prep time: 25 MINUTES, cook time: 35 MINUTES, total time: 1 HOUR.
This Lemon Chicken recipe has a Creamy, flavorful sauce with a hint of tang! BONUS: There is plenty of sauce in this recipe to pair this with pasta.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine, like chardonnay or pinot grigio
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated. See notes.
- 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons cold salted butter, Optional
For Serving
- 3/4 lb. spaghetti, optional
To Garnish
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Freshly sliced lemon
Instructions
Cut, Pound, Dredge, and Sear the Chicken:
- Slice the chicken in half to create 2 thinner slices. Place the chicken in a gallon freezer bag (or in between saran wrap) and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick.
- Season with lemon pepper seasoning. You may also season with salt if desired, the Redmond Real Salt brand of lemon pepper seasoning that I use already contains sea salt.
- Combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder, on a large plate. Set aside.
- Pat the chicken dry and dredge each side in the flour mixture. Tap off excess.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside and leave brown remnants in the pan.
Prepare the Sauce:
- Add the wine and garlic. Set heat to medium. Bubble gently for about 4 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” any remaining brown flecks on the pan while the wine reduces and incorporate it into the liquid for more flavor.
- Add the chicken broth, chicken bouillon, and mustard powder. Bring to a gentle boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so, to thicken and concentrate the flavor. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the heavy cream slowly, stirring continuously.
- Stir in the lemon juice and slowly sprinkle in the Parmesan, stirring continuously, until combined. Add the chicken back and let the chicken warm through.
- Optional: Swirl in 2 Tbsp. cold butter to give the sauce a smooth, velvety finish.
To Serve with Pasta:
- Boil up to 3/4 lb. of spaghetti once the chicken is added back to the sauce. Drain.
- Remove chicken and set on serving plates. Use kitchen tongs to add the spaghetti to the pot with the sauce until your desired sauce/pasta ratio is obtained. Toss to coat. (OR, serve this with my easy Buttered Noodles.)
- Garnish with parsley and lemon slices and serve!
Notes
If your chicken breasts are small, consider using 4 instead of 2 for this recipe.
Pro Tips:
- Parmesan Cheese: I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese in this recipe and put 1 cup in the sauce. Some Parmesan cheese varieties may have a stronger taste, consider adding 1/2 cup at first, then add more if desired.
- Use the meat tenderizer to create a textured surface on the chicken. This gives the breading something to cling onto, which also gives you a nice sear. Pounding the chicken also makes it more tender.
- Chicken plumps up more when cooked so don’t be afraid to pound it thin.
- Fresh lemon juice is much more flavorful than bottled.
- Use fresh garlic (vs. jarred) if possible.
- Redmond Real Salt lemon pepper seasoning is my favorite brand for seasoning this chicken, it also contains sea salt and has a lot of great flavor.
- Capers and/or spinach can be added to the sauce at the end of cooking if desired.
- 1/2 Cup chicken broth and 1 Tbsp. butter can be used instead of white wine if needed.
- Be sure to serve this with my easy Roasted Asparagus!
Nutritional facts do not include the optional 3/4 lb. spaghetti.
Nutrition
Calories: 557kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 119mg, Sodium: 912mg, Potassium: 425mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1235IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 425mg, Iron: 2mg