Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts
by Chungah
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Say goodbye to dry, boring chicken! These weeknight chicken breasts are so juicy and tender with the dreamiest garlicky lemon sauce! 30 min.
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Why you’ll love these weeknight lemon chicken breasts
- Weeknight-friendly. This is just one of those dinners you can easily whip up on those super busy weeknights when dinner just feels utterly impossible. So thaw those chicken breasts and let’s get to it! This comes together fast – lightening fast in just 30 minutes.
- No more dry, bland chicken. Say hello to juicy, moist, melt-in-your-mouth chicken breasts! With a few simple tips and tricks, you’ll never have dry chicken ever again.
- The pan drippings. You can melt some butter in those pan drippings alongside some garlic, fresh rosemary, and lemon juice for all that saucy saucy goodness, perfect to sop up with some of this crusty bread.
How to make weeknight lemon chicken breasts
- Prep the chicken. Pat the chicken dry of any surface moisture and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Sear the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes over medium heat, undisturbed, until a golden brown crust forms.
- Cover and cook. Reduce the heat to medium low. Flip the chicken and cover the skillet, cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Set the chicken aside and keep warm, letting it rest.
- Make the sauce. Melt the butter, then add in the garlic, shallot, and rosemary until fragrant. Stir in the flour until browned, then deglaze the skillet with the chicken stock, scraping up the browned bits (fond). Let it simmer until reduced and thickened, about 4-5 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice and remaining butter.
- Serve. Serve the chicken warm, generously spooning or drizzling the warm sauce over the meat.
Pro tip
Pound the chicken breasts for even thickness.
If the chicken breasts are thick on one end and thin on the other, pound the thicker end with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a heavy skillet (such as a cast iron skillet) to a uniform thickness to guarantee even cooking.
substitutions and variations
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or tenderloins
- Canola oil: neutral oil such as avocado or vegetable oil
- Shallot: finely minced yellow or white onion
- Rosemary: thyme
what to serve with chicken breasts
Tools For This Recipe
Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! This recipe will work with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (and even tenderloins), but please be mindful of cooking time. Thighs and tenderloins will require less time to cook through.
You don’t necessarily have to but if the chicken breasts are especially thick, then yes, it is highly recommended to flatten the meat to an even thickness so the chicken cooks through at the same rate.
Yes, but because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary = 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.
This will lock in moisture, allowing gentle, even cooking to ensure that the chicken breasts cook through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts
Video
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ medium shallot, diced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Using paper towels, pat both sides of the chicken dry; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Using tongs, flip and cook, covered, until cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, an additional 8 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic, shallot and rosemary, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Pat the chicken dry. Before seasoning the chicken, pat the chicken breasts completely dry with paper towels to remove any surface moisture.
- Use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking and a better sear on the chicken.
- Cook in batches. An overcrowded pan can lead to uneven cooking and poor browning. Work in batches to maintain high heat for a good sear and a golden brown crust on each chicken breast, yielding juicier, tender meat.
- Cover the skillet. This will trap steam and heat, allowing the chicken breasts to cook through completely without drying out the exterior.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Deglaze the pan. Deglaze the skillet with chicken stock, lifting up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet to capture maximum flavor and to build a rich pan sauce for the chicken.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. While bottled lemon juice can work in a pinch, freshly squeezed is ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Did you make this recipe?
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Perfect amount of lemon taste in this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Easy and yummy. I had one thick chicken breast that was taking forever to cook all the way through so next time I will either slice thick pieces or pound them. I served the chicken with steamed broccoli and with couscous because that is what I had on hand. The lemon sauce spread over to the couscous and the broccoli which was fine with me.
Husband and I were both big fans! We’ll be making it on repeat.
This is our favourite dinner recipe! So easy and so delicious!
This was great! Sauce was flavorful and I had everything on hand. Will definitely make again
This recipe is amazing! My 1 year old and my 2 year old loved it!!
It was late and I wasn’t sure what to do for dinner. Turned to D Delicious and as always, great meal. Made it per the recipe and came out really good. Will try with chicken thighs next time. Thanks for another healthy yummy recipe!
This was sooooo good. I did not make any changes to the recipe and served over jasmine rice with fresh roasted veggies and a salad. So far every recipe that I’ve tried is delicious! Thank you
Can’t wait to try this! Any healthier substitute for canola oil? (please don’t say any seed oil! lol)
Since the canola oil is used to saute the aromatics, I have found that I can use chicken broth or vegetable broth to saute! It’s a pretty good substitute and saves calories. Use the same amount as the oil in the recipe.
I use coconut oil or butter for almost everything. I would never use canola oil.
This was damn delicious (For me) Damn Delicious has a reputation for making sauces good enough to drink, and this one did not fall short. It was so easy and so fast to make too. Definitely the perfect recipe for a school night meal!
Guilty because I did take as few sips of it at the End
My family and I love your recipes, but this one was a mega hit with the kids. My 7 year old said “this is the best meat I’ve ever tasted in my whole life.” I will definitely keep this recipe in my rotation. Thanks again!
Can i substitute chicken thighs? My family prefers the thighs over the breasts.
No it has to be breast or it won’t work
Who told you that? Why won’t it work? I would think you can just adjust the baking time?
Debra, I’m sure you can use thighs, Dave was messing with you.
Lol I get where you were getting at! We used tenderloins
This was so DELICIOUS! One of my new favorites I’ll add to my recipe book. Thank you and I am a huge fan of your recipes!
Fabulous and easy. My teenage sons gobbled it up. Will make again for sure.
I can’t wait to make this, it sounds so delish!
Would I be able to bake in oven with thinner chicken breast fillets? If so, how long do you think?
Thanks, for so many awesome recipes!
I made this last night. It was delicious . I made one change, instead of one cup chicken stock I used a half cup white wine and half cup chicken stock. This will be a regular for us. Quick and easy.
Fast, easy, and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe. I will use it often.
I would love to have made it, but am diabetic and can’t have flour. Can you suggest a substitute?
almond flour, chickpea flour, any other flours?
Judy, cornstarch, tapioca, and arrowroot are good thickening substitutions. Just mix with a bit of cold water and add after the chicken broth.
Cornstarch, tapioca & arrowroot flours are great thickeners, but not for diabetics who need to count carbs. The carb count in a tablespoon of flour is 5.8 grams. Corn starch is 7 grams per tablespoon, tapioca flour is 8, and arrowroot is a wopping 13 grams per tablespoon. I haven’t tried using almond or chickpea flour as thickeners or for rue bases, but they are both better options at 3 grams of carbohydrates per tablespoon.
I too am diabetic & try to stay under 20 carbs per meal – this one works great, 1 tablespoon of flour converts to 1.45 carbs per serving & keeps me well in goal with some grilled asparagus or steamed broccoli (both are delish with the lemon garlic sauce). Or you can leave the flour out entirely and simmer it a little longer to reduce it down.
This was delicious. My husband said “you can make this again.”
This is a great recipe! I made no changes!
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