Lemon Butter Chicken
Chicken breasts pounded flat, pan-seared golden, then finished in a quick lemon butter pan sauce. Done in 25 minutes. The sauce comes together in the same skillet.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 4 tbspall-purpose flour
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 60 gunsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves
- 200 mlchicken broth
- 3 tbsplemon juice
- 1 tsplemon zest
- 1 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspblack pepper
- 2 tbspfresh parsley
Method
- Cut each chicken breast horizontally in half to make 4 thin cutlets. Place between plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness of about 1.5 cm. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Spread flour in a shallow dish. Dredge each cutlet on both sides, shaking off the excess.
- Heat olive oil and half the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the cutlets. Cook 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through. Work in batches if needed — don't crowd the pan. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to the same skillet and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan — those are flavor. Bring to a simmer and cook 2–3 minutes until reduced by about half.
- Pull the pan off the heat. Add the remaining cold butter cubes one at a time, swirling the pan constantly until each piece melts and the sauce becomes glossy and slightly thickened. Add lemon zest.
- Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over each cutlet. Scatter parsley on top and serve immediately.
FAQ
Uneven thickness. A chicken breast is thicker in the center — the edges cook and dry out before the middle reaches temperature. Slice each breast horizontally in half and pound both halves to a uniform 1.5 cm. Even thickness means every part hits doneness at the same time. This single step fixes the dry-outside, raw-inside problem almost entirely.
Two things cause broken sauce: butter added to liquid that's too hot, or adding all the butter at once. The right method: reduce the broth and lemon juice by half first, then pull the pan completely off the heat. Add cold butter cubes one at a time, swirling constantly until each one melts before adding the next. Cold butter emulsifies as it melts. Room temperature or melted butter added to hot liquid just makes the sauce greasy.
Yes, and often the result is better — thighs are fattier and more forgiving of a minute over. Boneless skinless thighs cook in nearly the same time as pounded breasts. Bone-in thighs need 5 to 7 extra minutes; sear on the stovetop then finish in the oven at 180°C to ensure the center cooks through without drying out the surface.
The juice of half a lemon (about 3 tablespoons) for 4 portions is a safe baseline. Lemon zest amplifies the aroma without adding more acid — always add zest. If the sauce tastes too sharp, add one more cube of cold butter; fat softens acidity. Never add sugar to balance it — it changes the character of the dish entirely.
2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat in a skillet over low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of chicken broth or water — the sauce reconstitutes as it warms. The microwave dries the chicken out. You can also reheat in the oven at 160°C covered with foil for 10 to 12 minutes.
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Comments (1)
The pan needs to be properly hot before the large chicken breasts goes in for lemon butter chicken. A lukewarm pan steams instead of sears. Wait until you see the faintest wisp of smoke — that's your signal.