Creamy Lemon Chicken | 12 Tomatoes

Creamy Lemon Chicken

Chicken just got a serious upgrade.

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Complex flavor doesn’t have to come with complex steps. Here, this recipe for Creamy Lemon Chicken turns your average pack of chicken into a restaurant-worthy dish, building layers of flavor in the same pan and creating an out-of-this-world cream sauce.

Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Cream sauce is one of those things that can literally make or break a dish. Here, the cream sauce is developed in the pan after the dredged chicken is seared. Next, the garlic is sautéed for the briefest of moments before the stock and cream are whisked in.

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Lemon and Parmesan cheese round out the sauce before the chicken jumps back into the pan to cook all the way through.

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The end result is divine! Cutting the chicken breast in half and making them into thinner cutlets makes for quick cooking, but also chicken that absorbs all of the flavor of the sauce. The sauce flavors don’t sit on top of the chicken; instead, they get absorbed into the thinner cutlets, giving you great flavor through and through. 

Garlic plays the strong side character, enhancing and developing the complexities of the sauce’s cheesy and citrusy notes. 

Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Creamy Lemon Chicken is a great recipe for both busy weekdays and slow weekends. Depending on what you pair the chicken with, the dish can become fancy or casual in an instant. Served with quick-boil rice pilaf or angel hair gives this dish the satisfying carby comfort you need on a weeknight. Serving this over a bed of equally creamy risotto or crispy smashed baby potatoes gives this protein a fancy and decadent upgrade.

Yield(s): Serves about 4

10m prep time

20m cook time

4.9
Rated by 20 reviewers

Allergens: Poultry, Citrus, Milk

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Ingredients
  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Fresh parsley, minced for garnish, if desired
Preparation
  1. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thin pieces of chicken. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour and shake off the excess.
  2. Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken, working in batches if needed, until golden brown on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  3. In the same skillet, melt remaining butter, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, just 30 seconds.
  4. Stir in chicken stock, scraping up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan.
  5. Reduce heat, then stir in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and parmesan. Let simmer until sauce has reduced a bit, 2-3 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.
  6. Nestle chicken back into the sauce and let simmer for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through (if it isn't already). Garnish with lemon slices to serve, if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Little Sunny Kitchen and The Cozy Cook.