Several weeks ago, Ben and I mapped out a series of mini home renovation projects with the goal of having them completed by this weekend. Current completion count: zero. At least our dinners have been running on schedule, courtesy of easy, one-pan recipes like this Lemon Basil Chicken.
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My sister—who is in the midst of some home projects that make ours look as invasive as reorganizing a coat closet—warned me that real life is “not HGTV.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant…until I was driving to an IKEA in a different state to pick up several missing parts of the shelving units that the store forgot to ship.
Add the shelf snafu to our first round of curtains being too short (the right length is now back ordered until July), the guy installing our blinds leaving halfway through the job for another appointment (he still hasn’t been back), and the fact that the only concrete step we’ve taken towards repainting our kitchen cabinets is to narrow down the color options from 17 shades of “white” to 7, and you have a situation that is a far cry from the 48-hour flips as seen on HGTV.
Easy Skillet Meals – Lemon Basil Chicken
We have made some progress. Over the weekend, we built and installed the aforementioned IKEA shelves, which I gleefully loaded with stacks of plates, serving bowls, glassware, my entire cookbook collection, and heavy cast-iron skillets. It took the better part of an afternoon, but in the end, every dish and spoon had its perfect place. My cast iron skillets were going to be used in short order to make easy, one skillet meals like lemon basil chicken, skillet chicken and tomatoes and sausage white bean gnocchi.
Then, two hours later, we realized the shelves needed to move three inches to the right. We had to pull every single item from the shelves, and a good number of them are still scattered around my office. I feel like this probably doesn’t happen on HGTV.
Because we’ve been dedicating the majority of our free time toward the house, I’ve been appreciating quick and easy dinners like this Lemon Basil Chicken even more so than usual. Chunks of juicy chicken stir-fried with garlic, fresh lemon, and basil, this recipe requires hardly 5 minutes of prep and can be on your plate in 20.
How to Make One-Pan Lemon Basil Chicken
To make Lemon Basil Chicken a complete meal, I added several handfuls of fresh spinach. You can feel free to bulk it up further with any other sautéed veggies you enjoy or have on hand. We served our Lemon Basil Chicken over brown rice for dinner, and the next day, I tossed the leftovers with my salad for lunch. This would also be great served alongside Oven Roasted Potatoes (make the baked potatoes in oven while cooking the Lemon Basil Chicken on the stove top).
When getting a healthy meal on the table feels like a project of its own, keep this simple Lemon Basil Chicken in mind. While it might not be reality TV-worthy, in the reality of NEED DINNER NOW, it’s a star!
Recommended Tools to Make This Dish
- Cast-iron skillet (this is another excellent and budget-friendly option)
- Non-slip cutting board
Lemon Basil Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion finely chopped, about 1 cup
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 cups loosely packed baby spinach about 5 ounces
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Prepared brown rice for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Once hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 additional seconds.
- Add the chicken, increase the heat to medium high, and let cook for 3 minutes, browning all sides. Stir in the soy sauce and black pepper. Let cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
- Stir in the spinach a few handfuls at a time, letting the heat of the pan wilt it as you go. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and basil. Cook and stir just until the basil is wilted, about 1 additional minute. Taste and season with additional salt or pepper as desired. Serve warm with rice as desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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Hi Erin—Enjoyed this recipe very much. I used kale instead of spinach the first time I made it, then tried broccoli as another option the second time. Served with cauliflower rice sautéed with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
Great to hear, thank you Rob!
My teen kids love this recipe! I add pasta to it and cheese.
So happy to hear, thank you Sandra!
This was very flavorful! I ate it on spaghetti squash roasted with basil infused olive oil and garlic. It was very good! Thank you Erin!
Thank you Jinni!
I had an abundance of fresh basil and my partner found this recipe. I was concerned it would be dry, but all it needed with some grated Parmesan cheese and a little more soy sauce. Very, very good! I like the brightness of the lemon with the soy sauce.
So glad you enjoyed it, Tim! Thank you!
I added a little more lemon juice on accident but it still tasted amazing. Love how easy this was and no marinading needed!
Thank you Kristina!
Delicious! I have a lot of basil to use, so I will be making this again!
Thank you Jen!
This is delicious! Definitely going into the rotation. I ate it on its own and it was great. Going to add to pasta next time. Thanks!
Great to hear, thank you Jaimie!
Fresh and delicious! I will add a bit of broth to make more of a sauce for the rice! It was amazing.
Great to hear, thank you Kimberly!
I made this recipe as is! It was delicious. A perfect summer meal.
Thank you Ashley!
This was a wonderful surprise. I used chicken thighs and cooked them longer, separately – adding the onion mixture after they were probably 3/4 cooked and then carried on with the spinach/basil etc. Spectacular over rice.
So glad you enjoyed it, Colleen! Thank you!
Often disappointed with recipes, or I like it but the other half says “that’s twice right? The first time ad the last time”.
Well we both agree this is a keeper. Different veggies for me and him, but it’s been a long time since we agreed on a new recipe. Hallelujah!
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Debby!
This is a wonderful summer time recipe. It tastes fresh and is light and refreshing.
The lemon and basil really complement each other.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Karen! Looks great!