Weeknight dinners don’t have to be boring. Full of buttery flavor and tart lemon twang, this Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce is tastier with every bite. Serve the chicken over pasta or mashed potatoes, and you have a complete dinner that only takes minutes to make (15 minutes of cook time)! It’s always on our family dinner rotation, and I know you’ll love it too.
The secret to getting a tasty chicken dinner on the table is pounding your chicken breasts. They cook faster and they’re more tender when you pound them. This recipe uses four chicken breasts, but they’re pounded. Take it a step further and cut them, if you prefer. The end result is tender, juicy chicken and the sauce is incredible.
Looking for even more delicious chicken dinner recipes? Here are some my most popular chicken recipes that Savvy Mama readers can’t get enough of:
Tips For Cooking Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce
For this recipe, you’ll need a large 10-inch cast-iron skillet. No baking is required and all of the cooking is down over the stovetop. A meat tenderizer is also helpful to pound your chicken breasts so they’re thin enough. I place my chicken breasts in a freezer bag and use the meat tenderizer until they’re thinned. There’s no cross-contamination and I just toss the freezer bag after using it!
What To Serve With This Chicken
I love mashed potatoes or pasta with this Lemon Butter Chicken. They’re both comforting options and a great stacking option. A fettuccine or bow tie would be great pasta shapes to use. Double the sauce if you love the pasta “swimming” in sauce.
If you’re looking for vegetable side dish options, a lemon asparagus is a great green choice for salad with homemade ranch dressing.
Why You Should Tenderize The Chicken Breasts
Tenderizing the chicken breasts or “pounding” it makes the chicken breasts thinner. This thinness helps seasonings penetrate the meat, helps the meat cook more evenly, and lowers the risk of the meat drying out before it cooks all the way through. The thinner chicken breasts also help cut cook time and this is a family dinner that you want to get on the table on busy weeknights!
How To Store Leftovers
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight food storage container. For the best freshness, enjoy the leftovers within 4-5 days of cooking. To reheat the chicken, I microwave individual portions on high for 1-2 minutes. Stir the sauce if needed. I’ll make fresh pasta or mashed potatoes if I feel like it.
Can You Freeze Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce?
Yes! This chicken dish freezes really well. Transfer just the chicken and sauce into freezer bags and store the leftovers in the back of the freezer where temperatures are more stable. I do not recommend freezing pasta or mashed potatoes. Keep the chicken frozen for up to three months. To thaw the chicken, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Recipe Substitutions
This recipe also works well with pork chops! If you want to substitute pork chops instead of chicken, feel free to do so and follow the same exact recipe instructions. Pork needs an internal temperature of 145º before serving. I prefer the chicken flavor, but it’s a substitute to consider.
What You Need From The Grocery Store:
- Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2lb Chicken Breasts
- Poultry Seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chicken Broth
- Dijon Mustard
- Unsalted Butter
- Lemon Juice
- Honey
- Optional Garnish: Chopped Parsley
- Optional Sides: Pasta, Mashed Potato or Salad
Directions To Make Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce
Pound the chicken out pretty thin and even, you can leave them like that or cut them down the middle like i did after pounding. Season the chicken with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper on both sides.
In a large cast-iron skillet, add the vegetable oil and the seasoned chicken, cook on medium to high heat for about 5 minutes on each side. You want the chicken to have a golden sear on it.
Once the chicken is fully cooked and seared take the chicken on and set it aside on a plate. Add the chicken broth and let it steam and bubble for just a second and then stir.
Add the Dijon mustard, butter and lemon juice, stir on a medium to low heat until everything is melted together, stir until it becomes thicker and then turn off the heat.
If you want the sauce to be sweeter you can add the honey here and stir. Add the chicken back to the pan and flip all over to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!
Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce
This Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce is so incredibly easy to make! Seared seasoned chicken with a super yummy lemon butter sauce that gets coated all over. Lemon, Butter, Dijon mustard, and Chicken broth simmered to make the best sauce ever! Serve over mashed potatoes or pasta.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 lb of chicken breasts, about 4 breasts
- 1 tsp of poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of honey (optional)
- Optional Garnish: Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Pound the chicken out pretty thin. You can even leave them like that or cut them down the middle (like I did) after pounding. Season the chicken with the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper on both sides.
- In a large skillet, add the vegetable oil and the seasoned chicken, and cook on medium to high heat for about 5 minutes on each side. You want the chicken to have a golden sear on it.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked and seared take the chicken on and set it aside on a plate. Add the chicken broth & let it steam and bubble for just a second, and then stir.
- Addhe Dijon mustard, butter, and lemon juice, stir on medium to low heat until everything is melted together, stir until it becomes thicker, and then turn off the heat.
- If you want the sauce to be sweeter, you can add the honey here and stir. Add the chicken back to the pan and flip all over to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve over mashed potatoes or pasta.
Notes
- Store in a airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge.
- You can squeeze more lemon juice over the top of the chicken once it is done.
- Serves great over mashed potatoes or pasta.