Parmesan Lemon Chicken
by Chungah
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Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts are so juicy and tender! Made in just 30 min (miracle weeknight dinner!) with a creamy lemon garlic sauce!
Featured Comment
why you’ll love this parmesan lemon chicken recipe
- 30 min meal. Firstly, this restaurant-quality dish comes together lightning fast in 30 min from start to finish thanks to quick-cooking meats like chicken cutlets, making weeknights so much easier.
- Family-friendly. Not only does this come together super quickly, but this will surely please everyone in the family, even the pickiest eaters. The pan-fried parmesan-coated chicken bathed in lemony, garlicky cream sauce – who can resist this goodness?
- Flexible recipe. And finally, any lingering veggies (ex. green beans, zucchini and broccoli florets) or extra herbs can be thrown right in for a great clean-out-the-fridge meal.
What is parmesan lemon chicken?
This is a quick-cooking chicken dish using pan-seared chicken cutlets coated in a Parmesan cheese crust and served with a bright, velvety lemon sauce.
How to make parmesan lemon chicken
- Prep the Parmesan coating. Combine the freshly grated Parmesan and all-purpose flour in a large bowl.
- Coat the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper first, then dredge each chicken cutlet in the Parmesan coating.
- Cook the chicken. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the cast iron skillet, cook the chicken in butter and vegetable oil until golden brown and cooked through (165°F). Set aside and keep warm while the sauce is being made.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the garlic until fragrant, then stir in the flour until lightly browned. The flour will serve as a thickening agent for the sauce.
- Simmer. Add the chicken stock, wine and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Simmer until slightly thickened – the longer it simmers, the more it will thicken.
- Finish the sauce. Stir in additional Parmesan and heavy cream (or half and half), returning the cooked chicken to the pan and coating evenly with the sauce.
Pro tip
Make chicken cutlets at home.
If chicken cutlets are not readily available, substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Slice in half horizontally to create two thin pieces, pounding the chicken between two pieces of parchment paper (or plastic wrap) until it reaches an even thickness, about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.
what to serve with parmesan lemon chicken
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Parmesan Lemon Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
A chicken cutlet is a chicken breast that has been cut in half horizontally (or pounded) to make two thinner pieces to ensure quicker and even cooking.
Use additional chicken stock for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freezing is not recommended as dairy-based sauces can become grainy or separate upon thawing.
Parmesan Lemon Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 6 chicken cutlets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
for the parmesan mixture
- 5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Working one at a time, dredge chicken in parmesan mixture until evenly coated.
- Heat butter and vegetable 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 and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside. Reduce heat to medium low.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken stock, wine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, heavy cream and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Serve immediately.
for the parmesan mixture
- In a large bowl, combine Parmesan and flour.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- Chicken cutlets will cook faster. Chicken cutlets are an ideal choice for quick, weeknight meals as they cook through very quickly compared to chicken breasts.
- Cook in batches. Always avoid an overcrowded pan to prevent steaming. Cooking the chicken in batches will ensure proper browning to sear the chicken efficiently.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your dish. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
Did you make this recipe?
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This was absolutely top notch delicious! I didn’t have any wine, so I added the same amount in chicken broth. Easy to make, fancy enough for guests and soooo good my husband was looking for any bread we had to dip in the amazing sauce! Will be adding to my favorite recipes for sure!!
Wow, this Parmesan Lemon Chicken recipe looks absolutely mouthwatering! The combination of golden brown, juicy chicken breasts with a creamy, lemon-garlicky sauce is a perfect weeknight dinner idea. I can already imagine how well this would pair with some roasted vegetables or a light salad.
Always a hit, we always use about 4 thighs and cut them in half. It usually fills up the whole skillet without having to do another round of them which saves me time and is enough for me and my husband. I don’t bother measuring out more flour to whisk and parmesan at the end, I just do a generous amount of parmesan coating for the chicken and dump what’s left after coating the chicken at the end around step 6. Anyway, I’m just lazy. Thanks for the great recipe. Our family loves it and these days I don’t even measure, that’s how often we make it!
Easy easy Sunday night dinner – delicious over Fergola with baked carrots and roasted bok choy with lemon/tarragon drizzle followed by an Eton mess.
A hit with all and will make again – it presents as such that it also would be great for dinner guests
Love this recipe
Just wish u guys did your recipes in grams
how many calories is one serving?
Chat GPT calculated it as 318 calories per serving.
This recipe did not disappoint! It was a quick and easy week night meal that left the entire family satisfied!
Love your site!! Could I use cornstarch to make this gluten free? Would I need to make a slurry and add at the end? Could I still use cornstarch in the Parmesan mixture? TIA!
Delish! A nice change of pace in our house…thanks for sharing it!
This recipe did not disappoint! Even the picky eaters gobbled it up. I served it with roasted potatoes and garlic green beans.
Is it possible to give a gram measurement for the chicken, not sure how to determine how big a “cutlet” should be, as chicken breast size varies greatly
So great! We’re eating this two weeks in a row because it is a new favorite.
Love this my family eats this up thank you Chungah
Made this last week and it was delicious! The only thing I added was more lemon.
This is easily one of my favorite dishes Must try your version soon. They look great!
Almost a 5! I personally really love lemon and didn’t taste it at all when I made the recipe as is, but next time I’ll just add more! Otherwise, it was sooooo yum.
My husband LOVED this. Absolutely delicious chicken and I will definitely make it again!!!
What kind of wine is good
Really good! I went with one of the other comments and also did bread crumbs and eggs after dredging it in the flour and Parmesan dredge. I did, however, put the zest of the lemon in the flour and Parmesan dredge just to give some subtle lemon pops and it was great! My husband virtually inhaled it!
The instructions suggest a large cast iron skillet and all your imagery shows a large stainless skillet. Does the pan choice matter? Thanks for the great recipes!!!
Both options are great!
New family favorite- adding it to the rotation. Sauce was perfection, served with air fryer roasted red potatoes and broccoli & everyone was happy!