Lemon Chicken Sauce

[Abbie Pilz]

Thisparmesan-crusted Lemon Chicken Recipe is so EASY to make and completely ready in 30 minutes! The quick garlic and lemon butter sauce enhances the flavor of the chicken and adds so much flavor to the dish!

This dish is going to become a favorite chicken dinner recipe for BUSY evenings. The chicken breast is generously coated in parmesan and pan-fried to give it a crispy crust. The chicken is then smothered in a lemon butter sauce with garlic that adds so much flavor to the chicken.

For a quicker dinner, prepare the lemon sauce in a separate saucepan or skillet while the chicken is cooking. Then just pour the sauce over the chicken once it is cooked. Or, you can just cook the chicken, remove it from the skillet (cover to keep warm) and prepare the sauce in the same skillet, then add the chicken back.

If you like to prep dinner in advance, slice the chicken and add it to the egg mixture, cover and refrigerate until you are ready for dinner. Allowing the chicken to marinate will result in a juicier and more tender chicken breast. Then, just continue with the remaining recipe instructions.

Yes! For a healthier option, completely omit the egg mixture and parmesan mixture. Slice the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then, continue with the preparation of the sauce.

This lemon chicken will work with chicken breast, chicken thighs, and even chicken tenderloins. You will want to prepare the recipe according to the instructions, the only difference will be in the cooking time. The cook time will depend on the size of the thighs, you want the internal temperature to reach 165F on an instant-read thermometer.

Chinese Lemon Chicken is super popular Chinese American takeout dish! The ultra crispy chicken is nicely seasoned, juicy, and coated in a bright, tangy, lemon sauce that pairs deliciously with some freshly steamed rice.

Next, mix the sauce by combining chicken stock, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, honey, distilled white vinegar, and cornstarch. I always like to premix my sauce to have it ready to go during the fast cooking process.

Mix together flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, white pepper, and baking powder in a large bowl. Give the chicken a final mix to redistribute the wet batter and let any drip off the chicken. Individually coat the chicken pieces in the dry seasoning mix so that there are no dry spots!

Heat a few quarts of neutral oil over high heat until the temperature reaches 350F. Carefully fry the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. I highly recommend a thermometer to accurately measure your oil temperature, as you do not want the oil temperature to drop below 325F.

Immediately add in your crispy chicken and give the pieces a mix and toss in the sauce until each piece is nicely coated in the sauce. Serve immediately with some freshly steamed rice and enjoy your fresh Chinese Lemon Chicken!

By now, you know that I LOVE cooking with my carbon steel wok! It is my #1 most recommended kitchen tool, as I believe it is perfect for high-heat cooking and results in restaurant quality Chinese food!

How many of you are over 40? Well if you're not there yet, let me tell you that once you pass that milestone the brain goes. I don't know where it goes, but information is cycled in and out on a daily basis and you only get to keep what's happening in the near future in the forefront.

That is until you wake up in the middle of the night remembering something that was funneled in at one point and you forgot all about it. Now, these can be REALLY important things or things that in the grand scheme of things aren't as important but they matter nonetheless.

At the time, all I had was a Chicken Francaise recipe (which is in the cookbook), but she said that wasn't it as it wasn't battered in egg. So I told her I'd make it soon and gone it went into the abyss!

Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking as you're pouring so as not to form lumps. Next, add in the lemon zest and juice, chives, and thyme. Bring to a boil then allow to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Seriously, this is one of the best lemon sauces for chicken I've ever tasted! Since posting recipe my aunt tried it and said it was spot on! In fact, she has made this recipe over and over again since its first posting.

Hi Carrie,

I just found this recipe in my search for an easy, tasty lemon sauce for some leftover chicken and will try today.

I have a question that I didn't see above in the comments..... have you ever tried using some dry white wine (or maybe dry sherry) for part of the chicken broth?

Thanks so much for your website and this recipe.

Karen

You can certainly use a combination of white wine and chicken broth; which I do for my Chicken Francaise recipe. I made this recipe without the alcohol as some people don't like it, but I'm sure it would taste amazing! Enjoy!

I made this dish in a mad rush as my husband and son had limited time before heading out the door. I love that the ingredients aren't complicated and neither is the technique. Because of it's simplicity and my haste, I really didn't have high hopes that I'd be wowed. I ended up having seconds. I never have seconds. And I had the left overs for lunch the next day. I'll be making this again soon for sure. Thank you for sharing such a tasty, easy recipe.

Thank you so much for your kind words Kristin! I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed it and it's one of my favorites as well. I'm a firm believer that dinner should be made with as little ingredients and as simple as possible. Thanks for trying the recipe. ?

Not sure what to make for dinner? The ingredients for a quick and easy family-friendly home cooked meal are right in front of you. Join me as experiment with new recipes sourced by local, fresh ingredients. Enjoy!

The first step to making Chinese lemon chicken is to batter and fry your chicken pieces. I use chunks of boneless skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs will also work just fine. The chicken pieces are dipped in a seasoned egg mixture, then coated in a blend of cornstarch and flour.

The chicken pieces then go into hot oil and get fried to crispy perfection. I use canola or vegetable oil for frying, and I always use a thermometer so I can keep track of how hot the oil is. The oil should be in the 350-375 degrees F range. If the oil is too hot, the coating will burn before the chicken is cooked through. If the oil is too cold, the chicken coating will absorb a lot more of the oil and be greasy.

My favorite way to serve Chinese lemon chicken is over steamed rice. I also serve a simple steamed veggie like broccoli or asparagus. You could also serve this lemon chicken with a side of Chinese noodles such as chow mein.

Thank you for the idea for coating it with brown rice flour. I have out myself on a diet which cuts out breads and pasta. I was thinking of a way to substitute the all purpose flour with something else that I could use. Off to the store I go!

I have made the sauce for this recipe several times now and absolutely love it! It takes very little effort and has minimal ingredients which works like a charm when making several other dishes at the same time.

I cheat and just get frozen breaded chicken pieces that I can pop in the oven and then toss in the sauce when they are cooked. Makes for a really quick and low effort dish. Thank you so much for sharing ?

Cut the chicken into four cutlets. Season them with salt & pepper and garlic powder, then dredge in flour. Pan fry until golden in the oil and some of the butter, then transfer to a plate. To the skillet add the broth, lemon juice and zest, and remaining butter.

Note: Cutting the chicken breasts in half was a great tip! Not only did it make cooking faster, it doubled the servings. I served the leftover chicken cold on a spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries, feta and poppyseed vinaigrette for lunch the following day. Very versatile chicken.

I have been looking for a dairy free lemon chicken and this recipe did not disappoint! I used a vegan butter and it turned out great. All 3 of my boys loved it and asked for this to be in our weekly rotation again.

For a few years now we have been looking for a recipe to replicate something we had a restaurant. Well this is it. The flavours are fantastic. We add some freshly cut avocado and asparagus to it and it is perfect. This is now on our rotation.

Absolutely fabulous!! So, I kind of did a hybrid of your chicken parm and this recipe. Panko and fried the chicken like the parm then followed the rest of this recipe. When I served the chicken I cut in slices and laid on top of saute spinach. Ladled the sauce over so all the sauce shimmied down the sliced chicken. Family LOVED it. I just discovered your sight and have tried 4 recipes and all have been so fabulous. Thank you and keep up the wonderful recipes!!

Could this be made ahead and reheated? .

FYI, I noticed when I changed the number of servings the pounds changed but not quantity of breasts. Stayed at 2 large breasts for all different quantities.

My husband is not a fan of boring chicken. Well this recipe has changed his mind! While it was cooking he commented several times how good is smelled. And then after eating just a few bites he declared this recipe is a keeper! And to think I just wanted to order in pizza ? Thanks Nagi!

I love this recipe!!? I use half of the sauce for 2 people, try to save the rest for another night, but have trouble restraining myself from eating it by the spoonful before it makes it to the fridge! So very yummy!

Say hello to your new favorite one skillet chicken dinner that's topped with a lemon garlic butter cream sauce! I used thin chicken breasts but this recipe would be delicious with boneless chicken thighs too!

Very yummy. The sauce was but runny. So i added a 1/8 c cold water w 1 tbsp corn starch after I pulled it out of the oven. It thickend very nicely. This will be added to our usual dinner rotation for sure. Thanks for posts.

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