Creamy Lemon Chicken
This creamy lemon chicken is beyond delicious and is easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner!
Servings: 4
Cost: £3.50 / $4
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Shallow Dish (for dredging chicken)
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2x 250g/9oz Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp / 15g Unsalted Butter
Sauce
- 3 tbsp / 45g Unsalted Butter
- 2 small Shallots, very finely diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, very finely diced
- zest of a Lemon
- 180ml / 3/4 cup Chicken Stock
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice, or to taste
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper, or to taste
To Serve
- finely diced Fresh Parsley
- 4x thin Lemon Slices (semi-circles)
Instructions
- Horizontally slice each chicken breast right through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts.
- In a large shallow dish, combine the flour with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp garlic powder & black pepper. Individually dredge each breast through the flour then place to one side.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and fry both sides until golden on the outside and just about cooked through the centre (~3 mins each side). Remove from the pan and place on a plate to one side, then lower the heat to medium.
- Melt in the remaining butter then add the shallots. Fry until soft and golden then add the garlic and lemon zest and fry for 30 seconds or so. Stir in the stock and cream then add the mustard, lemon juice and seasoning. I typically go for around 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, but you can start with less and work up if you'd prefer.
- Give it a good stir then gently simmer until the sauce begins thickening. Stir in the resting juices from the chicken, then add the chicken back to the pan. Baste in the sauce to coat and warm it back through, then serve with lemon slices and fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
a) Chicken - The chicken won't take too long to cook given they're sliced more thinly. You're looking at around 3-4 minutes each side, but keep in mind they'll continue cooking slightly as they rest and when you add them back to the pan to coat in the sauce.
b) Lemon - You should only need 1 large lemon, which will offer the zest, 4 thin slices and at least 1 1/2 tbsp juice. If you're at all wary with the lemon juice you can start with less and work up. You can of course use more - just adjust this at the end.
c) Cream - Make sure you're using double (UK) or heavy (US) cream. If you use anything lighter you risk it curdling when you add the lemon juice.
d) Seasoning - I typically end up with around 1/4 tsp salt and close to 1/2 tsp pepper. Lemon and pepper are a match made in heaven, so I like slightly more of this. But you can easily work to taste (just make sure the sauce is properly seasoned!)
e) Serving - Here I've served with Roast Potatoes and Asparagus. I used my Roasted Baby Potatoes Recipe and chucked in some asparagus for the last 10 mins or so of cooking. Check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
f) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4 with no sides.
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.43g | Protein: 29.52g | Fat: 28.1g | Saturated Fat: 15.101g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.742g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.264g | Trans Fat: 0.467g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 383mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 2.07g | Vitamin A: 831IU | Vitamin C: 7.6mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1.61mg