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Our Lemon Butter Chicken recipe is an instant family favorite! Flavorful and so easy to make in under 30 minutes with just a few simple ingredients.
Paired with our Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce, this is one chicken dinner your family will ask you for again and again!
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What makes this the best lemon butter chicken?
My family is obsessed with this lemon butter chicken recipe. I made it just once, and now they ask me for it all of the time. And, you know what? I always agree to make it again, because it’s so easy!
Everything about this garlic butter chicken stands out. It’s flavorful, uses just a few simple ingredients, and it cooks up so quickly, without any fuss.
This recipe has been such a hit with my family, I would recommend it to anyone. Try it, and I know you’ll love it!
🍋 Ingredients
- Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken Sauce
- olive oil
- flour
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- chicken tenders with tendon removed, chicken breast, or chicken thighs
- parsley (optional)
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
What really makes this recipe so delicious is the lemon sauce for chicken that we use. It’s creamy, buttery, and so tasty! You need just a few simple ingredients to make it, and then you can pair it with anything and it will be delicious.
I like to top the dish off with parsley and Parmesan cheese. To simplify the recipe further, you can leave them out, but I recommend giving it a try with both. I think it makes the best lemon chicken recipe!
🍗 How to Remove Chicken Tendons
Chicken tenderloins have a tough white tendon that can easily be removed! You don’t need to remove the entire tendon, in fact doing this, can make the tenderloin fall apart. You just need to remove the tough tab at the end.
- Lay out your chicken tenderloins and hold steady with one hand.
- Cut the white tendon away from the tenderloin using a sharp knife.
Don’t skip this step! Removing the tendon from your tenderloins makes them much more enjoyable to eat.
You can also make creamy lemon butter chicken breast or thighs.
🔪 How to Make Lemon Chicken
- Pour flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into a large zip-lock bag. Seal the bag and shake the seasoning well, until fully mixed.
- Open the bag and add your chicken tenders (make sure you’ve cut the tendon away). Seal the bag, then shake it again until all chicken tenders are fully coated. Breading chicken with flour is easy this way!
- Remove breaded chicken tenders from the bag to place on a plate until ready to use.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with half of your reserved olive oil. Cook chicken tenders for about 7 to 10 minutes, flipping part of the way through so both sides are golden brown. Do this in two batches so you don’t over-crowd the pan, using your remaining oil for the second batch.
- Once your chicken is cooked, prepare your Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce:
- Melt butter over medium heat with minced garlic.
- Cook for 3 minutes, then add lemon juice.
- Cook another 3 minutes, then add white wine.
- Stir, and simmer down for 3 minutes, before adding more butter and seasoning.
- Finally, slowly stir in the heavy cream and mix well.
- Finally, add the chicken to the skillet with the lemon butter sauce. Stir it around in the pan to coat the chicken completely. Top with parsley and Parmesan (optional), serve, and enjoy!
For full ingredient measurements and tips, keep scrolling to the recipe card below!
⏲ Cooked Chicken Temperature
The proper internal temperature for cooked chicken tenders according to the USDA is 165°F.
Depending on the thinness or thickness of your tenders, they take 7-10 minutes to cook, flipping part of the way through.
As a general rule, cook your keto lemon chicken on one side until the edges become white and opaque, and the tenders begin to shrink. Once golden-brown, flip and cook the other side for a few more minutes.
🥗 Side Dishes for Lemon Chicken
Lemon garlic chicken pairs well with so many of our best side dishes! My family loves it with everything from roasted potatoes to orzo pasta.
Here are a few options to choose from that I highly recommend trying. Don’t forget the Homemade French Bread to dip in that delicious sauce!
- Green Bean Almondine: The sweet, nutty flavor compliments this dish so well.
- Air Fryer Asparagus Fries: Totally irresistible paired with these chicken tenders!
- Easy Foil Pack Potatoes: These seasoned roasted potatoes are perfect for serving with this butter chicken recipe.
- Lemon Butter Chicken Pasta: You can use our lemon butter sauce for pasta and serve the chicken over top!
- Lemon Butter Rice: Make our Portuguese rice or Instant Pot rice and let it soak up the delicious sauce. Serve chicken over top.
- Cheesy Orzo Risotto Recipe
Is lemon butter chicken keto-friendly?
Yes! This is a perfect keto lemon chicken recipe for a low-carb diet. Simply leave out the flour and pan-fry it in the seasoning only to make it more keto-friendly.
🧂 Make it Low Sodium
You can easily make this dish low sodium by leaving out the salt.
Use unsalted butter to make the creamy lemon butter sauce, and don’t top with Parmesan cheese.
📖 Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Asian Peach Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe (5 Ingredients)
- Roasted Buttermilk Chicken Breast
- Best Chicken Cordon Bleu with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
- Easy Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini
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📋 Recipe
Lemon Butter Chicken Recipe
🍳 Equipment
🥘 Ingredients
- Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce full recipe
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil divided
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lbs. chicken tenders remove the tendon
- parsley for garnish
- Parmesan cheese to taste optional
🔪 Instructions
- Lay out your chicken tenderloins and hold steady with one hand. Cut the white tendon away from the tenderloin using a sharp knife.
- Pour flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into a large zip-lock bag. Seal the bag and shake the seasoning well, until fully mixed.
- Open the bag and add your chicken tenders (make sure you’ve cut the tendon away). Seal the bag, then shake it again until all chicken tenders are fully coated.
- Remove chicken from the bag to place on a plate until ready to use.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with half of your reserved olive oil. Cook chicken tenders for about 7 to 10 minutes, flipping part of the way through so both sides are golden brown. Do this in two batches so you don’t over-crowd the pan, using your remaining oil for the second batch.
- Once your chicken is cooked, prepare your Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce. Melt butter over medium heat with minced garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, then add lemon juice. Cook another 3 minutes, then add white wine. Stir, and simmer down for 3 minutes, before adding more butter and seasoning. Finally, slowly stir in the heavy cream and mix well.
- Finally, add the chicken to the skillet with the lemon butter sauce. Stir it around in the pan to coat the chicken completely. Top with parsley and Parmesan (optional), serve, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to remove the tendon from your tenderloins! Don’t skip this step.
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!