Lemon Butter Chicken
My deep loathing of washing dishes and corresponding passion for dinners that cook in one pan is well documented by now (see: one pan meals). Latest love: Lemon Butter Chicken.
Tender, juicy chicken breasts bathing in a creamy lemon butter sauce that (impossible though it may sound) contains no cream, this easy chicken dinner is Paleo friendly, keto friendly, and people-who-love-delicious-food extra friendly.
This recipe also includes two healthy food groups, making it a complete meal.
Your choice of green vegetable cooks in the sauce right alongside the chicken. We opted for green beans the first time.
Given how much we also love this Baked Lemon Chicken, I suspect a version of Lemon Butter Chicken with asparagus is soon to follow.
How to Make Lemon Butter Chicken
This easy Lemon Butter Chicken starts on the stove, then transitions to the oven.
- Start with the Sear. See that gorgeous golden color on the outside of the chicken breasts? That’s the very first step to this recipe. Heat your skillet, melt the butter, then place your chicken breasts in the skillet and try to forget about them for a few minutes. The less you move the chicken, the better the sear will be.
- Sauté Them Veggies. Once the chicken is seared, it’s time to cook the veggies. Shallots, Italian seasoning, and a generous heap of garlic keeps it breezy and delicious.
- Sauce It Up. Most Lemon Butter Chicken recipes call for heavy whipping cream. Instead, I took a note from my favorite Thai Chicken Curry and used full-fat coconut milk. DELICIOUS.
My Lemon Butter Chicken no cream spin yielded a sauce that was velvety rich and begging to be mopped up with a big hunk of crusty bread.
The mild coconut milk flavor tastes dreamy with the lemon yet is subtle. It supports the Lemon Butter Chicken without overpowering the recipe.
Once all the ingredients have been added to the pan, all that remains is to…
- Bake. This chicken recipe begins on the stove, then transitions to the oven. In the oven, the chicken cooks to juicy perfection, the sauce thickens, and the vegetables turn crisp-tender.
Another side effect of baked lemon chicken: your entire family is likely to show up in your kitchen while it cooks. The aroma of garlic and golden chicken baking in butter and citrus is not to be resisted.
What to Serve with Lemon Butter Chicken
As written, this recipe yields a generous amount of protein and veggies and a good amount of the lemon butter sauce too.
If you’d like to round it out with another side, here are a few ideas:
- Pasta. Serve the chicken and vegetables over whole wheat noodles. Linguine or penne would be especially nice.
- Brown Rice. How we ate it! I cut up the chicken and vegetables into smaller pieces, then mixed it and the sauce with brown rice.
- Lemon Rice. For true citrus lovers.
- Cauliflower Rice. Ideal for those looking to keep the recipe low carb or seeking keto lemon butter chicken breasts.
- Warm Baguette. Ideal for sauce dunking.
- Roasted Vegetables of Your Choice. Try Roasted Potatoes and Carrots or Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Oven Safe Skillet. This skillet will take you from stovetop to oven.
- Instant Read Thermometer. The best way to check your chicken for doneness.
While I ever adore one-pan meals, I’m especially appreciative of this chicken at the moment because we don’t have a dishwasher or kitchen sink!
We’re in the midst of a kitchen remodel, which means that we’ve either been eating out or “cooking” things that don’t have any cleanup, since we don’t have a good way to wash things.
If you’d like to see the kitchen’s progress, be sure to follow Well Plated on Instagram and watch my Instagram stories.
Even after our kitchen is complete and I have a place to wash dishes again, this Lemon Butter Chicken is destined for the regular rotation.
With its fast prep, bright and creamy sauce, and one-pan prowess, I know it will be a well-loved go-to for you as well.
Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs — or a mix!
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter — divided (swap ghee to make Paleo friendly)
- 1 pound green beans — ends trimmed and cut in half (or swap trimmed asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 1 shallot — minced
- 2 cloves garlic — minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 medium lemon — zest and juice, plus additional lemon slices for serving
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk — do not use light or the sauce won't thicken properly
- Chopped fresh thyme or parsley
For serving:
- Prepared brown rice
- Cauliflower rice
- Nice crusty bread
- Whole wheat pasta
Instructions
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- In a large, ovenproof skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until deeply golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the remaining tablespoon butter, then the green beans, shallot, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring often, until the green beans are crisp-tender. Remove from the heat. Zest the lemon into the pan, then squeeze in the lemon juice. Slowly pour in the coconut milk while stirring to combine. Return the reserved chicken to the skillet.
Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 15 to 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the chicken registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear (the cook time will vary based on the size of your chicken). Top with parsley. Serve with extra lemon wedges and rice, pasta, and/or fresh bread for mopping up the sauce, if desired.
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This really sounds good! Thanks for your Lemon Butter Chicken recipe. Good luck with your kitchen remodel.
Thanks, Peggy! I hope you enjoy the recipe if you decide to try it.
OMG, Erin, this sounds like THE PERFECT chicken recipe, especially for entertaining! The ingredients sound amazing and the end result, perfection! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much, Laurie! I hope you love it.
Can I sub cream for the coconut milk
Definitely Jana! I’d use a reduced amount. Start with 3/4 cup, then if you want it more saucy, pour in some extra at the end.
We made this on Friday night and it was delicious. Served with a baguette and it was the perfect ending to a busy week.
Hooray! Thanks for reporting back, Kara. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Husband gave it 8 “wow, this is a great dish” compliments–6 during the meal and 2 afterwards. He thought it was a dish worthy of being served in a ritzy restaurant and loved the sauce with the green beans. He would have given it 6 stars out of 5 if he could. I don’t have a big oven proof skillet so I browned the chicken and pulled the sauce together with the green beans in a skillet, then transferred to a pyrex casserole dish. Not quite 1 dish but not bad. Thanks for another great recipe, Erin!
Thank you so much Beverly. What a compliment! I am so pleased. I really appreciate the 5 star rating too. It’s super helpful for others as well!
Erin – this recipe was a huge hit with the whole family and super easy to make! Even my super-picky 5 year old loved it.
Katie-Rose, so so sooo happy to hear it, thank you!!
I had only 2 chicken thighs so I added beef polish sausage to my asparagus-shiitake mushroom veggie mix. I thought I truly mangled the recipe, but it is delicious. The sauce is yummy regardless of the meat. Thank you!
Vicki, thanks for sharing your tweaks! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I am thrilled with the coconut milk instead of cream – wow! What a silky twist with the lemon. I used asparagus for an incredible win, win, win! Thank you for, yet again, another fine meal!
Hooray! I’m glad this recipe was a hit, Brenna. Thanks for taking the time to share this review!
Erin could you do the whole dish on top of the stove instead of baking. My oven is not working. Or maybe crockpot.
Hi Kay, I have not tried that myself, but I think you could experiment if your oven is not working!
This was so incredibly good!! I put it over cauliflower rice to help eat as much sauce as possible. Super easy being in one pan. Will definitely make this again.
Katie, thanks for sharing this review! I’m glad it was a winner.
So delicious. ? Will be making again!
I’m glad you loved it, Jenn! Thanks for taking the time to share this review!
Hi Erin:
How long is baked in the oven and what temperature. ? :)
Hi Yiyi, check out the recipe! I mention both the oven temp (in step 1) and the timing there. I hope you enjoy!
I now know the recipe behind the phrase ‘Winner, winner, chicken dinner!’ Like literally every other recipe I’ve made from this site this is AMAZING! My 5 year old brother – who like nothing but pizza and ice cream – said ‘I actually like this chicken!’ WILL WONDERS NEVER CEASE? My mind is blown! The problem is, I’m writing a review for every recipe I make. Soon, I’m going to run out of glowing things to say. Would you be mad if I had a default ‘amazing recipe’ review? Anyway, this is yet another going on the dinner schedule! Love that it limits the dishes, too!
Hi Kassidy! You MADE my day with this incredibly kind review! I’m so happy your brother enjoyed this recipe too!
A very tasty, easy recipe with limited prep and next to no cleanup! Bonus all around. My husband loved it and couldn’t say enough about how delicious it was. I will definitely serve this again and again.
Patti, this means so much to hear. I really appreciate your taking time for this review!