One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
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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!
Hello, hello to my new favorite creamy, garlicky, lemony, delicious skillet chicken!
You guys, I’ve gone completely head over heels for today’s meal (I didn’t mean for that to rhyme.
As many of you have probably guessed, I have a love for white meat chicken. It’s no dark meat for me. But the good news is that today’s chicken dinner is customizable to your chicken needs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs, sure, why not! *Applause* you’ve only just waited half of FOREVER for me to bring you something that could be made with something other than boneless skinless chicken breast.
This one skillet chicken recipe is my go to chicken dinner of the week decade. Obvi, this recipe requires just one pan. Which means, we make the chicken and the sauce – that’s right – in just uno skillet-o. We’re talking tender chicken, covered in a lemon garlic butter sauce that’s creamier that anything you’ve had before. Someone, please, throw some capers up in the sauce! This only *just* hit me now, but I’m totally doing it next time, pinky promise.
Should I just stop here? Are you on your way to the kitchen, cuz ya should be!
This recipe is somewhat, kinda sorta adapted and inspired by my Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil.
WHAT MAKES THIS CHICKEN WITH LEMON GARLIC CREAM SAUCE RECIPE SPECIAL?
We’re using a lot of the same ingredients like butter, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley. What takes this chicken dinner to the next level is chicken broth and a big splash of heavy cream. The sauce has a nice creamy consistency that would taste AMAZING tossed in some angel hair pasta. The pasta-bilities are ENDLESS. See what I did there.
HOW TO MAKE ONE SKILLET CHICKEN WITH LEMON GARLIC CREAM SAUCE:
Get those chicken breasts cooking on both sides. You don’t have to worry about cooking the chicken all the way through. We’re just looking to get some color on the chicken and for all those wonderful flavor bits to form in the bottom of the pan. The ‘flavor bits’ are going to be deglazed with chicken broth and lemon juice to make the lemon garlic cream sauce for this skillet chicken.
If you’re using chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs, just make sure that all of them are about the same thickness. Mine were about ½-¾ inch thick. I browned each side of the chicken for just 2 minutes. Don’t worry about cooking the chicken all the way through as we’re going to finish the sauce and the chicken together in the oven for a quick 5 minutes.
To be honest with you, I was a little intimidated with the idea of adding heavy cream to a lemon sauce. I had the biggest fear of it curdling on me. I find the trick is to use just a couple tablespoons of lemon juice and to reduce it with the chicken broth. Once that’s done, I lowered the flame and melted some butter into the sauce. Finally, taking the sauce off the heat completely, I whisked in the cream and placed it back on the flame for just a couple of seconds. Don’t let the sauce come to a boil. And it worked, beautifully! And can I say something? This is the best lemon garlic cream sauce I’ve ever had! A big pat on the back. Checking the cream sauce off my culinary bucket list! Hooray!
But with victory came pain! I pulled the skillet out of the oven, placed it on the store and lost in thought, a few seconds later I decided to grab the handle WITHOUT an oven mitt. UMM… OUCH! NOT FUN! Hand burning! Feels like fire ants having a picnic in my palm! That’s definitely going to leave a mark!?
So once the pain finally subsided from my burning hand, I topped off this one skillet chicken dinner with a handful of chopped parsley and a little basil. Use whatever fresh herbs you’ve got on hand, you really can’t go wrong!
I served it up pretty simple this time around. Just a little steamed broccoli and a side salad. You could always do a little rice to catch all that sauce. Pasta is always perfect with a lemon garlic cream sauce.
One skillet chicken dinners and conquering kitchen fears. Just a regular old Wednesday around here! 😉
shop this chicken with lemon garlic cream sauce post:
One Skillet Chicken with lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
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!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil
Instructions
- Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breasts/thighs into ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
- In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and allow to brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Don't worry if the chicken isn't cooked completely, we'll finish it in the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the flame to medium, add the shallots to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Kick the heat back up to medium high and let sauce come to a simmer. Continue to cook the sauce for 10-15 minutes or until about ⅓ cup of the sauce remains.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove from the flame, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the flame, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the flame for just 30 seconds, DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Top with chopped parsley or basil and serve warm with additional lemon slices.
Notes
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs that about the same thickness. I pounded mine down to about ½ inch.
- After a few comments from readers, I've adjusted the amount of time it takes to reduce the sauce (step #5). Keep in mind, the key is to reduce it to ⅓ cup and that I can only provide an estimate. It may take you more or less time than what is actually listed.
IS THIS A GOOD CHOICE FOR YOU?
*Please note: the nutritional facts calculated are an estimate based on the ingredients I’ve used. If you’d like a more accurate count, please calculate them using the ingredients/brands you’ve used to prepare the recipe. The nutritional facts provided is for ¼ of the recipe, assuming you use a total of 1 1/4lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
If you like this chicken with lemon garlic cream sauce recipe, you might also like:
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breasts
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291 Comments on “One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce”
This was so amazing!! My pickey husband loved it!!
Delicious! Made exactly as written. Definitely going into the rotation, but will make more sauce next time.
I made this recipe for my friends. The chicken was flavorful and juicy. I will keep making it over and over.
Oh, this was DELICIOUS! Only adjustment I made was I subbed nonfat evaporated milk in lieu of heavy cream to cut calories and fat and increase protein — worked fine. Easy, fast, yummy, nutritious, and uses things I always have around … makes it a winner in my book.
Thanks for posting this! I’m excited to try some of your other skillet chicken dinners, too.
Ahhhhmazing! Serviced over cauliflower rice for a low carb dinner. This one’s going in my favorite pile. DELISH!
Oh my lord! This was AMAZING!!!!! I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for this dish. I was just looking for a quick and easy chicken dish and came across this. I knew I had all ingredients on hand, so I just kind of threw it together last minute. Let me tell you, this was the BEST chicken dish I’ve ever eaten! Y’all, that cream sauce is money. I can already think of several other ways to use this cream sauce. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing this!
It was so delicious! I doubled the recipe in order to have extra to pour over pasta. This is definitely a keeper!
Hi, so you just doubled all the ingredients to double the sauce?
this was a delicious dish. Made it tonight for my husband and I. He said this recipe was a keeper. I paired it with green beans with bacon and wild rice. My 5 year old also enjoyed it.
This was the first recipe I’ve made of yours and I loved it! Added a dash of white wine and it was just delicious! Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site!
Super easy to follow and super delicious! I did find that the chicken breasts needed to be cooked longer than 2-3 minutes on each side to get them brown enough for my liking. I also boiled half a lemon, faced down in the broth to get a stronger lemon flavor.
Made this tonight as a last minute dinner resort, and was seriously FANTASTIC…. had so much flavor and maybe the best recipes I’ve made off Pinterest. I have to admit sometimes my recipes can be lacking the flavor, and this was full with lemon, garlic and sauté onion. My husband kept complimenting it and I was like ok I get it up I’ll up the flavor. Thanks for a great recipe. Also paired this with brocalli as pictured. perfect!
Absolutely DELICIOUS! I was worried at first bc my sauce color didn’t look as dark as the pictures, but the end result was unbelievable, delicious, creamy, almost cheesy. And healthy!!! Love this recipe so much, will definitely be adding to my weekly menu!
I loved the flavor!
Delicious recipe! I cut the chicken in strips after and served over rice. Also, i made it in a cast iron skillet, perfect.
Made this for my husband and I tonight on our Keto diet journey and we both loved it! I doubled the sauce and put it on the broccolini side dish as well. The red pepper kick was a nice surprise. Rather than pounds boneless chicken breast are used chicken cutlets and they came out perfectly. Highly recommend adding will make again!
When I doubled the recipe as you did, the sauce wouldn’t thicken. Did you have this issue?
Dina.. It takes a little longer and it will thicken up more in the oven.
I did not have a shallot so i just used an onion I had on hand . Loved this recipe and my 8yr old and 2 yr old both loved it. I paired it with a cauliflower mash and baked zucchini stiicks. Definitely will make again!
A+++. Absolutely wonderful. I added some parboiled diced potatoes to the pan before popping it into the oven, baked about 15 mins… Delicious
Thank you for a yummy recipe.
This was so good! My picky eaters even liked it! I love the fact that this recipe required only one pan. I doubled the sauce and served it with angel hair. So yummy! And, unfortunately, I did the exact same, painful thing that you did and I grabbed the handle of the skillet from the stovetop after I had removed it from the oven! Ouch!!!!
Oh no! Hope you’re okay!
This was delicious! my husband and I loved it and will make it again!
I always tease my husband that he picks food that looks pretty on pinterest with no actual input from people who made it. …therefore,I don’t usually like to make recipes that I get from blogs as the comment section usually says things like “This looks good” or ” I can’t wait to try it!”…which are of no help. However….I fell for it this time…this looked SO good and the recipe looked pretty easy. We made it exactly as written and it was SO AMAZING!!! I don’t know how many times during the meal we just said “this is soo good”. Thank you and thank you to your readers for actually making it before commenting.
It turned out so well! Tangy, savory, garlicky creamy goodness! I sauteed the chicken instead of baking it but the sauce was so so good!
Is there any way to make this partly ahead of time when guests are coming over?
Hi Grace! You can prep the entire dish ahead of time but you may need a little more broth to help thin the sauce when you’re reheating it (it tends to thicken significantly as it sits). Another reader tried it this way and she said it worked out well for her.
This is a delicious recipe. I used vegetable stock because I had some open and added chicken stock powder. I also used tenderloins and slightly over cooked the chicken probably at the frying stage because I didn’t time it. I only left it in the oven for five minutes. Nevertheless we thoroughly enjoyed it and I will definitely cook it again, hopefully once I buy a skillet I can put in the oven. Thanks for the recipe Marzia.
Made this tonight, it was delicious. Made no changes whatsoever and was easy to make! Yummy!
Anyone know what temperature to set the oven?
As stated is step #3, it’s 375F.
Absolutely Delicious!! I only changed one thing, I added pepper. I LOVE pepper. This recipe was so easy and quick and turned out fantastic. Highly suggest making it!!!
Fantastic recipe. I added mushrooms and doubled the chili flakes as we like a bit more kick, and it turned out great with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. I would cook this for other people outside of myself and the lady. May attempt it with prawns and make a pasta out of it in the future.
Made this with fish and used dried parsley and dill for the herbs, added with the stock. Amazingly delicious!
Made this tonight and it’s amazing! we paired it with a roast capital of Belgium sprouts and red potatoes. this may air the menu once more next week. YUM! wanting forward to making an attempt your alternative recipes.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe, I found this when looking for a creamy sauce that didn’t use mushrooms. I substituted sour cream for the heavy cream and added some chives and it went down a treat served with roast potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower and garlic bread. “Its a WINNER!”
Very easy, follow the instructions, incredibly flavorful, couldn’t ask for a better lemon herb chicken recipe and the cream sauce is absolutely to die for definitely do this again thank you.
Hi i was wondering if you can make this dish ahead of time. Cooking for a crowd and wanted to make it the day before and heat up!
Hi Noelle, you can make this ahead of time, but you’ll definitely need additional broth to help thin the sauce the day of. It’ll thicken significantly as it sits. Another reader had made this a few hours in advance and she still needed a little more broth to help thin in (and that was just a few hours!) Hope everyone enjoys the chicken! 🙂
Very nice meal, will make again. Served with cauliflower mash and steamed greens.
This was amazing!! I did have to use a tiny bit of corn starch because i was about to loose all my liquid and that worked perfectly to thicken just enough! The sauce was was the best part and so great drizzled on some roasted red potatoes and asparagus.
This is absolutely fantastic! Soooooo flavorful and relatively easy. Put the chicken over angel hair pasta. Highly recommend!
Stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest & made for dinner last night. I didn’t know I could make food that tasted so good! Our family loved it! My husband who rarely compliments my dinners, couldn’t stop saying how great this was! Thank you for sharing your talent and recipe!
I’ve made this twice. The first time was just ok, nothing I was excited about. I didn’t have a safe pan for the oven and had to transfer it to a Pyrex dish. It didn’t look anything like the pic posted and it tasted just ok.
Well about a year later I tried it again and this time with the proper cookware and omg It was amazing!! I really feel like having the oven safe pan made the difference. I bought the thin chicken breast and followed the recipe closely and it turned out perfect! I wish I had taken a picture because it looked just like the featured photo. The only thing I did a little different was that I took the sauce and put it in a measuring cup to make sure I had 1/3 cup like instructed (which surpringly I had just that perfectly). While that was sitting to the side, I put my onions in and let those get soft and then I threw the sauce back in and then the chicken. Threw it in the oven for about 15 mins. I let it sit for about 10mins to cool and that’s when it started to look like that pic. I drizzled the sauce over the chicken when serving. My picky 10 yr old cleared his plate and wanted more. My husband said we should open a restaurant, LOL. I served it with linguine, olive oil, parmasean, garlic pasta, oh and garlic knots. Thank you for such a great recipe. This will be a dish served much more frequently now.
Made this tonight after finding it on Pinterest – THANK GOODNESS! This is AMAZING! So easy, inexpensive and healthy, it’s just perfect and full of flavors that my family loves. I served it with couscous and peas and it was truly wonderful. This will DEFINITELY be going into our regular rotation, and definitely made when we want to impress guest! AWESOME!
Just made this – I was worried as it looks a bit more brown and muddy than in the pictures, but it’s delicious! Definitely one I will revisit. Thank you for the recipe!
This looks delicious! The main picture shows rice pilaf. Any suggestions on how to make that in the pan with everything? Also, I don’t have an oven safe skillet. Would it be OK to finish it off on the stove? Thanks!
I just made this for dinner, my husband and I loved it, so tasty, thank you so much for the recipe.
I made this recipe before and loved it. I want to make it tonight but don’t have any cream, is there anything I can substitute?
Hi Stephanie, glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe in the past and plan on making it again! A few readers have tried milk + cornstarch slurry in the past with success, not sure how it would taste in comparison to the version with cream but that might be something you can try. Unsure about the quantities for each of those ingredients as I haven’t tried it myself.
This came out perfect! I cooked the chicken in a skillet instead of oven. I just like the skillet taste better than the oven chicken. But I followed the directions and it was perfect!
It was delicious! The sauce so yummy. Loved it and definitely will do again!!
I made this recipe Tonight in my cast iron skillet and the flavor was spot on. My only issue is my sauce did not get creamy and I followed the instructions to a “T”. Any idea what went wrong?
Hi Amanda! I’m not sure what you mean when you say the sauce didn’t get ‘creamy’, could you please elaborate? Do you mean the sauce was too thin thus lacking in richness? If so, did you reduce the chicken broth to 1/3 cup before adding in the cream? I find that step really makes or breaks this recipe. If you add the cream before the sauce was reduced, it never quite has that creamy zing. I hope that helps!
It was so easy and good. I added cilantro and parsley and a little more heavy cream for a little more thickness Thank you for sharing ? I also made some minute rice that called for pretty much ingredients like your recipe
This was delicious! The sauce was a perfect blend of creamy, garlicky, and lemony. Thank you so much for sharing this.
This was super delicious. I made exactly like the recipe and it turned out amazing!
Love this recipe left out the onions but still amazing taste and my kids and nephews even ate the chicken which is surprising.
OMG!! This is so easy to put together & full of flavour… my partner said it was the most delicious meal I’ve EVER made! I did add some capers as recommended & it was fantastic… easy to double up if you’re cooking for a crowd, this will definitely be one of my go to favourites…. so thank you!