Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken (Print Version)

Pan-seared chicken in a zesty lemon garlic butter sauce, ready in 35 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Coating & Sautéing

03 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

→ Lemon Garlic Sauce

06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
09 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

# How to Cook:

01 - Season chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece lightly in flour, shaking off any excess to ensure an even, thin coating.
02 - Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the fat is shimmering, add the chicken breasts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil to rest.
03 - Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant and just beginning to color, taking care not to burn.
04 - Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until it begins to reduce and thicken slightly.
05 - Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over each piece and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken is warmed through and well coated.
06 - Scatter freshly chopped parsley over the chicken and serve immediately, spooning extra sauce from the pan over each portion.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in the same pan so every single browned bit ends up flavoring your dinner instead of stuck to your dish sponge
  • It tastes like something from a restaurant but uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen right now
02 -
  • Crowding the pan drops the temperature and steams the chicken instead of searing it so cook in two batches if your skillet is not wide enough
  • The fond, those browned bits stuck to the pan, is where most of the flavor lives so scraping them into the sauce is the whole point of this method
03 -
  • Let the butter foam and subside before adding chicken because that visual cue means the fat is hot enough for a real sear
  • Zest the lemon before you juice it since it is nearly impossible to zest a squeezed lemon half

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