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
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Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home.
Congratulations on posting a fabulous recipe, with simple ingredients and best of all, being very easy to follow.
Will make again. And again.
Hi Bob! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Second time making. Only changes I have made is adding a bit more chicken broth and cutting down on the lemon juice. My husband found it a bit tart. Really good recipe.
Thank you for the feedback, Colleen! So glad you enjoy this recipe.
Can I put in oven if it takes long to fry and starts to brown?if I can for how long and what temp
Hi Tina, I hope you find this helpful. Here’s what one of our readers said about baking it in an oven: “It worked in the oven! I used 1 cup of panko bread crumbs and 1 cup of parmesan cheese instead of the flour/parmesan mix, used cooking spray in my pan, and baked at 375 for 30-35 minutes. My family wanted it crispier, so next time I’ll broil for a few more minutes at the end.”
I made it in the oven with the Panko and Parmesan cheese.
Baked it in the oven and then broiled it for couple of Minutes.
Poured the sauce over the chicken. It was easy and delicious, my husband loved it. Next time will make more sauce.
Great to hear that, Judith! Thanks a lot for sharing some feedback with us.
Made it for my family. Everyone even my grandkids completely cleaned their plates. I will make it ahain
That’s great! I’m happy it was such a winner with the grandkids! 🙂
I love…love making this recipe.
However, it can also be used with a firm flesh fish, like bass, sea bass and trout. Out of this world!!!
Definitely, the recipe is versatile! Good to know that you love it.
This was really nice … not heavy and a hit with the family! I love the crispy parmesan crusted chicken. The only edit I made was to double the chicken stock so it wouldn’t be too lemony. Will make it again for sure!
Hello Jenny, that makes me feel happy! Thank you for sharing that with us, I’m glad you found a new recipe that you will keep.
Once a week I make this, we are addicted 🙂 I serve with Lemon Ricotta Ravioli, and a side of fresh spinach, HUGE YUM!
I’m so glad this made it into regular rotation for you! That’s so great! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Wendy!
Where do you get lemon ricotta ravioli? Yum! Or just your basic regatta ravioli with the lemon sauce on top?
Amazing! I make this often and my kids rave about it! Thank you!
So glad to know your family enjoyed this recipe. Thank you, Meghan.
This is amazing. Lemon butter sauce went great with the asparagus I served it with. Thanks for sharing! You never disappoint but this was over the top.
You’re so welcome and thank you for sharing that with us! I’m always happy to see contented and happy readers here in my blog.
This is excellent! The chicken is so flavourful and I love the lemon butter sauce.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Karen!
I fixed this lemon chicken dish last week. Very easy, fast meal. & delicious ! 👍👍👍
Thanks for the good feedback!
Oh. Also had to double or another half as much breading coating for the chicken that it called for.
It is recipes like this that make me wonder if anyone actually tested the recipe! The sauce was literally inedible. It wasn’t just a little bit too tart, I couldn’t even salvage it. Both myself and my husband kept trying it and our faces were screwed up, it’s so unbelievably tart. I doubled the recipe and ended up adding an entire tetra pack of chicken broth and another stick of butter to try to disperse the lemon to try and salvage it. Still had to end up dumping it. And I love lemon! What a waste. The chicken, itself, was fine. Save yourself time and money and make a really good fried chicken recipe, instead.
Hi Dena, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out for you. This is one of our more popular recipes and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. I wonder if anything was changed in the recipe? Also, make sure to let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes per the instructions? Lastly, be sure to use real lemon juice and not concentrate.
Most excellent recipe! The sauce was literally perfect, not too tart, just right. Certainly not a fried chicken recipe being lightly sauteed in olive oil, lightly breaded, just perfect! My whole family loved it!
I’m so glad the family loved it, Carrie!
I made this for my family and it was really delicious. Easy to follow recipe. I took the extra minute to garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. I hoped it didn’t look better than it tasted because it looked so fancy. We all loved it.
That is the best when the family loves what we moms make. That’s so great!
Yum!! Everyone loved it. Delicious! Easy to make. I decreased butter to five tablespoons and it was still yummy!
Thank you for the excellent review!
This was the best lemon chicken ever!!! Flavor was spot on!! My family raved about it!!! Thank you!!
Yay, that’s awesome! Thanks for the awesome feedback, Ellen.
This recipe is the bomb! It’s so flavorful and juicy. I made it the way the recipe was which was delicious but then adjusted the ingredients some when I made it again after that. Both ways are delicious! Would definitely recommend this recipe!
Awesome feedback, Stephanie! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, glad you love this recipe!
I made the lemon chicken tonight for dinner, it was pretty good. Easy recipe and had nice flavour. I served it with a Greek pasta salad and steamed Brussel sprouts.
I think a little less Parmesan & flour mixture could be used, I found a lot of it kind of went to waste. Also instead of pouring the lemony sauce over top of the chicken that had been frying in oil, I found it made better sense to transfer the fried chicken to the pan of sauce and spoon the lemony mixture over.
Overall it was pretty good.
Hello Janice, thank you for sharing that with us. Feel free to adjust the ingredients according to your personal preference next time but I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
I used thin sliced chicken breast so I didn’t have to do that extra slice and pound work. I also took more time to reduce the sauce, so about 5 minutes instead of 2 and I made it in the same pan to get the yummy bits in the sauce. I also put the chicken in the sauce at the end since I had it set aside and wanted to make sure it was hot. So so so yummy. But it did take 2x as long to prepare than half an hour. I suppose if I make this a couple more times it’ll go quicker since I’m not the greatest cook and I have to make sure I’m following the recipe and not missing anything. I do have plans on making this often since it’s just so yummy. I roasted asparagus I had seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder then also added it to the sauce just before serving it. Just a suggestion if anyone is looking for a side that works great with this:)
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
All I can say is, “Wow”! Flavorful and juicy. Thanks for such a great recipe!!
Love the description, thank you for sharing!