Recipe

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Try this easy lemon garlic chicken recipe for a creamy and tasty dinner that is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. A one-skillet meal you'll want to enjoy often!

When you crave a meal big in flavor with very little work, this lemon garlic chicken solves dinner in a flash.

Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts

This lemon garlic chicken recipe is all about the flavor! Lean meat from chicken breasts absorbs all the taste of a drool-worthy creamy sauce made of garlic, lemon, and butter.

While I often serve these chicken breasts with asparagus, this protein pairs amazingly well with all kinds of side dishes for a nutritious, complete meal. Woohoo!

Ingredients

You’ll need salt, black pepper, and olive oil to season and cook the boneless skinless chicken breasts. For the sauce, you’ll use butter, shallots, garlic cloves, dried thyme (or Italian seasoning), store-bought or homemade chicken broth, lemon, and whole milk (half and half also works).

How to Make Lemon Garlic Chicken in a Skillet

Here’s how to make this lemon garlic chicken in one skillet:

Butterfly two chicken breasts into 4 thinner pieces for even and quicker cooking. Pat dry with a paper towel and season.
Sear the chicken breasts in a large hot skillet. Let them cook on the first side for about 4 minutes without moving them. Once golden, flip and cook for 4 to 5 extra minutes until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165F.
Sauté shallot in the same pan with butter until it’s translucent and golden. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
To make the sauce, add the chicken broth and milk (or half and half) to the pan, bringing it to a simmer while stirring the tidbits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme and stir to combine.
Combine the cooked chicken back into the pan with the sauce, and squeeze in the lemon juice. Simmer for 10 minutes.

chicken breasts in a creamy sauce in a skillet

How to Know When the Chicken is Done

Chicken breasts are done when the internal temperature reaches 165F (or 175F for chicken thighs) and the surface is golden brown. Since the cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer.

What Goes Good with Lemon Chicken

You can upgrade dinner and serve lemon chicken asparagus pasta, or add delicious sides such as Southern mashed potatoes, cauliflower rice, creamy Parmesan polenta, or a simple side salad.

Garlic Lemon Chicken Breasts (Skillet Recipe)

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Try this easy lemon garlic chicken recipe for a creamy and tasty dinner that is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. A one-skillet meal you'll want to enjoy often!

5 from 24 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into 4 pieces
½ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme or Italian seasoning
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole milk or half-and-half, warmed
1 medium lemon, juiced

Instructions

Cook the chicken:

On a flat surface, butterfly the two chicken breasts into 4 thinner pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and heat it up. Place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and cook, without moving them, for 4 minutes on the first side, then once golden and seared, flip them over and continue cooking for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken breasts' internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove from pan onto a plate.

Make the sauce:

To the same pan, add the butter and melt it, using the back of a spatula to grease the entire surface. Add the chopped shallot and sauté, for 2 minutes, until it's translucent and golden. Add the garlic, and stir to cook the garlic for about 30 seconds.
Add the chicken broth and milk or half and half to the pan, bringing it to a simmer while stirring the tidbits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, stir to combine.

Combine:

Add the cooked chicken back into the pan, squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, and mix to combine the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover it with a lid, and simmer for 10 minutes.