Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken (Printable version)

Pan-seared chicken glazed in a bright lemon garlic butter sauce, ready in 35 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Coating & Sautéing

03 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

→ Lemon Garlic Sauce

06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
09 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

# How to Make It:

01 - Season chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece lightly in flour, shaking off any excess.
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the fat is shimmering, add the chicken breasts. Sear for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
03 - Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and swirl until melted. Sauté minced garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to brown.
04 - Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly reduced.
05 - Return the chicken along with any accumulated juices to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over each piece and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to meld the flavors.
06 - Scatter freshly chopped parsley over the chicken and serve immediately, spooning extra sauce over each portion.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in minutes from pantry staples you probably already have
  • It tastes like something from a restaurant but uses one pan and zero fancy techniques
02 -
  • Do not move the chicken around while searing, let it sit undisturbed to develop that crust
  • Scraping the browned bits from the pan is not optional, that is where half the flavor lives
03 -
  • Let the chicken rest for two minutes before slicing so the juices redistribute instead of running onto the plate
  • Zesting over the pan instead of a cutting board means zero wasted citrus oils

Go back