Chicken breast recipes can be so dull – time to step it up! Cream and lemon are a luscious combination and is sensational served over golden crispy chicken. A quick and easy 10 minute recipe with few ingredients, serve this Creamy Lemon Chicken with pasta, mashed potato or for a low carb option, creamy cauliflower mash!
Chicken Breast Recipe
I was browsing my Instagram feed the other day, and all I could think was “it’s so yellow and orangey.” I shared this observation with my mother, and her immediate response was “Well, of course. You post so many cheesy bread, potatoes and meat. Everything you like is yellow and brown. Even Dozer is yellow.” (Imagine this with a Japanese accent and finished with a snort of laughter).
I had no smart comeback for that. Because it’s completely true. 😂
So one of my (many) New Years’ resolutions will be (yet again) to post more green foods on RecipeTin Eats.
But for now – more yellow food.
In fact, a whole pan of yellow food. Golden brown (yellow!) chicken breast with a yellow lemon cream parmesan sauce. Bring on the yellow! 🙌🏻
What you need for creamy lemon chicken breast
Chicken breast – or boneless skinless thigh
Chicken broth/stock – gives the sauce flavour (it’s pretty dull without it)
Cream and lemon – because we’re making a creamy lemon sauce
Parmesan – for umami AND to help thicken the sauce
Mustard – sauce thickening and extra flavour/tang
Flour – to dust chicken (gives it a crust that the sauce wants to cling to, optional)
Garlic – because garlic goes in 99% of my savoury foods
Butter – because butter makes everything better
How to make creamy lemon chicken breast
You’re 10 minutes away from having this for dinner!
Here’s how it goes down:
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, dust with flour;
Pan fry until golden then remove
Add everything else in, then simmer for 3 minutes until thickened;
Return chicken into skillet to rewarm; and
Serve over pasta, mashed potato or for a low carb option, Creamy Mashed Cauliflower.
There’s plenty of creamy lemon sauce for this chicken breast recipe. Enough to toss through pasta!
What to serve with Creamy Lemon Chicken
Serve this with a crisp garden salad with a tangy French Dressing or Balsamic dressing. Or try one of these:
Side salad suggestions
Also, some warm bread rolls to mop the plate clean wouldn’t go astray! If you’re in the mood for homemade bread, try these easy No Knead Soft Dinner Rolls or this simple Irish Soda Bread (I call it Emergency Bread!).
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Breast
Ingredients
Crispy Chicken
- 600g / 1.2lb chicken breasts (2 large) (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour (plain / all-purpose)
- 40g / 3 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 1 – 2 garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth/stock
- 3/4 cup cream , heavy/thickened (Note 2)
- 3 – 4 tbsp lemon juice (adjust to taste, start with 3 tbsp)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese , freshly grated OR store bought finely shredded (Note 3)
To serve
- Pasta of choice (I used linguine)
- Finely chopped parsley
Instructions
Crispy Chicken
- Slice chicken breast horizontally to create two thin steaks (so you end up with 4 thin steaks in total).
- Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper, then coat with flour, shaking off excess.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken 2 minutes on each side until golden and crispy, then remove onto plate.
Sauce
- Add a touch of butter if your pan is dry – but you shouldn't need it. Add garlic, stir 10 seconds.
- Then add chicken broth, cream, lemon and Dijon mustard. Bring to simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve brown bits into the liquid. Use a whisk if needed to dissolve mustard.
- Add parmesan then simmer rapidly for 3 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Add salt, pepper and adjust lemon to taste.
- Return the chicken to the pan (pour in any juices on the plate too), turn to coat.
- Place chicken on serving plates with pasta or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if using. Spoon over Lemon Sauce and serve! (Bread for mopping wouldn't go astray either)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published January 2016, updated with new photos and video in November 2019.
Life of Dozer
In the big fancy house I’m currently housesitting while I’m in between houses – when he gets fed up following me up and down the stairs, he parks himself halfway!!
OMGEEEE Nagi, this was absolutely delicious. I served it with twisty pasta and it was amazing! The entire family loved it!! Thankyou for yet another delicious recipe
I never do this right. If the pan is on medium high, the butter burns immediately. If the the pan is on a lower heat, so as not to burn the butter, it’s too low to cook the meat.
I think that could be the pan Sue – are you using a heavy based, high quality skillet (or a cast iron skillet would work too)? N x
I am using a cast iron pan, but on an electric stove. I am thinking maybe the temperature fluctuates too much…
It can be tricky as the heat on electric cooktops doesn’t always respond immediately to adjustments like gas does. You might try just moving the pan off the heat for a minute or so each time it appears to be getting too hot. N x
Doubled the sauce and added mushrooms. Hubby loved. No surprise as we have loved every Nagi recipe. Eager to have you back on the internet and to see the cookbook!
I was looking for a quick Friday night dinner without resorting to take-away and this delivered! (pun intended) So satisfying – beats take away any day!
Delicious!! Didn’t need the cheese and had it over rice and broccoli. Tasted amazing! Thanks for a great recipe!
I am happy you liked it Laura! N x
Can you taste the mustard in the sauce? If so could I substitute it w a dry white wine?
You could do that if you prefer, Nicole! N x
Can you do this recipe with white fish fillet? What can you substitute for the chicken stock if i use fish? 😊
Amazing recipe, unfortunately my wife hates mustard and was not happy. Is there something you would substitute it with or would you just leave it? : )
Just made this tonight for me and partner with chicken riceroni and steam veggies; he really enjoyed it! It was amazing!! I was a bit skeptical because of the mustard and lemon, but oh my it tasted great, the parmesan cheese really helped compliment the sauce.
I am so glad that you enjoyed it J! N x
I only have skin on, bone in chicken thighs on hand. Will they work as long as I adjust the cooking time accordingly?
Made this tonight and it was another amazing recipe. Will be on high rotation in our house from now on. Served with Zoodles instead of pasta and broccoli, loved every bit of it.
This was a lovely recipe, we had it with cauliflower rice that soaked up the sauce really well, and salad with your French dressing. Lots of sauce leftover to have over pasta another time.
so good and so easy! Can’t wait to make it again!
Was a hit with my fam, even my little picky eaters. I used milk instead of cream because it’s all I had and I’m sure it’s even better with cream. Yum!
Hi, can you use thighs instead of breast for this?
Yes Jenny that would work as long as they are a similar thickness to the recipe! N x
Beautiful! Felt like I was eating in a restaurant. Thank you, me! And Nagi of course for the recipe 😆 It’s a good one! X
Can I substitute coconut cream for regular cream ?
Hi Sharon – I haven’t tested that. It might split and the flavour will be more coconutty. Let me know if it works for you. N x
From previous day(s) meal prep I had chicken, broth, cream and lemon juice all needing to be used up. A few additional fridge pulls plus some coucous and dinner was ready. Quick, easy and delicious.
Thanks! N x
Love this recipe! It is my best friend’s favorite thing I make so I have to make it whenever she visits. She loves the extra sauce over the noodles!
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! I’m going to have the leftovers for lunch, can’t hold off until dinner time!
Nx❤️