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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our 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 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
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hi! I just wanted to share that I made this dish tonight for dinner. My husband and I LOVED it. When I try new recipes, I ask him to rate them 0-10 (10 is the best). We both gave it a 10! I did have to fudge the Italian seasoning by throwing in basil, oregano and rosemary in place of the Italian seasoning as I didn’t have any on hand. Yummy!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
That was amazing!!!! I will be making that again!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Such deliciousness. I’m not usually a citrus fan but I wanted to try the recipe just the same. And I’m not sorry at all. It’s really good and definitely will do it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Maria! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Absolutely delicious. A hit with my husband who’s very picky. Will definitely be making again
Thank you for the wonderful review! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
Soooo good! The entire family loved it. Thanks for making the recipes so easy to follow.
I’m so glad! You are most welcome, it’s my pleasure to be able to share great recipes to you all!
Awesome recipe! It came together easily, and was delicious. I’m looking forward to sharing this with friends when that’s possible. Thanks Natasha!
THank you so much, Joy for sharing that with us. I hope your friends will love this recipe too!
Hi Natasha – I made this last night and it was so delicious! Will definitely make again. Quick question – do you add the sauce to the skillet with the cooked chicken and drippings? ( I used olive oil to brown the chicken.) I did this and it was great, but just wondering if you recommend draining the chicken and not combining the sauce with the oil in the skillet. Thanks for all your great recipes, I have loved every one that I have tried so far!
Hi Laura, I’m not sure what you mean by draining the chicken. We love to combine the chicken with the sauce so it can absorb all that great flavor.
OK – thank you for replying! That is what I did and it was delicious! (What I meant by draining is taking the chicken out of the skillet and putting it on paper towels to absorb some of the oil, putting the cooked chicken in a casserole dish then pouring the sauce over the chicken. This way the sauce is NOT combined with the oil in the skillet.)
Soo tasty! Was definitely worth the work.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Kaitlyn!
This was amazing! Made it with a side of arugula salad with lemon vinigerrette dressing. I guess we’re all cooking more at home these days and l’m always looking for different recipes to make. Thank you!
Hello Lisa, I’m happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe. I hope you love every recipe that you try!
I made tonight with 4 chicken thighs. Two for dinner and two for lunch tomorrow. With baked potatoes and peas—perfection.
And I am memorizing the lemon sauce recipe😍
Sounds like a great plan. Enjoy and I hope you love it!
how many chickens do i use for a family of 4. do i use 4 chickens or 2 chickens cut in half?
Hi, it depends on the size of your chicken breasts – I would use 2 large or 4 small.
Oh my goodness this was amazingly delicious. I made it as written and it turned out perfect. Definitely will be making it again. Thank you for all your GREAT recipes.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Louise!
Made this per directions and the family loved it! I served it with egg noodles and the only request was possibly thickening the sauce next time for serving over the noodles. Do you have any suggestions on how I could do that? Thank you
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Barb! Thank you for that great feedback! I haven’t tried thickening it myself but cooking it down or adding flour may do that trick!
corn starch
Is there any way to prepare this dish ahead of time so you don’t have to tend to it? I’m planning a dinner party and it would be nice to be able to pop it in the oven as opposed to tending to it over a skillet so you can be with guests as it bakes.
Yes, you can, Annie. Check out the portion in the recipe Can I Make this Ahead? You can also check the comments below it as others shared their experience making it ahead.
Just made this for dinner tonight! I did make some changes. I’m Keto so I omitted the “breading” and used chicken thighs. I also didn’t happen to have any chicken broth and didn’t want to boil some up with my better than bouillon so I just added a teaspoon of the bouillon to the melted butter and garlic and then used heavy cream in place of the chicken broth to make it a creamier sauce. I served it with asparagus and topped everything off with fresh grated Parmesan. Delicious!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Daela! Thank you for this wonderful review!
This is delicious! I’m trying keto so I used almond flour instead of regular flour. Came out great.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with us!
A family favorite! I love all of Natasha’s recipes. Always simple and flavor packed. I love making the lemon butter sauce with adding some poultry seasoning and a touch of of flaked sea salt.
Hello Julia, thank you so much for that! I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Can’t wait to make this again! Delicious and easy.
Looks like this recipe is going to be a favorite for you!
Hello Natasha,
I am still admittedly a novice, well, kinda, and if I lead with that and ask something stupid, i got wiggle room to save face… and with that admission, I’ll ask anyway. So, I’m gonna make this Lemon chicken and I was wondering, see, I bought, regrettably, a basic air fryer, well, because all the other kids have one, of course (reaching for humor, I’m 64 and rather sequestered, I have the “compromised” status so I’m not taking chances, 2 kitties and 3 grandkids, and 7 grandnieces and nephews I haven’t seen in a while so they, but I digress.
How would I alter this recipe so I can use that air fryer?
and so….
being the typical guy, I didn’t wait for instructions, I put it in the air fryer, for 22 minutes at 350 degrees. now to make the sauce!
Hi Al, I have not tested this in an air fryer but the chicken does rehear well in an air fryer. If you test that I would love to know how you like this recipe!
I find the oil in frying pan has to be really hot before putting anything coated,like bread crumbs or flour on it. Works great for me Great recipe.
Hi Kate, yes it is best to preheat the oil and pan & get it to the desired temperature before cooking.
Thank you both, Kate and Natasha. Now I’m wondering if my response to your response is like when someone at the movies, or the bar, or wherever calls your name and what do you know, there are other people with your name…. and your response was not directed at me at all..
Oh well.. hey! it was great! I had 4 breasts and cut them in half, and made 2 breasts, 4 halves in the air fryer and the same on the stove top…
A part that I left out of my introduction is that my brother lives nearby with 2 guys from the neighborhood that he and I grew up with, so lately, because there is only so much one guy can eat of the same thing, I look online and see recipes and determine, can I do it? And the answer is often the same, HELL YEAH. So in this case, I bought a flat of b/l, s/l chicken breast and get to make it, and by having my brother and HIS crew of 2, (Oh God, don’t tell them I referred to them that way…) so because of them, I can make and share.
Well, back to the point, it was very good, I’m goin it make it again soon. I got more to say but I fear my lengthy writings will foster a posting concerning limits of lengthy posts.
So y’all stay safe and stay well ’cause tomorrow needs us all.
Old Grandpa Al out. Thanks for listening!
Thank you so much for writing in Grandpa Al! I’m glad you gave this recipe a try! I hope you try and love more of our recipes!
I’m confused.
Hi Kate, what can I clarify? We agreed the pan needs to be hot and preheated before adding to the pan to avoid ingredients sticking, especially breading.
Sorry Natasha,It was Grampa Al”s comment I was confused about. I don’t know what he was trying to say. I think he was referring to me . Oh well . No big deal. Sorry Honey.!
Natasha,
I have made most of your recipes and loved them all.
This one is restaurant quality. My wife and I really enjoyed it.
Thank you for sharing that great feedback with us! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Absolutely delicious! I only had cream of chicken soup, so used that instead. Sauce was delicious with smalls pieces of chicken in it.
So good to know that your substitute worked well. Thanks for sharing that, Jane!