Lemon Basil Chicken
Crispy panko coated basil chicken bathed in a lemon garlic butter sauce. This easy to make chicken is quick, under 30 minutes start to finish, but offers MEGA flavor. It only takes a few steps, and bakes in under 15 minutes, which means it fits perfectly into busy schedules.
Serve with Garlic Green Beans and Easy Rice Pilaf for a complete meal.
There are so many reasons to love this recipe, but the main reason I love it is, it is a weeknight win. Basically it is so quick and easy you can throw it together on any night of the week for a successful dinner the whole family will love.
It uses pantry staples. Has MEGA flavor. Offers crunch. And is so easy peasy, you can still manage carpool, laundry, and helping with homework.
What You Need to Make Lemon Basil Chicken
Do not let this long-ish list of ingredients fool you into thinking this recipe is hard to make. The ingredients are mostly pantry staples, and all of the ingredients are easy to find. Including the doTERRA essential oils, which can be ordered online, or if necessary can be replaced with fresh ingredients or left out. But trust me, you want the major flavor boost and other benefits they add.
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast cutlets (5-6 thin pieces)
Mayo Mixture
- Mayo
- Oregano Oil + Basil Oil
- Fresh lemon juice
Panko Mixture
- Shredded or Grated parmesan
- Panko bread crumbs unseasoned
- Butter, melted
- Paprika
- Dried basil
- Salt and Pepper
Sauce
- Chicken broth (or white wine)
- More Butter
- Garlic, minced
- Lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- Fresh chopped basil
Recommended Equipment
How to Make Easy Lemon Basil Chicken
This chicken is seriously one of the easiest recipes. It has a long list of ingredients, most of which you probably already have, and then it is only a few simple steps.
Step One: Prep Chicken
Cut your chicken breasts into thin cutlets, simply press on the top, and run a knife through the middle to create evenly sized pieces. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cutting the chicken thin means it will cook faster. You cook it at a high heat, so it cooks through, and you still have juicy, delicious chicken as a result.
Step Two: Make Mayo Mixture and Panko Mixture
In this step you are going to prepare the two parts of coating the chicken, the flavored mayo, and the seasoned bread crumb/panko mixture.
Mayo Mix:
Combine 1/3 cup Mayo, with 2 drops oregano oil, 3 drops basil oil, and 1 TBS lemon juice. Stir to combine. Set aside.
The basil and oregano oils are going to add a mega burst of flavor in a really quick and easy way. I highly recommend using doTERRA oils, as they are high quality and offer tons of other benefits. It is a brand I trust, and you can find out more about the oils, and buy them here: Basil and Oregano. 
Panko Mixture:
Combine the the salt, black pepper, Dried basil, paprika, butter, Panko, and grated parmesan in another bowl. Pour into a shallow dish. Set aside.
This panko mixture gives you such a fun crunchy topping, and by adding in parmesan cheese and herbs and spices it also adds flavor. I made this for my son and boyfriend, and they could not stop raving about the amount of flavor it added.
Step Three: Assemble Chicken
Now it is time to coat the chicken. And this is the easy part, you simply spread a thin layer of the flavored mayo over each piece, then press it into the panko mixture, pushing so the panko mixture sticks to it. The mayo mixture acts as a flavor booster, keeps the chicken moist, and is a binder to help the crumb coating stick. it really is awesome!
Step Four: Bake
Bake at 425˚F for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through to an internal temp of 165˚F. The time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken.
How quick is that? I mean seriously, this is such a fast and easy way to get dinner on the table in a hurry.
Step Five: Make Sauce, Then Serve
In a skillet, add the butter and garlic and turn the heat on to medium. Stir until the butter is melted. Do not brown the garlic. Then slowly add tin he chicken stock (or wine) and the fresh squeezed lemon juice and bring to a simmer.
Simmer 10-15 minutes until it has reduced by about 1/2. Once it reaches this stage, stir in the basil. Serve with the chicken by either nestling the chicken, panko side up into the skillet to bathe in the sauce, or have the sauce drizzled over top or on the side for dipping.
Now you might be wondering why you should make this sauce. Trust me, it is worth it. You could skip it, and you are still going to have a lovely, flavorful, herby chicken. But this simple pan sauce takes it up a notch in flavor. With the lemon, the garlic, the butter, and the fresh basil, it is something magical. I am not kidding, the amount of flavor you get is insane.
And because you can just set your chicken in the sauce, you still get the crispy, crunchy chicken, and all that flavor. SO AMAZING.
Serve With
This recipe is so perfect for an easy weeknight dinner and I love pairing it with:
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy. But here are a few tips and tricks to get perfect results every time.
- Tip One: Cut the Chicken To Even Thickness.
This will help the chicken cook faster, evenly, and not leave you with dried out chicken. - Tip Two: Use DoTERRA oils.
They are high quality, trustworthy, and can be ingested. Plus they pack a flavor punch, which means you get the best tasting chicken. - Tip Three: Press the Panko On.
Use your hands to press the panko onto the chicken. Add extra after you place your chicken on the baking sheet to get a nice, crispy, delicious crust. - Tip Four: Use a Meat Thermometer.
You want tender, juicy chicken, and the best way to get that is to cook it to 165 degrees F. And you need an instant read thermometer to make sure you cook it to just the right temp without over cooking. - Tip Five: Get Saucy.
The sauce adds just so much extra flavor, so be generous with it, and have fun!
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
While this recipe is absolutely delicious, it is not as good reheated. The panko just isn’t as crispy, and the chicken often gets over cooked in the reheating, and can dry out. So you are better off just making it fresh, especially since it is so quick.
However, if you want to prep ahead to make it faster and easier, I recommend:
- Prep the panko mixture ahead, just leave out the melted butter. Add before assembling.
- Prep the flavored mayo ahead. Store in an airtight container.
- Make the sauce ahead and store in an airtight container.
Then you can simply assemble, bake for the 10-15 minutes, and serve. Easy peasy.
The chicken does stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in the oven or an air fryer.
Other Great Recipes:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Baked Breaded Chicken
- Breaded Chicken Cutlets
- Chicken with Lemon Crema
- Fried Chicken Recipe
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Lemon Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast cutlets 5-6 thin pieces
Coating
- 1/3 cup Mayo
- 2 drops Oregano Oil DoTERRA
- 3 drops Basil Oil DoTERRA
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
Bread Crumb Mixture
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs unseasoned
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth or white wine
- 6 tbsp butter
- 3 tsps garlic minced
- 1/4 cup lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine 1/3 cup Mayo, with 2 drops oregano oil, 3 drops basil oil, and 1 TBS lemon juice. Stir to combine. Set aside
- Combine the the salt, black pepper, Dried basil, paprika, butter, Panko, and grated parmesan in another bowl. Pour into a shallow dish. Set aside.
- Spread a thin coat of the Mayo mixture over one side of each piece of chicken then take the chicken and press the Mayo side down into the panko mixture to coat that side completely in the parmesan cheese and panko mixture. Press on it to make sure it is securely on there. Place on a cookie sheet, panko side up.
- Bake at 425˚F for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through to an internal temp of 165˚F. The time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken.
- In a skillet, add the butter and garlic and turn the heat to medium. Stir until the butter is melted.
- Add the chicken stock (or wine) and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Simmer until it has reduced by about 1/2, then stir in the basil. Add chicken into the skillet, crunchy coating side up, so each piece is bathing in the sauce.
- Serve with sauce drizzled over top or on the side for dipping.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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