Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken (Printable Version)

Golden chicken in a zesty lemon garlic butter sauce, ready in 35 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

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

→ Coating & Sautéing

03 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
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 (about 2 lemons)
09 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

# How to Make It:

01 - Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in flour, shaking off any excess.
02 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Once hot, add chicken breasts and cook for 5–6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
03 - Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and sauté garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and chicken broth, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3–4 minutes.
05 - Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the chicken and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
06 - Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately, spooning extra sauce over each piece.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in the same pan so cleanup is almost nonexistent
  • It tastes like something from a restaurant but uses ingredients you probably already have
02 -
  • Do not crowd the pan or the chicken will steam instead of sear, cook in two batches if your skillet is not wide enough
  • The browned bits on the pan bottom are pure flavor, so scraping them up is the most important step in the whole recipe
03 -
  • Let the butter and oil get properly hot before adding the chicken, otherwise the flour will stick and tear
  • Use a citrus zester instead of a grater for cleaner zest that melts into the sauce instead of leaving stringy bits

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