Creamy Lemon Chicken
One pan restaurant-quality creamy lemon chicken is easy to make in 30 minutes. Pan seared chicken fillets are smothered in a delicious creamy lemon sauce.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally to make 4 fillets
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/4 cup all-purpose or plain flour
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil
Sauce
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper as needed
For Serving
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half to make 4 fillets. Place on the cutting board and pound to 1/2 inch thick if needed.
- Season the chicken with lemon pepper on both sides.
- Combine the flour, Pecorico Romano, garlic powder and onion powder in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet or non stick pan over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, dredge the fillets in the flour mixture, coating completely. Shake off excess. Fry fillets in batches of two for 8 minutes ( 4 minutes per side) or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
- To the same skillet, add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock ( or broth) and cook for 5 minutes on high to reduce down, while whisking occasionally.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the half and half. Simmer on low until slightly thickened. Add the Pecorino Romano cheese and cook until it is melted. Taste test and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the lemon juice and return the chicken back to the sauce to heat through on low for 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Serve over spaghetti.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You should use a meat tenderizer to achieve a beautiful textured surface on your chicken. This not only gives the breading more surface to cling to, but it improves the flavor of your chicken. The pounding of the chicken also breaks down the muscle fibers in the chicken, making it more tender when it’s time to eat.
- Chicken tends to plump up when cooked, so be sure to pound your chicken thin. If you need to err on the side of caution, too thin is better than too thick.
- You should use fresh lemon juice, particularly if you’ve squeezed it from a lemon yourself. This has far more flavor than bottled or pre-packaged lemon juice.
- Likewise, fresh garlic, rather than jarred or canned, has the best flavor. Using fresh ingredients is the best way to guarantee an awesome flavor for your dinner.
- You can throw some capers or spinach into your sauce at the end of the cooking if you like. The capers will bring a pleasantly salty flavor to the sauce, and spinach will help bulk up your sauce and add some fiber and greenery.
- You don’t want the base of your sauce to be too hot when the cheese goes into the pan. This can cause the cheese to separate and become “grainy”.
Nutrition
Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 913mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g