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Toss your pasta, drizzle it over chicken, or spoon it over salmon, and let this lemon garlic sauce turn your basic meals into something crave-worthy.
Best-Ever Lemon Garlic Sauce
For nights when I need to give whatever I’m making a quick upgrade, this lemon-garlic sauce is the recipe I reach for.
It can transform plain seared chicken breasts and cooked pasta into epic meals like a creamy garlic chicken pasta or a lemon chicken and asparagus pasta. I know you’ll love how, in 20 minutes, you can elevate any ingredients you have on hand.
Ingredients
The base of this sauce is made with butter, half-and-half, and chicken broth (you can also use vegetable broth). The flavor comes from the sauteéd shallots (or onion), garlic cloves, thyme (or Italian seasoning), and, of course, fresh lemon.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Sauce
This lemon garlic sauce is best made in a large pan with sides. Some tips in the main steps include:
- Make the sauce
Sautéing the shallot and garlic until they’re soft and fragrant starts this recipe. Then, you’ll add the liquids, making sure to warm the milk so it doesn’t separate, and the thyme for its earthy flavor. - Simmer
Simmer it for 10 minutes on medium-low heat, covered. For a thicker sauce, you can add a slurry.
Make next: White White Wine Sauce without Cream
Making It Creamy
The flavor of this sauce is epic, but for a creamier texture, use half-and-half (or cream) rather than milk, which is thinner.
Sauce Cooking Tips and Tricks
The one ingredient that affects the outcome of this lemon garlic sauce is the dairy base used to make it. Milk yields a thinner sauce, whereas half-and-half or cream yields a richer and creamier sauce. Other tips include:
Stirring the sauce while it simmers will help you check on the consistency and whether you need to thicken it with a slurry (especially if you used milk).
Warm the dairy ingredient and add it slowly to prevent curdling. This natural separation often happens because of the acidity in the lemon juice.
Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce for Pasta or Chicken
Ingredients
- 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 medium lemon, juiced & zested
- 1 cup whole milk, half-and-half, or cream, warmed
Instructions
Make the sauce:
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter. Add the chopped shallot and lemon zest and sauté for 2 minutes, until it’s translucent and golden. Add the garlic and sauté it for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Heat up the milk, half-and-half, or cream before adding it to the pan to prevent separation.Add it to the pan and stir until it comes to a simmer. Add the thyme (or Italian seasoning) and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
- Check on the sauce. To reduce it further, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or add a slurry, which might be necessary if you used milk. See the note below. Stir and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Serve:
- Toss this lemon garlic sauce with cooked pasta or over your favorite protein.
Notes
- Swap the shallots for ¼ of cup finely chopped white or yellow onion. If you want to use garlic powder, use 2 teaspoons instead of the whole garlic cloves.
- If your sauce won’t thicken, make a slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Mix that liquid into the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes on low.
Kat says
Obsessed with this lemon garlic sauce. Literally want to pour it over everything.
Janie says
This was the perfect sauce to add to my pasta! I had alot of lemons and needed to make something with and this recipe was it!
Kristin says
I love a delicious, versatile recipe like this. There’s so much you can do with it!
Maria says
Soooo good. I made this to go over pan-seared tilapia and asparagus, and we loved it.
Swathi says
I agree with you this lemon garlic sauce is so versatile my simple pasta dinner got elevated by this.
Nicole says
Ooh, this is so good! I made it with grilled chicken and linguini. YUMMO!
Liz says
I’m always looking for new ways to jazz up simple grilled salmon. Your sauce came to the rescue—-it was easy to make and paired delicious with our salmon!
kate says
Lovely sauce – super easy changed it up a bit with what I had on hand. Used heavy cream, finely chopped fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped green onions, chiffonade of basil the last few minutes of simmering. Topped off some GF Jovial egg tagliatelle pasta with stir fried fresh veggies with toasted slivered almonds & tequila infused salt.
Next time I will simmer some finely diced jalapenos in the sauce.
Carla says
Wish I could say I liked it, but I didn’t. Not at all. Made it as written. No changes.
Laura Fuentes says
I’m sorry you did not like this sauce.
Nancy says
Doubled the recipe but only used one lemon, used both spices instead of just one. What a nice flavor over vegetables and gnocchi ! It just came together beautifully!
Ellen Hall says
My lemon garlic sauce will not thicken…what can l do?
Laura Fuentes says
If your sauce won’t thicken, make a slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Mix that liquid into the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes on low.
Abby says
Delicious lemon garlic sauce!
Cara says
The ultimate lemon garlic sauce for pasta!
Janna says
Obsessing over how good this lemon garlic sauce is!!
Dayna says
Incredible sauce!
G-Man says
All I got is heavy whipping cream, will that work?
Laura Fuentes says
Absolutely!
Carla says
This sauce is so yummy!
Jackie says
This was so good!
Jean says
Easy and tasted amazing!
Kendall says
I made this sauce for pasta and it turned out fastastic! So so delicious and creamy!
phoebe says
Creamy, lemony… this really is the best sauce for pasta!
Cathy says
Yummy!!!
Ari says
Talk about the easiest way to level up your chicken! Absolutely delicious!
Carla says
This lemon garlic sauce was nothing short of EPIC! Definitely make it again.
Estella says
Holy smokes! This lemon garlic sauce transformed my plain and boring chicken breasts and my kids loved it. Next time I’ll try it with pasta. thank you
April Johnson says
Thank you for this recipe! It is out if this world. Yummy
kushi says
Simple and flavorful garlic sauce recipe. Thanks a lot fir sharing.
Elisa says
Love this lemon garlic sauce recipe, looks delicious and is easy to make. I will make it for dinner when I make chicken. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Beth says
I actually had shrimp in the freezer, so I used this sauce for them instead of chicken. It was so good!
Tara says
Oh yum! Such a wonderful sauce for pairing with pasta. Those flavors sound absolutely amazing.
suja md says
This Lemon Garlic Sauce was extremely delicious.
Miriam says
This creamy lemon garlic sauce was absoltuely fantastic over pasta last night. I’m obsessed.
Anni Grassie says
Love this sauce! I poured it over sauteed shrimp, broccoli, & sun-dried tomatoes. Really good with added Parmesan!
Maria Rocha says
Delicious sauce! I didn’t have a shallot so I just added a little extra garlic. I didn’t have the 1/2 and 1/2 so I ended up adding heavy cream. I only used 1/2 of a medium lemon. Topped it with fresh Parmesan and basil. Yum!
Laura Fuentes says
Than you for sharing how much you enjoyed this lemon garlic sauce!