Skillet Lemon Chicken: An Easy Weeknight Dinner

At just over 30 minutes to make, this Skillet Lemon Chicken is a tasty, one-pan meal that makes a wonderful weeknight dinner for two!

Lemon chicken has always been one of my favorites, especially the nice sticky, fried version you get when you order Chinese take-out.  Like most of you, I try to focus on eating healthy or at least healthier, most of the time so I wanted to create an updated version of that chicken which still has that great tangy, lemony taste but is not deep fried and loaded with fat.  Enter skillet lemon chicken!

I love this dish because it’s a one-pan meal.  All you need is 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 actually recommend using a coated cast iron pan like the Le Cruset one shown in the photos.  It works really well for this dish and it also cleaned up quite easily.

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.

You start this dish by dredging the chicken breasts in flour then the chicken is pan-seared to seal in the juices.  After that, you top the chicken with lemon slices and just pop the pan in the oven to finish cooking the chicken.

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.  You end up with a bright, flavorful dish that’s ready to serve in just about 30 minutes!  If you want to pair this with something it’s good on brown rice or with a nice, simple green salad.

This skillet lemon chicken is a one-pan weeknight wonder – just what you need for dinner tonight!!

things you may want for this recipe

Small glass bowls with lid – I love these little bowls from Crate & Barrel.  They are perfect for mixing up things like the flour and milk before you add it to the sauce.  They also have lids so if you need to store something so need to pull out the plastic wrap, just grab a lid and put the bowl in the refrigerator.

Handheld Juicer – I love these juicers – you’ll see me mention them often in blog posts.  They come in three sizes – lime, lemon and orange – and they are compact making them easy to store.  I have the largest size so it works for just about everything!

Skillet Lemon Chicken

★★★★★ 5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Kathryn | FoodieGirlChicago
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Main Course

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Description

At just over 30 minutes to make, this Skillet Lemon Chicken is a tasty, one-pan meal that makes a wonderful weeknight dinner for two!

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Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
• 1/4 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 
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk
• 1/4 cup white wine 
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 1 tablespoon creme fraîche

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.  
2. 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.  
3. 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.  
4. While the chicken is baking mix 1 tablespoon of flour with the milk, using a fork to ensure the flour is well incorporated.  
5. 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. 
6. 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.  
7. Transfer the chicken to two plates and spoon additional sauce on top of the chicken.  Serve immediately.