Creamy lemon garlic chicken is a quick and easy dinner idea that brings a restaurant-quality meal to your dinner table at home. Tender and juicy chicken breast is seared and then tossed into a creamy homemade sauce loaded with garlic, lemon juice, and seasoning. It's a flavorful and delicious 30-minute recipe - the perfect meal to make any night of the week, whether you're impressing a date on date night, feeding a family, or preparing meals for the next week.
Why You'll Love Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
- It's an easy chicken dinner. It's always better when a recipe is easy to follow, and this creamy chicken recipe is just that. The best part is that even though you will know how easy it was to make, no one else will. It's a restaurant-quality meal that you can fool anyone into thinking it took much more effort to make.
- It's a quick weeknight meal. Chicken recipes are always my go-to's when it comes to a quick dinner on busy weeknights. This creamy lemon garlic chicken is ready to eat in just 30 minutes. A totally perfect and delicious last-minute meal to squeeze in after a long day.
- Tender, juicy chicken. It's easy to make tender and juicy pan-seared chicken in this creamy lemon garlic chicken. But if you happen to overcook your chicken, it's no problem. The creamy lemon garlic sauce will save the day and add any lost juiciness right back in.
- A perfect recipe for all. Whether you're a beginner and still learning a few things in the kitchen or you've been cooking for years, this creamy lemon garlic chicken recipe is perfect for everyone - easy and delicious.
Ingredient Notes
To make this easy and delicious Creamy Garlic Lemon Chickn, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- chicken breast - I recommend using boneless skinless chicken breast to get the best results in this recipe. You could also use boneless chicken thighs and adjust the cook time when searing the chicken as needed.
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- butter + all-purpose flour - this creates a roux to thicken up the sauce.
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- lemon juice
- seasoning - fresh parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons and a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet.
How to Make the Best Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Season the chicken. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken breasts completely dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Sear chicken. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Make creamy sauce. In the same pan, melt butter and sauté onion and garlic until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until smooth, about 1 minute. Add broth and heavy cream. Mix well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer until thickened to a desired consistency, about 4-5 minutes. Add paprika, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly combined.
- Toss in chicken. Return the chicken to the skillet. Toss well to coat and cook until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
How to Serve
Serve this quick and easy Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken with a starchy side to soak up all of that delicious cream sauce. Some of my favorite side dishes to pair it with are:
- Cacio e Pepe Pasta
- Steamed Rice
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- No Wine Parmesan Risotto
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Ciabatta Rolls
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Tips for making a roux: A roux is a mixture of flour and butter (or oil). It's used to thicken up sauces such as gravy, and soups, but it can turn lumpy if you're not careful. To remove any lumps, slowly stir in the liquids after you've created a smooth roux.
- How to store: Keep leftover creamy lemon garlic chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- How to reheat: To reheat, heat the saucy chicken on the stovetop over medium heat in a covered pan, stirring occasionally until warmed through. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in some extra broth or water (or a combination of the two) to thin it out. For faster reheating, cut the chicken into smaller pieces.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
- 50 Best Chicken Breast Recipes
- Chicken Madeira
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Chicken Marsala
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken
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Recipe
Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Creamy lemon garlic chicken is a quick and easy dinner idea that brings a restaurant-quality meal home. It's a flavorful and delicious 30-minute recipe.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Use a paper towel to pat the chicken breasts completely dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- In the same pan, melt butter and sauté onion and garlic until tender, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add broth and heavy cream. Mix well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer until thickened to a desired consistency, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add paprika, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly combined.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Toss well to coat and cook until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips for making a roux: A roux is a mixture of flour and butter (or oil). It's used to thicken up sauces such as gravy, and soups, but it can turn lumpy if you're not careful. To remove any lumps, slowly stir in the liquids after you've created a smooth roux.
How to store: Keep leftover creamy lemon garlic chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
How to reheat: To reheat, heat the saucy chicken on the stovetop over medium heat in a covered pan, stirring occasionally until warmed through. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in some extra broth or water (or a combination of the two) to thin it out. For faster reheating, cut the chicken into smaller pieces.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Dreka says
I made this chicken it was wonderfully delicious ☺️!!!! It was so good I made it twice in one week!!
C-diggity says
This was so easy and excellent. It was a rare hit with all 5 world renowned food critics in the family - lol!
Didn't have cream so used some sour cream and milk (homemade buttermilk, if you will), and it was still fantastic. I was doubtful of the amount of garlic at first, but it was exactly right. I was generous with lemon juice and was probably too heavy handed on the salt & pepper on the chicken (there was an accident with a loose lid, i'll admit). Served it all over some penne and it was gobbled right up!
I'm going to try this next time and add some fresh basil to see what that does.
Carrie Velthuysen says
Wow this was super delicious with minimum effort. I used evaporated milk instead of cream, but full flavour delivery was there. WIll definitely make this again!