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Say hello to your new favorite one skillet chicken dinner that’s topped with a lemon garlic butter cream sauce. I used thin chicken breasts, but this recipe would be delicious with boneless chicken thighs too!
Hello, hello to my new favorite creamy, garlicky, lemony, delicious skillet chicken!
You guys, I’ve gone completely head over heels for today’s meal.
As many of you have probably guessed, I love white meat chicken. It’s no dark meat for me. But the good news is that today’s chicken dinner is customizable to your chicken needs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs, sure, why not! *Applause* you’ve only just waited half of FOREVER for me to bring you something that could be made with something other than boneless skinless chicken breast.
This one skillet chicken recipe is my go-to chicken dinner of the week decade. Obvi, this recipe requires just one pan. This means we make the lemon garlic chicken and the sauce all from start to finish in one skillet. We’re talking tender chicken covered in a lemon garlic butter sauce that’s creamier than anything you’ve had before.
And if you love capers, don’t be afraid to throw some into the sauce right before you turn the knob to off and serve up this delicious lemon garlic chicken.
Should I just stop here? Are you on your way to the kitchen, cuz ya should be!
This was PHENOMENAL. I have 4 boys and they devoured it!!! Going on the regular rotation. Easy too!
One Skillet Lemon Garlic Chicken Video:
This recipe is somewhat, kinda sorta adapted and inspired by my Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil. Today’s Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe is inspired by the same sauce, only we add a splash of cream at the end and deck the whole thing out in an abundance of chopped fresh parsley.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
What makes this chicken dinner to the next level is chicken broth and a big splash of heavy cream. The sauce has a nice creamy consistency that would taste AMAZING tossed in some angel hair pasta. The pasta-abilities are ENDLESS. Seriously. Serve with buttered noodles and some air fryer broccoli for a delicious dinner.
How to make one skillet chicken with lemon garlic cream sauce
Not that you’ll actually have any leftovers because that sauce is actual dynamite. But if you do, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, toss in the microwave, and you’ve got a weeknight-friendly, protein-packed dinner on the table in no time!
Leftovers can also be kept in the freezer; I would just reheat them in the microwave slowly, stopping and stirring often so that the sauce doesn’t break!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- One Skillet Chicken with Fiesta Cream Sauce
- One Skillet Chicken with Garlicky Mushroom Cream Sauce
- One Skillet Chicken with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce
- Cheesy Baked BBQ Chicken
- Garlic Butter Tomato Baked Chicken with Mozzarella
One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely diced shallots or red onions
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil
- Prepared broccolini for serving
Instructions
- Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breasts/thighs into ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
- In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and allow it to brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Don't worry if the chicken isn't cooked thoroughly; we'll finish it in the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the flame to medium, and add the shallots to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Kick the heat back up to medium-high and let sauce come to a simmer. Continue to cook the sauce for 10-15 minutes or until about ⅓ cup of the sauce remains.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove from the flame, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the flame, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the flame for just 30 seconds, DO NOT allow the sauce to boil.
- Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken.
- Place the skillet in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
- Top with chopped parsley or basil and serve warm with additional lemon slices. Serve with prepared rice, pasta, or sauteed veggies on the side.
Notes
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs that about the same thickness. I pounded mine down to about ½ inch.
- After a few comments from readers, I’ve adjusted the amount of time it takes to reduce the sauce (step #5). Keep in mind, the key is to reduce it to ⅓ cup and that I can only provide an estimate. It may take you more or less time than what is actually listed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
This was AMAZING!! I made extra sauce but I followed the recipe as stated. I am watching my carbs and served it with Pasta Zero (by the tofu), it was fabulous. Thank you so much for all your yummy foods. I have short cuts to several that I am going to try 🙂
What happened to the one skillet chicken with creamy sun dried tomato sauce recipe?!?
It’s still on the site. You can access the recipe by searching for it in the search bar or here’s a direct link. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe twice. It is the best lemon sauce I’ve ever tasted. Kudos! I doubled the sauce recipe because it’s so darn good and I put it over lemon flavored pasta I purchased in Italy. Omg!!
The second time I made this I used Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. Very creamy! Next time capers are a must. I too burned my hand each time I made this by grabbing the handle of the hot pan! Argh!
My husband loves this dinner and I’ve given left overs to my mom who also raved about it.
I make this at least once a week. It is my grandson’s favorite chicken dish!
Delish!! Per your suggestion, I added capers to the sauce. Served with angel hair pasta and steam broccoli. Made extra sauce too because, well we like to drench our food. My kids cleaned their plates.
At which point did you add the capers?
This is, without a doubt, the best chicken dish I’ve ever eaten. I followed the recipe exactly & it was scrumptious! We had two friends over & they couldn’t stop raving about it. The sauce was delicious & next time I will double it. Thank you, Marzia, for sharing your wonderful recipe.
The flavor was spot on. It was a little spicy for my 10 year old, but I will be making this dish again very soon!
This is by far one of the best recipes I have ever made and tasted!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. The flavor is incredible!!!!
Just made this tonight for dinner and it was a huge hit!! My husband had seconds and my 5yr old even liked it! She’s a picky eater and cleaned her plate! Definitely making again
Tried your recipe today. Totally loved it.
This was so amazing!! My pickey husband loved it!!
Delicious! Made exactly as written. Definitely going into the rotation, but will make more sauce next time.
I made this recipe for my friends. The chicken was flavorful and juicy. I will keep making it over and over.
Oh, this was DELICIOUS! Only adjustment I made was I subbed nonfat evaporated milk in lieu of heavy cream to cut calories and fat and increase protein — worked fine. Easy, fast, yummy, nutritious, and uses things I always have around … makes it a winner in my book.
Thanks for posting this! I’m excited to try some of your other skillet chicken dinners, too.
Ahhhhmazing! Serviced over cauliflower rice for a low carb dinner. This one’s going in my favorite pile. DELISH!
Oh my lord! This was AMAZING!!!!! I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for this dish. I was just looking for a quick and easy chicken dish and came across this. I knew I had all ingredients on hand, so I just kind of threw it together last minute. Let me tell you, this was the BEST chicken dish I’ve ever eaten! Y’all, that cream sauce is money. I can already think of several other ways to use this cream sauce. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing this!
It was so delicious! I doubled the recipe in order to have extra to pour over pasta. This is definitely a keeper!
Hi, so you just doubled all the ingredients to double the sauce?
this was a delicious dish. Made it tonight for my husband and I. He said this recipe was a keeper. I paired it with green beans with bacon and wild rice. My 5 year old also enjoyed it.
This was the first recipe I’ve made of yours and I loved it! Added a dash of white wine and it was just delicious! Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site!
Super easy to follow and super delicious! I did find that the chicken breasts needed to be cooked longer than 2-3 minutes on each side to get them brown enough for my liking. I also boiled half a lemon, faced down in the broth to get a stronger lemon flavor.