At just over 30 minutes to make, this Skillet Lemon Chicken is a tasty, one-pan weeknight wonder. Just what you need for dinner tonight!!
If you are looking for more easy weeknight chicken recipes check out this Baked Chicken Milanese or this Garlic Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry.
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Lemon chicken has always been one of my favorites, especially the nice sticky, fried version you get when you order Chinese takeout. Instead of takeout, I wanted an easy and tasty weeknight meal that could be whipped up at home in just about 30 minutes. Enter skillet lemon chicken!
Contents:
Ideal weeknight recipes are fast, flavorful, and made with only a few ingredients – this lemon chicken fits that description perfectly! Most of the ingredients are pantry staples so your shopping list should be short. And it's essentially a one-pan meal, making it quick and easy with minimal cleanup required.
Ingredient Notes
One really nice thing about this recipe is that other than the crème fraîche you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
Boneless chicken breast: This recipe is designed to serve two people so 8-12 ounces of chicken breast works well.
Milk: The recipe calls for 1% milk, however, you can substitute 2% milk if that's what you normally drink.
Lemons: You'll probably want to grab two lemons for this recipe. You'll need more than half of a lemon for three tablespoons of juice, so you won't have anything left for slices if you only have one.
White wine: You only need a small amount of white wine for this recipe, so whatever type you have on hand is fine. If you don't drink wine, the best substitute will be chicken broth.
Creme Fraiche: You can find creme fraiche in most major grocery stores. I don't recommend substituting sour cream in this recipe because when you combine it with the strong lemon flavor you will get a rather sour tasting sauce.
How to make Skillet Lemon Chicken
I love this dish because it's a one-pan meal that's easy to make, which means it's ideal for a weeknight dinner.
What pan should you use for this recipe? You need a skillet that's good for searing and is oven-proof to about 450°. This Calphalon non-stick skillet works well and I've also made it in a stainless steel pan, though the clean-up on that is a little more time-consuming. If you have one I'd recommend using a coated cast iron pan like the Le Cruset one shown in the photos. It works well for this dish and it also cleans up quite easily.
- Dredge the chicken. You start this dish by dredging the chicken breasts in a combination of flour, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Then the chicken is pan-seared to seal in the juices.
- Bake the chicken. After you sear the chicken, you top the chicken with lemon slices and just pop the pan in the oven to finish cooking the chicken.
- Make the pan sauce. Once the chicken is done cooking you'll create a quick pan sauce with some white wine, lemon juice, and a touch of crème fraîche.
Recommended Tools
Handheld Juicer – This is my favorite juicer! Its design makes juicing super easy and it works for both lemons and limes.
Serving Suggestions
For a nice, easy weeknight meal you can serve this on brown rice and add a simple green salad.
Other good side dish options would be these Simple Roasted Carrots or these Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes. For dessert, I’d finish with this Skillet Apple Crisp.
Looking to make your meal prep a little easier?
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Weeknight Skillet Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8-12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-4 slices of lemon
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup 1% milk
- ¼ cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon creme fraîche
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Dredge the chicken. Mix the flour, thyme, pepper and salt in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and place on a plate. If a few spots on the chicken don't stay floured you can sprinkle some of the excess mixture over those spots to ensure the chicken is well coated.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the oil in an oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until it starts to turn golden brown. Flip the chicken breasts and cook for an additional 2 minutes then transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 17 minutes in the oven.
- Make the roux. While the chicken is baking mix 1 tablespoon of flour with the milk, using a fork to ensure the flour is well incorporated.
- Make the sauce. When the chicken is done baking, remove the pan from the oven and remove the chicken from the pan. Return the pan to medium heat on the stove top. Add the wine to the pan and deglaze by scraping the brown bits off the bottom with a silicone spatula. Add the milk mixture and lemon juice then stir to incorporate. Add the thyme and crème fraîche and stir again. Return the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 minutes to ensure the chicken is warm.
- Serve. Transfer the chicken to two plates and spoon additional sauce on top of the chicken. Serve immediately.
This post was originally published in June 2018. It was updated in September 2025 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Denise
Oh the wine, lemon and creme fraiche sound so wonderful in this dish. My husband is especially fond of anything with lemon in it so I will have to try this very soon. Pinning!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Ok, I seriously want this for dinner tonight!! That sauce sounds AMAZING!! And you really can't go wrong with lemon + chicken together!
FoodieGirlChicago
Thanks Dawn. Lemon + chicken is one of my favorite combos!
Gloria
This looks like a delicious chicken dish for the family. The sauce would be great on mashed potatoes or rice.
Kitty
Loving ALL THE FLAVORS! Thyme, lemon, white wine....looks like a great way to jazz up chicken!
Marisa Franca
We do eat a lot of chicken and I'm always on the lookout for interesting recipes. We've made something similar but the sauce wasn't creamy. I'm anxious to try this recipe -- it looks like the sauce would go well over a side.
FoodieGirlChicago
The sauce (and the chicken) is really good over rice or even zucchini noodles.
Leslie
I love love LOVE chicken and lemon dishes! This is going on my list of "must make" dinners!
Michele
This chicken looks gorgeous! It's been too long since I made lemon chicken and your recipe looks divine!
Anne Murphy
That looks wonderful - and so simple! We love good sauce in this house, so it's a winner right there - that creamy lemon will fit the bill!
Michelle Blackwood
I'm a huge fan of lemon and thyme, love the flavors of this recipe and looks so easy to prepare!
Tatiana
The combination of flavors is fantastic! And since we have a lemon tree in our backyard, i am always looking for recipes with lemons!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
Totally drooling over this chicken. I love the combo of lemon and chicken. It is so simple, yet such a classic!!
Eileen Kelly
Such a wonderful chicken recipe! I love easy dinners and this chicken is flavorful and super easy.