This savory Lemon Butter Chicken is just over the top! Full of flavor, every bite is unforgettable. The lemon cream sauce mixed with fresh garlic and Parmesan cheese pairs perfectly with the tender and juicy chicken. So savory…this dish will leave you coming back for more!
Lemon Butter Chicken
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Let’s talk about the simple ingredients in this dish because we all need a little bit of easy and simple. Chicken breasts, fresh garlic, fresh spinach, paprika, lemon, fresh cracked pepper and heavy cream. Easy! Oh and in the ingredients you will see a splash of white wine…this is totally optional. You don’t have to add the wine…I promise it still tastes fantastic without it so leave it out if you want! Totally fine!
You’ll start off by sauteing the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side. When it’s finished sauteing, you’ll set the chicken aside while you make the sauce. This dish works perfectly in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven, but I used a rockcrok from Pampered Chef and it worked just as well!
It’s really fun to make this sauce because it’s so easy to throw together and it’s super yummy! When you make the sauce, you are literally going to saute fresh minced garlic with butter, then add in the chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and thyme. Once you bring the sauce to a slow rolling boil, you’ll add in the fresh spinach until it starts to wilt. Oh and this step in the process smells SO GOOD! It’s mouthwatering!
When the sauce slightly thickens, you’ll add the sauteed chicken into the juices so you can bake everything in the oven to finish up the cooking process. The paprika helps this chicken saute beautifully! The sauteed garlic mixed with these juices of the chicken and other ingredients makes you want to eat it at this stage…but please don’t! It’s worth the wait, I promise!
After the chicken bakes in the oven, your dish is ready to eat! Look how savory this dish turns out! Full of flavor and this chicken is crazy juicy! I love to pair this dish with Ono Rice and a Brussels Sprout Salad! I like to mix the rice with the lemon butter sauce…it makes every bite so divine!
This dish has easily become a family favorite! It looks and tastes like it took a long time to make, but it’s super easy and absolutely fantastic! I promise, you will devour every single bite down to the last drop! Happy Eats on this Lemon Butter Chicken dish!
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Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut in half
- 1/2 Tablespoon paprika
- 3 Tablespoons butter divided
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Splash of dry white wine optional
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Dash salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large oven-proof skillet (a Le Creuset Dutch Oven works well or a RockCrok or cast iron skillet) over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and set chicken aside on separate plate.
- While the chicken is resting, return back to the same skillet and melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add garlic and cook stirring frequently about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, splash of dry white wine, lemon juice and thyme.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat and let the sauce reduce and thicken.
- Continue to cook the sauce about 5-7 minutes so the sauce becomes thicker. You don't want the sauce to become too runny!
- Add the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, turn temperature down and cook for a minute or two.
- Add in the spinach and simmer until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Once your sauce is to the desired thickness, return the chicken to the skillet.
- Place in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove the dish and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
However, one reader noted: For those who are having trouble getting the sauce to reduce (thicken) try adding the lemon juice first over medium heat. Once it looks like it's about to disappear completely, add in COLD cream, whisking the entire time over low heat. Then add chunks of cold butter, 3 at a time, so as to not cool the sauce too fast. Once the sauce can coat the back of a spoon, then add your chicken broth, thyme, spinach, parm, etc.
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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Nichole H. says
I loved this recipe! I had to tweak it a bit to fit my situation.. but it was still delicious! So I followed the instructions perfectly, minus the paprika. My 2 year old doesn’t like much spice so I sprinkled the chicken with Italian chicken seasoning instead. My oven is currently out of commission, so I kept the chicken in a Dutch oven type pot, and simmered it on the stove covered, rather than put it in the oven for the last step. The chicken came out perfectly! Nice & tender! The sauce was delicious! This will be Added to our dinner rotation for sure! Thanks for the great, easy recipe!
Sarah says
how long did you simmer the chicken on the stove?
Shalin says
Thanks for this recipe? Would it work equally well with chicken thighs?
I’m also sorry to ask the same question everyone else did on number of breasts, i just rarely cook chicken breasts. You’re saying that I should buy two chicken breasts and slice horizontally to serve four people, correct? Or are chicken breasts at the supermarket already sold as half breasts?
Julie says
This was delicious! I decided to use fresh basil instead of the spinach/thyme. SO good!
Keke says
Made this for dinner tonight. Did not have any spinach but used roasted red peppers instead. Delicious ?
Rachael says
Oh wow, that sounds so amazing. Now I need to try it that way.
Crissy says
I loved this chicken dish! Very flavorful and I loved the paprika and spinach. My chicken cooked in the sauce and didn’t need 30 minutes in the oven. I cooked it on the stovetop and served with brown rice and broccoli. I coated the chicken with flour before cooking because it helps the sauce stick better. This is a great recipe, will make again.
T Toliver says
HI! I’m in the midst of cooking this now and the house smells so divine! It’s in the oven now…I figured if the sauce is too runny I’ll put some of the sauce in a cup, mix in a little cornstarch and hopefully that’ll thicken it up!
Rachael says
I am so glad! I hope you love it.
Karen M. says
Oh, this was delicious! Rave reviews all around. Husband said it was restaurant-quality, and that is a huge compliment. I did not have garlic so I used some chopped onion, and I used a whole cup of cream. Served over rice and lapped up the extra sauce with some bread. Thank you!
Katie White says
this was FANTASTIC! What a surprise how all of the flavors came together. My sauce did as others’ did–clumped, didn’t thicken, but it was DELICIOUS nonetheless! I’ll play with ways to take the calories down from the cream now that I know coconut options have worked for some.
THANK YOU so much for sharing this awesome recipe that will now be a standard of our family’s from now on!
Rachael says
Thank you! I am sorry you guys are experiencing that problem. I will remake it a few more times and see if I can figure out why this is happening for some and not all.
Lisa says
While this is a very tasty dish (I just made for the first time) I would recommend either wine OR lemon juice….I used both and the dish was too acidic. Oh, we ate it, but I will adjust that next time. ?
Caro says
Okay, this feels like a stupid question, but I’ve never had a Dutch Oven before, and I’m thinking about buying one – what size would you recommend for a recipe like this?
Rachael says
I have a 4.5 qt and a 6 qt and it works well in either. I would say it depends on how many you typically cook for. If you cook for a lot, the bigger one would be nicer to have.
Deborah says
I doubled the recipe, deleted the spinach, substituted heavy cream for 1% milk and added more white wine. This recipe was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
Rachael says
Oh all of your changes sound amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Theresa says
When do you add the splash of wine? I don’t see it?
Brandy says
Haha! I want to make it and just asked the same thing
Rachael says
Sorry, just added it in. Put it in with the chicken broth.
Rachael says
So sorry, with the chicken stock
Brandy says
I’m not seeing when to add the wine? Is it with all other liquid? I’d like to use it
Rachael says
Yes, add it with the other liquid. Thanks. Sorry for the oversight.
Deb says
Not really a fan. It looks awesome but the flavor was bland and unremarkable. The sauce would not thicken no matter what I did. Won’t make again
Rachael says
Deb, I am so sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can find something else on the site that is more to your liking.
DeLynn says
For those who are having trouble getting the sauce to reduce (thicken) try adding the lemon juice first over medium heat. Once it looks like it’s about to disappear completely, add in COLD cream, whisking the entire time over low heat. Then add chunks of cold butter, 3 at a time, so as to not cool the sauce too fast. Once the sauce can coat the back of a spoon, then add your chicken broth, thyme, spinach, parm, etc.
Rachael says
Thank you for the awesome tips!
I really appreciate you taking the time to comment with these tips.
Kim H says
DeLynn – I’m late to this discussion, but your method reminds me of buerre blanc. Did you then add the chicken and put it in the oven? I’m thinking that would break the sauce? Want to make this tonight. My sister turned me into this recipe, but she had the same problem with a thin sauce. Hope I’m not too late to receive a response.