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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Carolina says
I want to eat the photos for the pin!!! So with that being said…I plan to make this for tomorrow but all I have on hand is HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM?! will that still work???
Rachael says
I think it should work just fine! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Whitney says
This recipe is SO GOOD! I’m making it tonight for the second time. Last time I made this chicken, I ate it all week and then wanted to make it again immediately–which never happens! I’ve had no trouble getting the sauce to thicken when I add the wine and lemon juice before the broth and cream. I’m adding more spinach this time and won’t let the spinach cook as long on the stove. Other than that, it’s a really wonderful recipe!
Rachael says
Thank you Whitney, I am so glad you like it! It is a favorite around here. And great suggestions.
Lori says
Made a little extra sauce and served it over jalapeño fettuccine! So good!
Candace says
Made this for dinner tonight. My sauce didn’t really thicken, so I used a slurry to thicken it. It was just a little thicker than I think it should have been. Next time I will try the tips that you gave at the bottom of the recipe. This was so good. Thank you so much for posting.
Holly says
There are a lot of comments on this recipe and I’ll admit I only read about half but I’m going to throw my two cents in.
The first time I made this it was a disaster. I also had the issue of clumped, rubbery, overcooked cheese. There’s so much emphasis on thickening the sauce which lead to overcooking and I don’t know why you would bake it after it’s already cooked. 2-3 per side on the thinned chicken was plenty, they cooked really nicely. I made a few changes the second time and it turned out a lot better.
I doubled the butter to 6 Tablespoons (divided).
Used 2 lemons instead of 1.
Waited to add the parmesan and spinach until after I took it off the heat (I read having the heat too high as well as high acidity can cause clumpy cheese).
I also used an entire package of spinach rather than just 2 cups.
I didn’t worry about thickening the sauce at all and just poured it all over Basmati rice which soaked up the juices really nicely.
If you do want the sauce thicker, I’d recommend reducing BEFORE adding the parmesan and spinach.
I made this (and a ton of Basmati) for a potluck at my school and then took the leftovers to work 2 hrs later and it was totally demolished.
*It’s worth noting I live at high altitude which can affect cooking.
Note to OP: Your blog is so full of ads it barely runs. Your page is a massive resource hog. I appreciate the recipe and I’ll be making it again but from screenshots.
Rachael says
Holly, thanks for the info on the changes, I think this recipe needs to be rewritten as about half the people have trouble with it. The other half don’t. And thanks for the info on the slow site, I will have to have my developer address that. Thanks
Sue Zan Thompson says
I also had trouble with the sauce not getting thick. I may try again and flour the chicken first ,season and brown or maybe add a can of cream of chicken.
Lisa Woods says
This chicken is amazing! I also had trouble getting the sauce to thicken so near the end of cooking time I added a very small amount of cornstarch slurry and some extra cheese. I doubled the spinach and served with Lundberg’s Wild Blend rice. Perfect! Will make again for sure.
Heidi says
Made this tonight for my family and it was delicious. I used five chicken breasts instead and doubled the liquids to have more sauce for the angel hair pasta that I served it over. The flavor with the thyme is wonderful. Will make again!!!!
ANA says
I made it today, for dinner. It’s so easy to follow the recipe, and so delicious! I really recommend it.
I prefer this chicken with more sauce, so I, double the ingredients to have more of it. Also, I used Kale, instead spinach.
One more thing, I cut the chicken breast, like an slice horizontally, it’s more easy to cook and became so juice, also, I served it with basmati rice, and garden salad…the rest, I just follow the recipe.
So happy that my husband really enjoy the dinner!
Kendra says
HI! This recipe was SUPER delicious! I loved it!! Do you by chance have any nutritional info for it? Thanks!
Rachael says
Kendra, I am slowly working on adding nutritional info to every recipe on my site, but it is a huge undertaking. In the meantime you could use myfitnesspal to get that info on your own. Thanks!
Melanie says
My husband and I make this all the time, it’s delicious! BUT no matter what I do my sauce is thin and runny! How long should I be letting it simmer between steps? Help!
Rachael says
Melanie, I am so sorry you are experiencing this. I need to play with this recipe more as I can’t seem to get consistent results for my readers. I have made it several times and haven’t had an issue, so I am going to make it a few more times this week to see if I can pin point what I am doing that isn’t communicated well in the recipe. Sorry I can’t give you a better answer right now.
SHAun says
Can you please add the nutritional info?
Melia says
Could you possibly post nutritional information?
Brian says
Few things:
1. I wish I would have read the comments first…I ended up with 8 half breasts, so the sauce was a little bit sparse.
2. Nutritional Info the way I made it (except adjusting for two chicken breasts:
Calories: 261
Fat: 15.3 g
Cholesterol: 105.8 mg
Carbs: 5.5
Protein: 26.2 grams
Rachael says
Thanks for the information. I am sorry it was a little sparse for you, this recipe has been tricky as it works awesome for some and not for others and I have had difficulty pinpointing where the discrepancy is happening.
Brian says
Rachel,
I made this again tonight and added just a touch of cornstarch-water right at the end of the 7 minute simmer and the sauce thickened up beautifully.
Just waiting for it to come out of the oven now!
Rachael says
Thanks for the update Brian, that is a good idea. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know.