This parmesan-crusted Lemon Chicken Recipe is so EASY to make and completely ready in 30 minutes! The quick garlic and lemon butter sauce enhances the flavor of the chicken and adds so much flavor to the dish!
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I’m convinced you’ll love my Lemon Chicken with the best Lemon Butter Sauce.
Lemon Chicken Recipe:
This dish is going to become a favorite chicken dinner recipe for BUSY evenings. The chicken breast is generously coated in parmesan and pan-fried to give it a crispy crust. The chicken is then smothered in a lemon butter sauce with garlic that adds so much flavor to the chicken.
We love easy 30-minute chicken recipes for busy weeknights and some of our go-to’s include Chicken Marsala, classic Chicken Parmesan and of course this easy lemon garlic chicken. With these recipes in your arsenal, you can make restaurant-quality meals for a fraction of the price of eating out.
How to Make Lemon Chicken:
With just a few simple ingredients a few minutes of prep time, you can have yourself the most DELICIOUS crispy chicken breast in a buttery garlic lemon sauce!
- Cut chicken in half lengthwise and beat with a meat mallet to an even thickness.
- Prepare Egg Mixture – whisk together eggs, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Prepare Parmesan Mixture – in a separate bowl, mix together the parmesan cheese and flour.
- Dredge the Chicken – coat in the egg mixture, then generously coat in parmesan mixture, shaking off excess.
- Cook Chicken. Add oil to a hot skillet then add breaded chicken and cook 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown and the internal temperature reads 165˚F with an Instant Read Thermometer.
Cook’s Tip – If the chicken crust begins to brown too quickly, reduce heat allowing the chicken to fully cook through.
How to Make Lemon Butter Sauce:
This 5-minute EASY lemon butter sauce will become a staple in your home. The sauce is tangy from the fresh lemon and butter and the garlic just brings all the flavors together – SO GOOD!
For a quicker dinner, prepare the lemon sauce in a separate saucepan or skillet while the chicken is cooking. Then just pour the sauce over the chicken once it is cooked. Or, you can just cook the chicken, remove it from the skillet (cover to keep warm) and prepare the sauce in the same skillet, then add the chicken back.
- Saute the garlic and butter until fragrant.
- Whisk in the lemon juice, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Allow the sauce to cook over med heat for about 2 minutes.
NOTE: We love the fresh and tangy lemon flavor in this recipe. If you prefer a less lemony flavor, reduce the lemon juice.
Can I make this Ahead?
If you like to prep dinner in advance, slice the chicken and add it to the egg mixture, cover and refrigerate until you are ready for dinner. Allowing the chicken to marinate will result in a juicier and more tender chicken breast. Then, just continue with the remaining recipe instructions.
Can I make the Lemon Chicken without Parmesan Crust?
Yes! For a healthier option, completely omit the egg mixture and parmesan mixture. Slice the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then, continue with the preparation of the sauce.
Substituting for Chicken Thighs?
This lemon chicken will work with chicken breast, chicken thighs, and even chicken tenderloins. You will want to prepare the recipe according to the instructions, the only difference will be in the cooking time. The cook time will depend on the size of the thighs, you want the internal temperature to reach 165F on an instant-read thermometer.
Adding Vegetables to the Chicken in Skillet:
Yes, you may definitely add vegetables to complete the dish. Asparagus, green beans, and zucchini will all go great with the lemon sauce and compliment the chicken
I can’t wait for you to give this simple chicken dinner recipe a try!
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken?
The EASY chicken dish is completely ready in just 30 minutes and can be served with our Mashed Potatoes or your favorite pasta and it pairs well with Caesar Salad.
More Chicken Recipes to Try:
- Chicken Cobb Salad – so easy with rotisserie chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken – one-pan baked chicken dinner
- Chicken Fried Rice – a great way to use leftovers
- Chicken Carbonara- Olive Garden copycat recipe.
- Tender Chicken Thighs- Easiest and juiciest baked tender thighs.
Lemon Chicken with BEST Lemon Butter Sauce

Ingredients
Ingredients for Parmesan Crusted Chicken:
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, (2 large), patted dry with paper towels
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, to sautee
- 1 Tbsp parsley, to garnish (optional)
- 1/2 lemon, sliced for garnish (optional)
For the Egg Mixture:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
For the Parmesan Breading Mixture:
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Ingredients for Lemon Butter Sauce:
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Lightly beat with a meat mallet until even in thickness.
- In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the egg mixture. In another bowl, combine the ingredients for the parmesan mixture. Dip chicken into the egg mixture, then dredge chicken in the parmesan mixture. Allow any excess ingredients to fall off from each bowl.
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet. Once hot, add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes per side, or until crispy, golden and cooked through to 165˚F on an Instant Read Thermometer. Reduce the heat if chicken browns too quickly.
- Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt butter and garlic, cook until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and pepper. Allow the sauce to cook for about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken, turning to coat. Garnish with lemon slices and finely chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Can’t wait to try this, but what type of parmesan cheese do you use fresh from
The cheese section or the kind that you too with pizza from the bottle?
Hello Katie, any type of parmesan cheese will work.
Do you mince fresh garlic cloves or buy already minced garlic in a jar?
Hi Leslie, I usually mince the garlic, we love using fresh ingredients if we can!
So darn good! My family loves this! Thank you for the recipe!!
You’re very welcome! I hope they will love all the recipes that you will try for them.
I never leave a comment – but this is an awesome way to prepare Chicken. No long list of ingredients. No lengthy cooking times. Followed the recipe exactly – perfection!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This recipe looks fantastic. Instead of using the paresan cheese, can I use panko instead?
Hi Doris, I haven’t tried that specific substitution. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
None of the coating stuck to the chicken. All of it stuck to the bottom of the pan. Not sure what I did wrong, but wasted a lot of parmesan cheese and ended up with yukky chicken.
Hi Kathleen, I haven’t had that experience could it be the pan? Are you coating the chicken well? Using a non-stick pan? Ensure you are preheating your pan completely.
I had the same issue, but was not using a non-stick skillet. I though having enough oil in the pan would be ok. I was able to salvage the coating by flipping with a metal spatula so I could chip away and then flip. It’s delicious. I will use a non-stick next time!
My family and I love this chicken. It’s been our bi-weekly rotation. My kids asks for seconds. The recipe is perfect, not too lemony, we like to put a little bit of sauce over the noodles too
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Really tasty. My grocery store was out of blocks of parmasean and grated so I went with shredded. Didn’t stick as well so will try again with grated. Still very tasty. Served with rice and green beens.
I’m so glad it still worked out, and you loved it, Kelly! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
This recipe is amazing, A while back I wanted to make a lemon zucchini style pasta with cream and pasta water. I found a really good recipe on Bon Appetit, but my family isn’t big on just eating a dinner without having some kind of protein and that’s when I found your lemon chicken recipe. These two recipes were meant for each other! The trick is to cut the chicken and swirl some pasta on the same fork and it’s southern Italy in your mouth. Thanks for this recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This is excellent!! Doubled the sauce to pour over angel hair pasta as a side
Thanks for the great feedback, April!
Hello, I am wondering what would be the best way to make ahead to serve 160 people?
Thank you
Margaret
Hi Margaret, we always prefer to eat it fresh, I haven’t tried making it ahead, but I imagine making it in batches would be best. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Delicious as usual. Everything I have made from your website has been a huge win. Something weird happened. I made the lemon sauce and when I started to pour it over the chicken there were all these green bits. I couldn’t figure it out, everything I bought was fresh. Turns out I keep my garlic in the frig and when it was warmed in the sauce it oxidizes and turns green. Still fine to eat but who knew. But if you google it, it is a thing.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Mary! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Made this tonight and loved it, so did my husband. I actually saved half of the butter sauce and put in the freezer for when I make it again.
I love your recipes Natasha!! I’ve tried so many lately and have not had one fail me yet. Easy instructions, great tips and not hard to find ingredients, very family friendly 🙂
Thank you.
Aaw, that makes me really happy. Thank you for sharing that with us!
The recipe is excellent as written. I have used it many times and my family loves the lemony flavor.
But I was caught unaware by an unexpected guest who was staying for dinner. I had purchased a rotisserie chicken that day with plans to use for chicken salad. So I took a shortcut. I made the pasta and the lemon garlic sauce as usual. I used the breast portions from the rotisserie chicken and added the slices on top of the pasta. I added spoonfuls of the sauce on top and sprinkled Parmesan on top. Served with snap peas it was both attractive and delicious.
Thanks for the recipe!
Great idea, ANunn! I’m glad that worked out for you and that it was a hit!
Hi–My family loves everyone of your recipes that I have made–THANK YOU! Could I make this in the air fryer instead of frying it on the stove? If yes, are there any modifications that I should make? Thanks so much!
Hi Cecile, I imagine that will work but I haven’t personally tried it to advise of the modifications. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
WOW! I also never leave a review on recipe’s but this one is worth the acknowledgement. The flavor, texture and short time needed to make this dish are all incredible and rarely do all 3 of these components go hand in hand. I am citrus addict and what stood out in this recipe compared to other lemon chicken recipes was the parmesan breading. It added such a delicious crunch component taking this dish to the next level and impressed the boyfriend. We made a side of brussel sprouts and roasted mushrooms and ate the chicken with angel hair pasta. We made extra lemon butter sauce and drizzled it over everything on our plate. I couldn’t recommend this recipe enough for a quick and delicious meal!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Molly! Thank you for your great review!
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! The family loved it! Served with mashed potatoes and a green salad. I actually cooked the chicken and kept it warm until ready to serve. That’s when I made the sauce and poured it over the chicken. So I believe this could be a make ahead dish but hold off on the lemon sauce, which was delicious and so flavorful by the way. The only thing that happened was my minced garlic turned blue after I added the lemon juice and chicken broth to the sauce. I don’t believe there was any affect to flavor, but it looked funny. Wonder why it turned blue? Anyway this is another keeper of a recipe! Will definitely make again!
Yay, that’s fantastic feedback! Thank you so much for sharing that with us. I think that could be a reaction to the mixture but that should be alright!
Same thing happened to me. Blue garlic. Any idea how to avoid this?
HI Tyler, make sure to simmer the garlic with butter first until it’s fragrant. If you add the lemon juice right away, the acidity can turn garlic a blue tint. It’s not harmful and will taste fine but it does look a little strange to have blue garlic.
Incredible. Recipe sounds great and would love to try. But I can’t find the AMOUNT of individual ingredients!. Where?!
Hi Brown, if you click “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe, where you’ll find the ingredients and amounts. I hope that helps!
So good!!!! Will make again!! For the comments that the coating didn’t stick to the chicken, make sure you pat it down. It’ll stick!
Delicious!!
Hi Kristin, I’m glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for your tips and comments too, that is useful!
Hi Natasha, I have a question, will this dish be as tasty if I cook it at noon but eat it for dinner?
Hi Liliya, we prefer it fresh! But I bet you can make a it a bit ahead and either keep it warm or reheat.