It’s easy to make a restaurant-quality meal at home with this Lemon Chicken recipe. The sauce is creamy and flavorful with a hint of tang! Capers and spinach are optional additions to this meal as well.

Be sure to serve this with my Creamy Herb Pasta, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Green Beans!

Creamy Lemon Chicken in a skillet with lemon wedges and parsley.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

Get ready to cook like a gourmet chef, because this recipe is better than what you will find in many restaurants. The sauce is SO flavorful and isn’t loaded with butter, but has a perfect blend of ingredients that is savory, creamy, and tangy.

The recipe makes plenty of sauce that can be served with a side of spaghetti as well, read on for everything you need to know!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cut the chicken into 2 thinner slices. This cuts down on the pounding time. Place the chicken in a gallon freezer bag or in between saran wrap and pound it to 1/4 inch thin.

Pat dry and dredge in a seasoned flour/Parmesan mixture. Tap off excess. Heat olive oil and sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside and leave brown remnants in the pan.

Chicken Breasts before and after being breaded and fried.

Add white wine and garlic and let it bubble gently for about 4 minutes, until reduced by half. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan.

Add chicken broth, chicken bouillon, and mustard powder. Bring to a gentle boil and let it reduce and concentrate for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

A skillet with garlic, wine, and chicken broth for making creamy lemon sauce.

Stir in the cream and add the lemon juice. Slowly sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Add the chicken back and spoon sauce on top. Let the chicken heat through, the flour from the breading will thicken up the sauce more.

Adding cream and Parmesan cheese to a skillet next to a finish skillet of Creamy Lemon Chicken.

Optional: Boil up to 3/4 lb. spaghetti when the chicken is added back to the sauce. Drain. Place the chicken on serving plates and add the pasta to the pot with the sauce until desired pasta/sauce ratio is obtained. 

Garnish with parsley and sliced lemon and serve! 

Creamy Lemon Chicken vs. Chicken Piccata

  • Unlike my Chicken Piccata recipe, which has more of a buttery wine reduction sauce, this creamy lemon chicken incorporates cream and Parmesan cheese for a creamier consistency.

Why Does Garlic Turn Blue

  • Garlic that isn’t super fresh can turn blue when combined with acidic ingredients such as white wine or lemon juice.
  • The good news is that it’s still safe to eat if the color does change. 
  • Try to use a fresh garlic clove to avoid this issue.

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.
  • Lemon Pepper Seasoning: 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.  (Use promo code ‘COZY‘ for 15% off!) Some brands (like McCormick) can be potent so be aware of that.
  • 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.
  • Make sure the base of the sauce isn’t too hot when the cheese is added, otherwise the dairy can separate and the consistency can become grainy.
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 111!

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

A plate with Creamy Lemon Chicken on top of Spaghetti pasta.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • This is the skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
  • Meat Tenderizer -This is key for pounding the chicken nice and thin, creating a textured surface on the meat which clings onto the breading, and it makes the chicken nice and tender.
  • Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing.
  • Garlic Twister– Makes it quick & easy to mince garlic and it takes very little storage space.

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A skillet filled with Creamy Lemon Chicken with freshly sliced lemon wedges and parsley.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
4.98 from 114 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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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, see notes
  • 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 cube
  • 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.
  • Lemon Pepper Seasoning: 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.  (Use promo code ‘COZY‘ for 15% off!) Some brands (like McCormick) can be potent so be aware of that.
  • 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!
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 111!
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
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie