Lemon Butter Chicken
Golden brown chicken, coated with nutty parmesan cheese, pan-seared until fabulous, and drizzled with sweet/tangy lemon butter sauce. This dish is mind-blowing! And it’s incredibly fast and easy too.
This is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight. AND, it’s also spectacular enough to serve at your next dinner party. Plus, it’s super easy and made with a handful of ingredients. The chicken is quickly coated with seasoned eggs and parmesan cheese and pan-seared in olive oil. The cheese caramelizes to perfection and the chicken is insanely moist. Then, the chicken is drizzled with a creamy lemon-butter sauce (just three ingredients) and dinner is served.
What kind of chicken breasts should you use for this lemon butter chicken? I purchased thin-cut chicken breast fillets for this dish. If you purchase the larger breasts (about 8 to 10 ounces each), use a sharp knife to halve them horizontally (as if cutting a bagel). You can also pound the larger fillets with a meat mallet (between pieces of plastic wrap or in a freezer bag) until about 3/4-inch thick.
Can you make this dish with oranges instead? Absolutely! In fact, after I served this dish, I told myself, “That was so amazing; I’m trying it with oranges next time”! And if you happen to have limes in your fridge and not lemons, those work too.
How should you serve your lemon butter chicken? I served our chicken with roasted potatoes and steamed asparagus. Serve your chicken with any starch you prefer (potatoes, rice, couscous, pasta, quinoa, bread) and something green (salad, broccoli, green peas, snap peas) and you’ll have a complete and colorful meal.
Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour
- 4 thin-cut boneless skinless chicken breast fillets, see note above, or regular chicken breasts pounded to 3/4-inch thickness
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Chopped fresh parsley for serving
- Lemon slices for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, oregano, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- In a separate shallow dish, combine the parmesan cheese and flour.
- Add the chicken to the egg mixture and turn to coat. Shake off excess egg mixture and transfer the chicken to the parmesan cheese mixture. Turn to coat, pressing the mixture into the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides and cooked through (a meat thermometer should register 165 degrees). If necessary, reduce the temperature to medium to allow the chicken to cook thoroughly without burning.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, lemon juice, and chicken broth. Set the pan over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and drizzle the lemon butter sauce over top. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with lemon slices (if using).