Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce

Winner winner chicken dinner. Delicious, creamy skillet chicken with lemon garlic sauce is a one-skillet meal that is ready in just 30 minutes. It's garicky, saucy, creamy, and packed with so much flavour. Yup, that sounds like a winner to me. It is the perfect weeknight meal. The only downside: there will be no leftovers.⁠

What makes this chicken turn out perfect every time? Well, there are many reasons:

1. the flavour is incredible - this tender chicken is coated in to-die-for, lemon garlic sauce. This sauce is goes with everything. I pour it over vegetables and other side dishes. Just picture this: rice soaked in lemon garlic sauce... umm YUM. I usually double the sauce so that I have extra for that very reason!
2. the technique is on point -- first you pan-fry the chicken, then make the sauce, combine the two, and place the skillet into the oven. This technique yields irresistible, juicy and perfect skillet chicken... every. single. time.
3. cooking in a cast-iron skillet -- this makes all the difference because you can easily just take your skillet off the stove and pop it in the oven.

Ingredients in Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce

• chicken breasts - boneless and skinless, sliced horizontally because more surface area = more flavour.
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• shallot - finely diced.
• chicken broth - for extra flavour.
• light cream - you can't have creamy sauce without some cream. This can also be substituted with half and half cream.
• butter
• garlic - lots of garlic please! Four heaping cloves to be exact.
• red pepper powder - this gives the sauce a little spicy kick. If you can't handle the heat, leave it out.
• lemon juice
• Italian parsley

How to Make the Perfect Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce

1. Precook the chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Remove chicken and set aside.
2. Cook the rest of the ingredients. Add the shallots to the skillet. Sauté until soft and translucent. Stir in the chicken broth, cream, butter, garlic and red pepper powder. Bring sauce to a simmer, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until sauce thickens.
3. Add chicken. Remove skillet from the stovetop. Stir in the lemon juice and Italian parsley. Add in chicken and toss to coat with sauce. 
4. Bake. Transfer skillet to a preheated 400 F oven and cook for 6-8 minutes until chicken is done. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips for Making Skillet Chicken

• Use a cast-iron skillet. A cast-iron skillet is necessary to make this chicken because you can easily transfer it directly from the stovetop to the oven.

Recipe

Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce

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★★★★★

4.7 from 11 reviews

• Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 servings
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Delicious, creamy skillet chicken with lemon garlic sauce is a one-skillet meal that is ready in 30 minutes. It's garlicky, saucy, creamy, and so flavourful. 

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Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally (about 1.3 lbs.)
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely diced (about ½ cup)
• 2 + ½ cups chicken broth
• ¾ cup light cream or half and half
• 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper powder
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (approximately juice from ½ lemon)
• 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
4. Add the shallots to the skillet. Saute for a couple minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the chicken broth, cream, butter, garlic and red pepper powder. (Note: if you do not like spicy, add just a pinch of red pepper powder). Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
5. Bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 12-15 minutes until sauce thickens and until sauce is reduced by half (or more if you desire a thicker consistency). This may take more or less time, depending on your stove. It will also thicken up slightly more in the oven.
6. Remove skillet from the stovetop. Stir in the lemon juice and Italian parsley. Add in the chicken and toss to coat with sauce. Transfer skillet to the oven and cook for 6-8 minutes until chicken is done.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes and serve!

Notes

Simmer uncovered. To ensure that your sauce thickens, simmer uncovered over medium heat until the sauce is reduced by half. This should take 12-15 minutes, but could take longer depending on your stove.

Use a cast-iron skillet. A cast-iron skillet is necessary to make this chicken because you can easily transfer it directly from the stovetop to the oven.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Chicken
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: skillet chicken, one pan chicken, creamy chicken, garlic chicken, weeknight dinner, one pan