Herb Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce
This cream sauce is seriously out of this world. So tangy, buttery, creamy and just melt-in-your-mouth AMAZING!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We spent most of our day watching Butters running around in a sequin Santa suit.
Yes, that’s really a sequin suit. It’s truly amazing. And something I want to leave on 365 days out of the year.
But more importantly, I need this lemon cream sauce in my life more than anything.
Coupled with the browned up bits from searing the chicken with added butter, garlic, and heavy cream, this cream sauce is E-P-I-C.
I may even want to try this again in pasta form because like I said – this sauce is everything.
This and the santa suit.
Now my life is complete.
Herb Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the lemon cream sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, thyme and rosemary; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using your fingers or a brush, work the mixture onto both sides of the chicken.
- Melt 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, reserving 1 tablespoon, and set aside.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, lemon juice and basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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No rating yet as it hasn’t finished cooking. I have a question regarding the reserved excess fat – what is it for?
The reserved excess fat is left in the skillet for step #4 for the garlic and red pepper flakes.
I usually love DD recipes but this one won’t make the cut…. recipe says 3-5 minutes to reduce sauce…. I reduced for 15 minutes and not enough…. also sauce broke while baking which I thought would probably happen because it’s something that usually happens when you cook cream and butter….. I lowered bake to 375 cause 400 seemed too hot…. I also used fresh herbs and tripled amount and liked that…. chicken had good flavor…. I think I would not add sauce to chicken til end and just saute chicken longer and cook sauce separately to reduce more… chicken was really crisp when put in oven but lost all crispness from baking…. that said I have loved all the other recipes I’ve tried.
sounds delicious but I worry about sauce breaking?
Yum! Just wanted to say thank you for this fabulous recipe – it was delicious! I used boneless skinless chicken otherwise no their changes. Thanks!
how about buttermilk in place of cream?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
it is thanksgiving weekend in canada and just made this dish for our supper! YUM – move over turkey there is a new bird in the house
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but this is to die for!
I was just cooking for myself, so I used a chicken breast instead of thighs. For the sauce, I used dried minced garlic instead of fresh, I used a white wine instead of chicken broth, I added some capers to the sauce, and I cooked the chicken in an 8×8 glass pan, instead of an oven-safe pan, with potatoes, mushrooms, and lemon slices.
And.oh.my.goodness. It tastes SO good! I will definitely be keeping this recipe and trying this again with guests!
Great way to do it!
I made your sauce to put on top of some panko crusted swordfish and i loved it, lots and lots of flavor and the sauce is not as heavy as other lemon cream sauces. Thank you.
That’s great!
This is the FOURTH TIME I make this recipe, I almost ate the Tupperware I put the leftovers in… ive made it with pasta with bacon rice, today I’m pairing this blessing with mashed potatoes and broccolini… I’d damn near eat the picture of it! Is just so GOOOOOODDD
So awesome! Thanks!
Thus is a good recipe. I added sage, a bit of marjoram, increased the rosemary (I was increasing the recipe because I love lots of gravy). I didn’t have cream so I use whole milk. And mixed in a little flour. I noticed some people said their milk curdled, it is really best to either warm the cream a bit and turn down the heat to cool a tad before adding your cream or milk and stir! It’s was restaurant quality or better! I served with a side of broccoli ( yummy with the gravy) and mashed potatoes. My hubby was ecstatic.
Oh wow, sounds delicious!
This is my favorite recipe I’ve tried so far on here! So, so, so good! Love it. Making it again for the second time this week lol. And while no one was looking I might have been drinking the sauce out of the skillet. 😉
That’s amazing!
Looks good, although the last two steps are not clear. Are you placing the entire skillet in the oven? I assume not. Just the chicken, or with the sauce? Thanks!
Yes, the entire skillet with the sauce is placed into the oven. Hope you enjoy it!
I just did it and it was amazing ….. just changed a few things. for the marinade I did it with fresh rosemary and herbs the province. Then for the sauce I used fresh Rosemary instead of the basil, more lemon zest, half a cube of chicken broth, instead of broth and added more cream and it was amazing!!!!! Delicious!!!!!!
Great modifications – I love fresh rosemary! Thanks for sharing, Mari!
I’ve lost track of how many times I have fixed this, including this evening. So simple so good. Yum.
When you place it in the oven, should it have a lid on it (I used a dutch oven)?
Nope, no lid needed here, Laura. Recipes typically specify if a lid is required. 🙂
Not sure if you just don’t see the issue in some of your comments but I’ve noticed that a lot of your replies are very condescending and kind of rude sometimes. A Simple no lid is needed would have sufficed but instead you had to point out that “typically recipes will specify this”. This is something I notice you do OFTEN. Please try and be more kind in the future as some people who follow your recipes are beginners and just want clarification not to feel like there question is dumb.
Sandry, I try my very best to respond to all comments/questions/inquiries myself, receiving at least a thousand comments per week. It can be a lot, but no one is trying to be rude or condescending here. The reason for my “typically recipes will specify this…” is to educate readers that even with other recipes (recipes that are not mine), the same rule may apply. Some, if not most, recipe websites do not include responses or answers directly from the author.
Please be mindful that things can get misread or miscommunicated via online before accusing someone of being rude. We’re really just a team of awesome women (who love corgis) trying to create the best recipes possible. As you have stated yourself, let’s try and be more kind in the future. Happy cooking! 🙂 #spreadkindness
I made this recipe last night. It came out quite well.
However, it could do it without chilli flakes. For a bit more sharpness, one could use a bit more lemon juice, or (as it has been mentioned in another comment) capres.
I did notice some slight curdling, because the lemon juice does make the base sour. With stirring I got it to a decent consistency. Against other mentiones, I oppose using anything but cream, as otherwise, the texture of the sauce can not really be reached.
I made this last night, Delicious!! I seasoned broccoli and carrots cut lengthwise with a little more olive oil, thyme, rosemary, ground pepper and sea salt then put them in with chicken during the oven time which i cooked at 400 for 50 min. My sauce was a little loose so I thickened it with a little flour and water and wahlah. It was finger licking good. The vegetables taste awesome in the sauce. Served over rice my family loved it!
I made this tonight and OOH MAN. My picky kids ate EVERY SINGLE PIECE of chicken. Though, the sauce was thin and clear when I took it from the oven. I made it exactly as is, and there was so cream whatsoever left to the sauce, it just looked like juice. Any advice? It was only in the oven for 25-30min, if that (and the internal temp was over 190*). Did I cook it too long?
That should read *no cream, and just to also add, the flavor without the sauce was still AMAZING. So delicious. 🙂
Yes, it sounds like it was overcooked! The internal temperature should be around 165 degrees.
Is this recipe Vegan, Organic and Gluten-Free?
Because the recipe has chicken, it is unfortunately not vegan. However, you can make this organic and gluten-free by purchasing organic and gluten-free ingredients. Hope that helps!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! Will make again for my family!