight and my husband who is very picky has cleaned his plate! Love it! so delicious and served it with steamed broccoli
This dish sounds wonderful to prepare for a church event. I have read your comments about preparing and serving immediately. I will be cooking for 75 folks so I need to pre cook and finish up in the oven prior to serving. Do you think it would compromise the crispy skin?
If you are finishing it off in the oven right before serving, it should be fine.
Loved it…didn’t change a thing I did add asparagus and some red potatoes. ..will try again
It was delish over whole wheat pasta! I saved some of the butter/fat drippings from the initial searing to smother over the pasta.
About how many pounds of chicken do you use?
Chicken thighs can range in size, but for typical grocery store brands, about four bone-in, skin-on thighs will weigh about 1.5 pounds.
I used 7 and they fit perfectly in my cast iron skillet. 8 might have crowded it too much.
I cannot have cheese or heavy cream is it ok to omit this from the recipe?
You can certainly try omitting the heavy cream and Parmesan but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Omitting the ingredients can also result in a mediocre outcome, but if substitutions must be made, please use your best judgment.
This is delicious, I made it tonight, definitely a company dish!! Thank you!
Oh man! I made this last night and just wanted to say, it was fantastic and so easy. This is the kind of dish to make if you’re a guy trying to impress a girl with your cooking skills. Definitely a keeper. Discovered your site by accident on Yummly and have added it as a favorite now. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Made this for dinner and loved it. Even my daughter who is picky about everything, and checks all ingredients I use loved it. Amazing! 🙂 can’t wait to make it again.
I strongly dislike chicken thighs ( I know… ) would this still taste good if I used breast? I’m not much of a cook , so any info on how long the breasts should cook would be greatly appreciated ! 😀
Yes, chicken breasts should work just fine, preferably with the skin on. As for cooking time, please use your best judgment as chicken breasts vary quite a bit in size.
Thanks for the prompt reply! This looks so delicious can’t wait to try it
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for posting so many recepies for all of us to use! You’re literary taught me how to cook. Now I know how to mix and match the flavors for their best potential! Thanks again!
I made this the other night for my unusually picky husband and it was an immediate hit. I did thicken the sauce just a touch and he asked to use it as a gravy for the potatoes along side the chicken. He also tried to scoop some for the roasted vegetables! I will absolutely make this again. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful meal!
i’m sitting here at my computer after having finished a third plate of this recipe… please, my friend, no more recipes that i can’t resist!
Hi –
OMG! It was a perfect recipe; however, I believe the cooking time in the oven should be shorter to prevent the chicken from drying out. The sauce was delicious. For those whose sauce curdled, make sure your lemon yields at least 3 to 4 tbsp. of lemon – this does make a huge difference to the sauce. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I made this tonight, all I can say is, like the name of your blog, ‘Damn Delicious!’
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I did drain the fat off after searing the chicken so that was a big help. I also pulled the skin back on the chicken and seasoned the meat directly, then put the skin back in place and seared as directed. The sauce cooked off quite a bit so it seemed more like creamed spinach, which was fine as I love creamed spinach. I added a bit of chicken broth and it ended up perfect. I served it over white rice. My husband was full but couldn’t stop eating it. A keeper of a recipe for sure!
amazing 🙂
Can you make this ahead of time and cook it later?
This is really best when prepped, cooked and served immediately.
I am not a fan of Parmesan. Can I leave it out. thanks
The Parmesan helps thick the sauce a bit so it would be best to find a suitable replacement (perhaps Pecorino Romano) to compensate.
I was just curious as to what would you recommend to with the chicken? I’ve been dying to make this dish but I was struggling to come up with a good side! All recommendations are welcome =)
You can really serve this with anything but we loved it with these garlic parmesan roasted potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Let me start by saying that this dish was very good! However (oh, come on, you knew it was coming! Sorry!), I had a few issues that could have been totally my fault.
1 – The chicken rendered a LOT of fat (which I should have known it would do, since I cook with chicken thighs on an obscenely regular basis). Part of me KNEW I should pour some of it off, but I didn’t. I should have. The fat floated on top of the sauce (the sauce! dear Lord!) and I spent quite a bit of time trying to skim it off to no avail.
2 – The sauce didn’t thicken the way it should have. I believe it was due to the exorbitant amount of fat that I so ridiculously allowed to hang out past its bedtime. In any case, the flavors of the sauce were spectacular!
3 – The spinach ended up wilting far too much. Once again, I think this was me trying to show off my knife skills (of which I have very little, if any). Instead of a chop, I ended up with a fat, wonky “chiffonade”. Next time I think I will let the leaves go unharmed.
All in all, I think this was a really, REALLY good dish. It’s definitely going to get a second chance – this time with me using my common sense a little more! Thanks for posting! Also, sorry for the novel-length reply.
OMG!!!! This was soooo good!!!!we love all the ingredients. I used half and half but I suppose you could use whole milk or and substitute. Just wanted to drink the sauce this is really amazing!!!!sent it to my daughter so she could try it too!!!!
I made this today, but after receiving an awesome electric pressure cooker from my Dad, decided to use it for the final cooking phase. I followed everything exactly except I browned my chicken in a separate skillet to accommodate all of the pieces I had (that would not fit in the pressure cooker). Where I don’t think any time was saved using this cooking method, I’d sure bet that there was some extra flavor infusion. Can’t say for sure since I haven’t followed the recipe using the oven, but needless to say, this recipe ROCKS!!
I first want to say I am a tough critic and I loved this recipe. The only thing I did a little different was I deglazed the pan after I browned the meat with the lemon juice. I also used half and half instead of cream to save a few calories.
I will promote this on: G+, FB, Pinterest and twitter.
Since I discovered this site less than a month ago, I have cooked several of your recipes. The Lemon Butter Chicken was my first and my favorite of the bunch. I don’t typically like chicken thighs but the chicken was so moist and tasted so good. When I make it again, the only thing I will change is when to add the spinach to the pan. I am going to add it at the end and not put it in the oven so the color will be bright green, instead of the dark green I got. It still tasted delicious though.
Thanks for sharing your recipes!! I have to figure out which one I am going to make tonight.
I don’t know if I had the juiciest lemon that’s ever existed or what, but mine was WAY too lemony. The sauce looked so good, but I literally gagged when I tasted it. I had to triple the stock and double the cream to make it edible. It looks like one other person had this issue as well. I’m hoping this ends up being edible.
Christie, perhaps your lemon was too large? It may be best to start with half a lemon, taste, and add more as needed.
I made this last night, WOW! It was so delicious!!! I love spinach so I used a whole large container. I served it with organic brown rice and my husband absolutely loved it! I think he had thirds of the rice ans sause alone! The sauce was perfect, although it could have been a little thicker so it stuck to the rice more, needed a spoon to really enjoy every drop. I love lemon and used the juice of one very large lemon. Love is meal!!! Will make the sause with halibut next time. Thanks for the recipe:-)
My wife wanted me to make this for her, so surprised her one night and told her i had to work late. I went to the store and bought the ingredients came he while she was upstairs, and prepared the recipe. While I was preparing the chicken, I sent her a text message letting her know i was almost home.
After, I put the chicken into the oven I went up stairs and acted like I just came home from work. Needless to say, she was a tad surprised when I told her I was going back down to get dinner out of the oven. She absolutely Loved it, and I also loved it. Two weeks later, I made it again, she would not leave me alone until I made it again. Thanks for the great recipe.
Can’t wait to try this dish tomorrow, I was wondering since i bought boneless skinless chicken, do i season the chicken and sear it on both sides as like your recipe. Thank You!
It’s really up to you but I recommend still doing the sear with boneless skinless chicken – it brings in so much flavor!
I made this dish last night along side jasmine rice and a simple salad…AMAZING!! I did have the same question as Tiffany on 3/5 and will make that small change next time draining off a bit of the oil before making my sauce. Thank you for helping me make the first time I cooked for my guy a success!! He loved it!!
Looks scrumpious! I was wondering instead of putting this dish in the oven, can i cook it in my crockpot casserole.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I did have a few questions though. Do I make the sauce in the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in, with all it’s juices? My sauce did turn out a little thinner and with a layer of grease on top, maybe next time I’ll try skinless chicken. I will definitely be making this dish again and again. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, it is best to use the same skillet to use up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. That’s where all the flavor is! But if there is too much oil, you can certainly drain some of it before proceeding with the lemon butter sauce.
Looks great! However the print button isn’t working…..Any suggestions?? Very excited to try this and others! But would love to be able to print….
Internet Explorer has recently made some updates that are causing print problems. I recommend using a different browser, such as Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. But if you can only use Internet Explore, you can highlight the recipe, left-click, and print from there. Easy peasy!
I copy and paste recipes into a Word document and save them to my hard drive. They are easy to acces at any time and eliminates the paper (my computer is in my kitchen). I group them for ease of finding by starting all chicken recipes with the word Chicken, then add the actual recipe title for the individual recipe, for example. I start pasta recipes with Pasta, soup recipes with Soup, apple recipes with Apple and so on. If a recipe could fall under two categories, such as beef & roasted vegetables, I will change the first word and save it in both categories. This recipe I would group under both chiken recipes and also save it with sauce recipes.
I need to add that I always include the web address below the reecipe title in case I want to view it again to see any new comments.
This recipe sounds amazing, i have seen quite a few interesting recipes, but we do not eat cheese of any kind, would this recipe work as well without?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Please use your best judgment.
Made this tonight and the chicken and sauce were great. Easy to make as well. I didn’t have any thyme so I substituted rosemary instead. Wonderful. But I served it with small boiled potatoes and they just didn’t work. The texture was wrong. Next time I think I’ll try rice.
Hi, i’ve cooked this amazing dish twice already and absolutely love it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I have some guests over friday Night and would like to prepare the chicken a few hours early. Would you recommend baking it in advance or just preparing all steps up to the oven and then bake it right before they arrive? Thanks for your help!
I’m so glad you tried this dish! As for the preparation, I recommend baking right before your guests arrive since this is really best when served immediately.
I love this dish and can’t wait to try it. I’m a diabetic so I was thrilled to see how low in carbs this dish is! I’m going to make it and cook some more spinach on the side. Thank you for this recipe!
Could this be made as a freezer meal (freezing before cooking)? I wonder how the cream would do when thawed.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
What can I use instead of heavy cream please. We don’t have it in this country (NZ).
Yu can try substituting milk or even heavy cream but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
I tried to read all the comments to find an answer but didn’t see it.
I do not have an oven-proof skillet. I usually just use my LeCruset casserole dish. Will that work?
Yes, Susie. If you do not have an over-proof skillet, you can transfer the chicken to an oven-safe baking dish.
Love the chicken thanks
for sharing recipe
My new favorite chicken dish. The second time I made it I increased the sauce because it was delicious over jasmine rice as a side dish. Also I think it is better to throw in the spinach when it comes out of the oven rather than cook it with the chicken. It stays bright green and doesn’t need any other cooking. Thanks for the recipe. Five stars.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I just wanted to leave a note- you take the most beautiful pictures. I pin a ton of recipes and I always know which recipes are yours just from the pictures. You are an amazing food photographer!!
I made this last night…it was GREAT!! I added garlic powder in addition to the other spices on the chicken. It’s definitely one I’ll be making again soon.
Absolutely awesome! The smoked paprika is absolutely key to this dish. I can’t wait to try it over baked fish and as a shrimp scampi sauce. Thank you!
What side dishes can I serve with this dish?
These garlic parmesan roasted potatoes and/or roasted vegetables would be great accompaniments!
Going to try this recipie out tommorow . Wish me luck!!!
I made this last night for my boyfriend and I, we loved the sauce but it turned out rather watery for me and I’m not sure why. Hopefully the next time I make it, it will turn out thicker. Thank you for the great recipe.
I tried this recipe and when I tell you it was delicious and it came out picture perfect as shown on this web site and the butter sauce I poured over the rice it was so good the kids ask could I do it again this Sunday and I said sure I will.
Hi, I would love to try this today (Chinese new yer) but i don’t have a baking oven. Is it okay to use microwave? Thanks
I do not recommend using a microwave for a dish like this. It is best to use an oven or a convection oven.
Made this last night using skinless boneless chicken thighs. Dusted them in brown rice flour before browning giving them a crispy coating. Didn’t have half n half so used whole milk. Baked for 20 minutes and it turned out perfectly. I’m so loving your recipes and so does my family. Simple, elegant and delicious. Mongolian Beef was to die for!!!!!!! Every day I’m trying new dishes. Thank you. I appreciate you so much !
OMG!!!! I just cooked this for my family of four. I made 10 pieces of chicken thighs instead of 8. It was DELICIOUS!!! I couldn’t believe how good this turned out and for everyone who is saying that there’s didn’t come out right, did not follow the directions thoroughly. I love love love this recipe. I give it 100 stars. And by the way there is only 1 chicken thigh left in the pan!!!! Lol, thank you for this Fantabulous recipe!!! ☆☆☆☆☆
Made a couple of small changes..
We didn’t have Thyme on hand.
We didn’t have spinach. (if I did, I wouldn’t bake it, there is no need. It melts under the sauce in 3 mins or less anyways)
I zested the lemon that I juiced. It’s simple and adds a lot more flavor.
I used more cream and chicken broth. I separated the sauce from the chicken and blended it up before transferring. It made it very smooth. I have kids so if they get a piece of garlic, they aren’t thrilled.
It was served over a bed of Jasmine rice. The flavor is incredibly rich.
We loved it.
I made a healthier twist on this last night, the aromas when cooking were amazing!! We are trying to eat healthier this year, so I ommited the olive oil for coconut oil, used skinless thigh cutlets, and, I replaced the double cream with natural yoghurt!! Deeeeevine! And you still wanted to drink the juices! I am so stoked I stumbled over your web page, everything here is, DAMNDELICIOUS,
Was wondering if anyone had tried this as a vegetarian dish? I’m thinking about using cauliflower steaks, vegetable broth, and a dash of poultry seasoning to make up for the chicken-ish flavor. Input or suggestions would be much appreciated!
You could use a firm tofu! It would be yummy, I might give that a go next time
Hey there!
I just wanted to let you know I made this chicken last week and it came out so good! It was a hit with my husband and 4 year old as well! Thanks so much for sharing and I hope you’re having a great weekend!
OMG what can I say? The best chicken dish I’ve EVER made. Thanks for sharing!
I only have chicken breasts, can I use them in this recipe? thank you in advance..
You can certainly use chicken breasts in this recipe but without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on various changes that are needed to accommodate this substitution. Please use your best judgment to ensure that the chicken is completely cooked through.
I may try this in the crockpIt but cook sauce beforehand. Let you know.
Chanel
I follow a gluten free low carb lifestyle and I am so excited to try this recipe. I may have to incorporate this into our family Valentines Day festivities! Thanks for sharing and for posting nutritional info!
This is awesome. Just had lemon butter chicken for first time.
Adding to my blog.
Thanks.
Great! hugry now, I have to try this this week. Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight following the recipe on the most part. Thighs weren’t available so I used drumsticks. Followed spices as written and also added garam masala which REALLY goes well with roasted chicken. Added that pop to this recipe.
I’m pretty hard to please so the fact I think this recipe came out very good is saying something.
i made this tonight. It was wonderful, and I know the leftovers will
Be outstanding. The sauce was a bit lemony….I used a large lemon. It
Might be better to to use an exact amount measure. I put it
over brown rice, but next time I’m going to try egg noodles. I
might even double the sauce!
Made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit! I used flattened chicken breasts instead of the thighs. I also used white wine in place of the broth. Served the dish over orzo that was cooked in chicken broth. I couldn’t pull myself away from the table. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds and looks delicious. However, I never want to vary from a blogers recipe until I have followed it exactly. But, would I get the same results if I used all parts of the chicken. Each family member has a choice as to which piece of chicken they enjoy. Thanks!
It should be fine but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed to ensure that all the chicken parts have been completely cooked through.
Chungah, this chicken dish was damn delicious!! After making this I came back for more pins! You had me at, “so good you could just drink the sauce”! It was as delicious as you described. Thanks for sharing : ) I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
I just made this, and it was absolutely amazing. I did not think I would literally want to drink the sauce as you suggested I would. I may or may not have tipped my plate into my mouth at the end of the meal. Yeah okay I drank the sauce!
I did use boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it turned out perfectly (no adjustment in cooking time needed)
Thanks!
Looks delicious! Will be making for dinner tonight!
I had this recipe saved in my favs and was looking around for something to do with chicken thighs tonight. This is a keeper! I had to make a few little changes. I had boneless/skinless thighs. No heavy cream, only half and half. No spinach, just kale. Added rosemary as it’s my fav spice for chicken. Added the parm only as a topping just before popping it in the oven. My experience is that any recipe where you stir in parm you end up with more parm on the spoon and skillet than in the dish. Anyway, all done in an iron skillet and it was wonderful! Thanks! Next time I’ll try it with spinach. I agree with another poster…this is a restaurant quality dish!
Hi,
Made this dish for dinner last night. Holy smokin’ paprika, this is one amazing dinner. I think next time, tho I’ll use skinless, boneless thighs since I can’t bring myself to eat the skin. But the flavors are wonderful.
I have a convection oven and would like to know if that would affect cooking time?
I have found that convection ovens are a little bit hotter so I would reduce cooking time by about 5 minutes, or more, as needed.
this really looks yummy … I’m gonna try to make this evening
Sorry if this seems a silly question but what is meant by quicken broth? Is thus the same as stick?
Vicky, are you referring to chicken broth? Chicken broth is simmered liquid food preparation made from the bones and meat of a chicken. Additional flavoring from spices and vegetables is often included in chicken broth as well.
Thank you, sorry for my bad typing there! Do you have a recipe for this? I’ll have a look, if not I’m sure I’ll easy find one on the net. Just one more question, I assume the cup measurement referees to a US measurement, which goigle says I’d equivalent to 236ml?
I do not have a recipe for this at the moment but there are many available online. And yes, the cup measurements refer to U.S. measurements. There are many free online conversion measurements available to meet your requirements.
Many thanks for your prompt replies and inspiration, I can’t wait to try this!
Hi, this recipe looks marvelous. My question, does cooking the spinach in the oven 25 minutes not turn it to mush? Thanks
Not at all!
Is there anything you could recommend to replace the spinach as I can’t eat cooked spinach?
You can try a different type of green – arugula, kale, etc.
I’ve never had lemon with spinach before. Thanks to this recipe I intend to incorporate it into spinach (with the garlic, paprika, and a touch of cream) as a side dish. It’s wonderful.
My husband let me have the ‘extra’ piece of chicken because he wanted the rest of the sauce to sop up with crusty sourdough bread. Both elements are delicious. I did make a small change based upon the issues some people were having with the cream separating. I waited to add the cream. I brought the sauce to a boil, reduced the flame, then added the cream. We also used frozen spinach (defrosted and drained) and only 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter divided. The final result was a slightly healthier and less costly dish which still hit all the high flavor points wonderfully.
Next time I intend to aim for more of a gravy rather than a thin sauce. Like many pan sauces, I’ll simply remove the veggies & meat after cooking, place the pan over the heat, and reduce the sauce over a medium flame for a couple of minutes – adding a touch more dairy to finish. Either way it’s a lovely sauce/gravy with flavorful lemony chicken.
Love to try this recipe it’s look yummy! Had a recipe very similar! Yummy! Can’t wait!
Hi. I made this twice now. It was awesome! But the second time, I used the bone in skin on thighs and the grease/fat really distracted from the sauce. I wasn’t sure how to remove all that greasy fat. We ate it all, but I think next time I will use skinless boneless thighs? Any other suggestions?
Shey, you can trying draining off some of the fat after the initial sear.
I just made this for the 2nd time tonite. I don’t remember whether I drained the liquid from the initial sear the first time I made it, but I had to tonite. I completely washed my skillet because there was too much black seasoning on the bottom. I love this recipe exactly like it is! Well, maybe i add more spinach because i love fresh spinach. lol I made mashed potatoes (and used the sauce for gravy) and garlic parmesan spaghetti squash. I’m so glad I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
You can also just pull the fat off the thighs under the skin. I did that and didn’t have too much grease as a result. Great recipe and was delicious. I didn’t bring sauce to boil before adding lemon juice And had no separation of cream and acidic lemon juice. Very yummy and will make again.
Thank you and will check out more entries on your blog !
Looks amazing. I’m making it tonight but I can’t have spinach. Do you recommend any adjustments? Thank you.
Do you have any other greens available, such as kale or arugula?
No. I made it without and it turned out great. We’re making it again but doubling the sauce ingredients because it was so yummy. Thanks!
I made this last night and it was great. Restaurant quality. We are having left overs tonight. YUM!
Hi, this looks amazing, just two questions before I attempt to make this. First is there a difference between smoked paprika and regular paprika and second since I do not have a pan large enough to fry all of the chicken at once can I possibly halve it and then transfer all into a baking dish? Thanks in advance,
Yes, there is a difference between the two kinds of paprika. You can read more about it here: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-hot-sweet-68134.
And yes, you can definitely transfer it to a baking dish without any changes to the recipe.
Thanks so much, can’t wait to try!
Thank you for this recipe. It was absolutely amazing! You were not kidding about the sauce!
This recipe makes my mouth water and I would love to try this BUT my oven broke. So my question is this – can this be also made stove top? If stovetop made I know the skin of the chicken might not crisp as well and the cooking time might have to be adjusted. If I make it stovetop would chicken breast be a better choice? Any suggestions? I truly would love to try this recipe. Thank you!
Doris, I actually have not tried making this without the use of an oven but here is a great article on BuzzFeed that may be of help: http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/stovetop-chicken-recipes#.qhNqe5ly3.
Thank you for your reply and thank you for the suggested link. I will check it out. I might even try to do a stove top version. If so, I will let you know how it turned out.
Please do!
I’ve cooked tons of chicken thigh recipes on the stove top before. The key is to let it cook on a medium to medium low flame, add a bit of extra water, and cook with the lid on for 10-15 minutes (or longer if you have big chicken thighs) – stirring every 5 minutes or so. You would want to add the lid when the recipe says to put it into the oven. The chicken won’t be quite as tender but it will work as your steaming/sauteing it rather than roasting it. You may want to hold off on adding the cream though until the last 5 minutes or so though otherwise it can separate. I don’t mind if it separates so I add it in earlier. As for using breasts, if you use boneless/skinless you will lose a lot of the flavor. If you use bone-in breasts, they will cook less evenly, take longer, and get a bit stringy on the stove top. Bone-in thighs (skinless or with skin on) are actually easier than legs or breasts for the stove top because they are the same thickness throughout.
Wow just made this!! So good!! I made a side of white rice to put some juice on! Delicious!!
I have this in the oven now, can’t wait to try it!!
This may sounds ridiculous but my pan states that it’s “oven safe up 350 degrees” should I… a) Take a chance or b) increase the cooking time?…THANK YOU!!
If your pan states that it is only safe up to 350 degrees F, I would not take the chance and increase the cooking time and ruining that pan. It may be best to use an oven-safe baking dish instead with the appropriate temperature.
I’m with Samantha, can you sub Greek yogurt for the heavy cream?
You can certainly try substituting Greek yogurt but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
can this dish be frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Anything different I need to do if the spinach is frozen? That is all my store has right now.
Hope you can respond as I am making this very soon. Thank you – it looks wonderful!
Helen
I would recommend thawing and draining the spinach prior to using. Also, please note that by substituting frozen spinach, I cannot speak for how this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish, and it may also lead to a mediocre outcome.
This was amazing! My husband and kids loved it! Thank you!
hi can i use fresh thyme and if so how much thank you?
Yes, fresh thyme will work just fine. The ratio for fresh to dry herbs is typically 3:1.
I just made this recipe. I used coconut milk instead of heavy cream, work it also. This chicken is delicious!
Thanks for comment re coconut milk, I was wondering if it would work. Cheers 🙂
Just made it for my son and I! Love super easy recipes that won’t kill the waistline 🙂 Smells amazing in the oven!
I made this last night and the sauce was indeed yummy but I’ll probably try skinless boneless chicken breasts in place of bone-in thighs next time. It might have just been due to the amount of fat and skin on my chicken thighs, but they rendered so much grease that I had to skim quite a bit off the sauce when it came out of the oven. I served it with whole wheat couscous and some roasted asparagus. Next time I’ll try with the boneless chicken and and maybe serve it over pasta!
Has anyone tried to use a substitute for the heavy cream? My husband has lactose issues…I was thinking greek yogurt might help to make the sauce creamier?
Plain full-fat yogurt work but I would wonder if it would still create lactose issues. I would think greek yogurt would work well but you would want to scale back on the lemon due to the increased tartness of greek-style yogurt. It may also separate using yogurt…but the taste would still be yum. I would suggest beating the yogurt in a small cup with a spoon first (like you would if a recipe calls for a beaten egg) as it makes the yogurt very smooth. I would also wait to add it until after you’ve reduced the heat to a simmer to avoid curdling. Finally, in Indian cooking they often use a creamy paste made of ground melon seeds or cashews to create thickness & richness. You may wish to try those as alternatives to dairy.
Thankyou for these alternatives re dairy free 🙂
I made this tonight and it certainly was DAMN DELICIOUS! I served it over egg noodles. I will definitely make this again!
Omg! I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I used chicken breasts instead of thighs just because I prefer that. The sauce was amazing as well and was great even poured over rice. Definitely making again!
My daughter forwarded this to me so I could make it for her birthday dinner this week. It looks heavenly and I can’t wait to try it! What do you serve this with ~ rice, egg noodles, etc.? I’ll also make a side veggie but wondered what I could use for all that delicious sauce. Thanks!
Barbara, these roasted veggies would be a great side dish but if you want to use some of the sauce, a neutral side dish like rice would be more appropriate.
I seldom comment, but this dish was amazing!!! I followed it except subbed 1/2 & 1/2 for the heavy cream I didn’t have on hand. It’s one of those dishes I have thought about daily since I made it and DH likes it just as much. We are having the leftovers over pasta for supper tonight, can’t wait!!!
We made this tonight! It was great! I used boneless skinless breasts because it’s what I had on hand. Also substituted dill weed for the thyme and lots of extra spinach. Didn’t bake it, just covered and simmered until the chicken was cooked throughout. Added rice flour at you’re end to thicken the sauce. Served over pasta. My family loved it! Kids asked if I would make it again!!
I made this tonight with chicken breasts cut up in thigh-sized chunks and it was awesome! No need to bake – just simmer in the same pan. Also, I had no cream so used skim milk and a little extra parm. Thank you!
I came across this today and got interested.
Mind you, Im not a great cook. I do packets and frozen, and it drives my husband nuts, as he’s a wonderful cook, and does recipes from scratch. When Im cooking, everyone is a little scared.
I made this tonight.
IT WAS THE BEST DISH EVER!!
I cant thank you enough! It was creamy, a hint of lemon, such depth in this dish. The chicken thighs..Omgoodness. Tender..
Everyone had seconds. Im almost crying.
This is actually perfect for a low-carb diet! It looks delicious, and I’ll definitely be trying it! Thanks!
Easy to prepare and so flavorful. Pardon my ignorance, but do you cover the skillet before putting it in the oven?
Nope, no cover needed!
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs but the part of the chicken that wasn’t in the sauce (the top part) dried out. I cooked at 400 for 27 minutes. Did I do something wrong?
I’m not entirely sure – perhaps your oven wasn’t hot enough? I recommend investing in an in-oven thermometer for reliable, consistent results. You can read more about it here.
Cooking time in recipes is also an estimation – you may need to extend or reduce cooking time as needed depending on the size of your chicken thighs. Hope that helps!
This is a wonderful dish. I prepared it the first time with some green chilies and the second time with two tablespoons of Chipotle. Both were a hit and made the dish more South West. Served with a few pine nuts added even another twist.
This recipe was okay, but I’ll try it without the skin next time. All the seasoning was on the skin that I don’t eat.
Christy, if you do not consume the skin on the chicken thighs, it is best to use skinless chicken thighs.
I made this tonight and my family LOVED it – my 9 yr old asked if we could have it every night! I was unsure about the lemon, but it is light and not overwhelming. The sauce was so good, and I used chicken tenders so it cooked in about 15 minutes. Delish – will be making this again for sure!
Hi I made this tonight and the sauce was very runny and thin. Should the sauce have a thicker consistency? I think I might have done something wrong…
I’m not entirely sure what kind of consistency you were expecting but this sauce is not as thick as something like gravy – it’s meant to have more of a creamy texture to it.
this recipe was AMAZING!! My husband, boys and parents loved it. I made soup with my leftovers and it was equally amazing. I don’t really ever comment but had to shrare, this is a keeper!!
Made this for dinner tonight. Cut the recipe in half and used chicken breasts as that’s what I had on hand. Also added some sliced mushrooms that I needed to use up. Great recipe for people watching carbs! It was delish! I will definitely make this again!
Looks amazing!! Has anyone tried this with coconut cream? Dairy doesn’t go well with this family…
Ok I have never made a sauce like this for chicken ever and without even tasting it, I can say it tastes YUMM!! I am soon going to be making it!! Gorgeous pics as always!!
Thanks so much for this recipe, it was delicious! I did trade out 1/2 cup of broth for white wine and used olive oil and butter, along with 1/2&1/2 for heavy cream. It curdled when adding spinach but out of the oven was perfect! My fussy eaters gave a thumbs up!
I served it with Trader Joes garlic basil noodles. Yummy.
Made this tonight – fantastic over quinoa (for me) and rice (for the rest)! I only used half the lemon juice at the start of the braise and squeezed the other half over it just before plating. Great combo of flavors and so easy to make!
WOW! Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and I kinda have a thing =) Super excited to try this out!
I just made this AWESOME dish for my family the other night and it was a hit. This recipe is definitely a keeper. It is so easy to do and I didn’t have to change a thing (except triple