Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce
Breaded, browned, and then baked while simmering in a simple lemon-butter sauce, this chicken is tender, versatile and absolutely delicious.
We eat chicken a lot around these parts and I never tire of finding different ways to fix it.
It’s quite a versatile meat, I’d say! Nestled in curries, beautifully grilled, all set for tacos, and simplified in the slow cooker, just a few yummy chicken variations.
This latest recipe, sent to me by Allie M., was a fantastic new way to prepare our much-loved chicken. Breaded, browned, and then baked while simmering in a simple lemon-butter sauce, this chicken is tender, versatile and absolutely delicious.
We served the chicken over fettuccine noodles and the light, tasty sauce was divine drizzled over the chicken and pasta.
Loved this one, oh yes we did. Thanks, Allie!
What To Serve With This:
Divine Breadsticks or Cheesy Garlic Bread
Steamed vegetable like broccoli or peas
Simple green salad (or something more fancy like this Gourmet Green Salad)
One Year Ago: Cheese Rolls with Buttery Parmesan Crust
Two Years Ago: Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup seasoned flour, (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Let it begin to heat and sizzle while you prepare the chicken but be careful not to let the butter burn and turn brown.
- Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat the chicken in the flour. One by one, take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken carefully in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side, without moving or flipping the chicken, for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. Carefully, using a wide spatula, flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown. The chicken will flip easiest if it has had time to sizzle and cook to form a nice crust.
- Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce.
- In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the remaining four tablespoons butter. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet.
- Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Allie M., a reader
119 Comments on “Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce”
This is probably a dumb question, but do you use fresh parmesan or the bottled kraft kind? Thank you!
I use freshly grated Parmesan (not the kind in a bottle).
This sounds so delicious and I can’t wait to make it but I do have a question, I only have thin sliced chicken breast how long do u think I should bake it for? I was thinking 15 to 20 mins but I wasn’t sure!! Any help is appreciated!!
Yes, I think 15-20 minutes is a good starting place.
Hi Mel, my girlfriend and I made this for dinner and it turned out so well. We ate it with some pasta and a kale salad. This is definitely going to a repeat recipe for us thank you!
Did you mean to put the chicken in the flour first? I had to take mine out of the skillet and redo with egg THEN flour because it was just egg coated chicken. I can’t be the only one but it seems that I am….?
Delicious!!! I wanted a little bit more sauce so I added unsalted butter, lemon juice, and some white wine! It is absolutely to die for! I have inhaled it each time! So flavorful! Shared it with my sister as well!! Yummy!!
My 9-year-old son picked this recipe for dinner. He rated it “Infinity out of ten, even with the green stuff (parsley)!” A big thanks to you and Allie for sharing.
Haha, that’s an adorable rating system.
I happened upon your website for the very first time to make your breaded garlic chicken with lemon butter sauce and I have to say it was the BEST chicken I ever ate !! It was so moist and flavorful, plus easy to make !! I have also used the coating mixture with homemade pesto sauce and that was delish also !! I will definitely use your website more often !!
Love this recipe! The other day I mixed pad Thai sauce into the egg portion of the dish. after filleting the chicken I just cooked it on the stove and served it over pad Thai. It was really good!
Mel,
This is the best boneless chicken recipe , we added heavy cream for sauce and served with roasted veg & Julia Childs Dauphine Potatoes . All plates were returned empty.
Thanks again for sharing your recipe
Charles , Val , Connie & Anna
Hi Mel, I decided I would try with boneless chicken thighs as I have these in my freezer..do I need to do any adjustments using the thighs instead of the breasts for this recipe? Thank you!
Usually you want to increase the cooking time with chicken thighs. I haven’t made this recipe with them but I’d definitely keep my eye on the time.
Hi Mel,
I have a local store that sells organic chicken, but all of their chicken breasts are bone in and have the skin on – which I could remove easily I suppose, but are there any recipes that I could substitute bone in for the boneless? I would love to try this recipe, but I know it would suit boneless and skinless so the coating would adhere and I did try to search on your site for bone in…but couldn’t see any. Do you have any bone in recipes or know of any of yours that could substitute nicely? Sorry for all the questions!!
Hi Melissa – good question. I don’t think I’ve even posted a recipe for bone-in, skin-on chicken since I always buy boneless, skinless. Could you use a sharp paring knife to quickly cut the chicken breast away from the bone?
Amazing recipe.
Don’t have any lemons on hand. Would lemon juice work? Should I adjust the amount? It is a last minute meal with no time to go to the store. Thanks – I’ve been a fan of this website for quite a few months and have enjoyed every bit of it!
Hi Kerri – are you talking about bottled lemon juice? I think that could work in a pinch although it might not have the same bright, fresh flavor.
We LOVE this recipe!! It is my go-to for company. Such simple ingredients that I always have in house and company always loves it! My only complaint is that my portion control always goes out the window when this is on the table! YUMM
Oh. My. Gosh. This. This was so easy and so absolutely yummy. I pan fried asparagus and green beans in the same skillet after and drizzled with leftover fresh lemon juice and parm. So yummy. Next time I have guests this is the menu.
How is this a no oven meal?
Lauren – it was put into the No Oven category by error. It’s fixed now.
As a 17 year old high school lad who occasionally likes to cook for his parents, I found this recipe delicious and easy to make. Chicken, Garlic, lemon, parsley and butter are all staples in my house, so it was as simple as opening the fridge for me! the best reaction was definitely my mother’s, who raved that it was to die for with all its flavor (again, garlic lovers) and juiciness. Thanks a bunch!
Amazing. Like all your recipes. Thanks to your friend Allie for the recipe and thanks Mel for always posting the best!
Made this tonight! Totally tasted like I just ordered from an awesome italian restaurant! Thanks for making me look good 🙂 Hubs and kids gobbled it up!
made this tonight. started having doubts when it didn’t look like there was enough sauce but it came out pretty good! My husband really enjoyed it. served with salad and mashed potatoes.
This is an awesome recipe!! Definitely one of my new favs..especially since I’m pretty picky about my food being pregnant. I doubled the sauce like you suggested and put the chicken over angel hair pasta with butter and parmesan..yum! Thank you for posting!!!!
I don’t know how I waited so long to make this. Absolutely delicious!!!
Thanks Mel! I made it per the instructions. I used 6 pieces of tilapia that totaled about 20 oz. I cut the flour mixture in half and doubled the butter and lemon juice for sauce – all else was per the recipe. I only baked it for 15 minutes at 350. Will try with chicken next time! another winner from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe!
Hey Mel! I’m going to try this with tilapia tonight. I saw the other’s persons comments but I’m a bit confused. Seems like I skip the egg/parmesean mixture, but do I still brown it in a skillet with just the seasoned flour? Or just head straight to the pan to bake it? Not sure why I couldn’t still do the egg/parmesean mixture. Let me know if you have a chance, otherwise I’ll wing it!
Hi Katie – I’ve never made it with tilapia even though someone else commented they have. If it were me, I’d follow the same steps in the recipe with the tilapia. Good luck!
If you heat the olive oil first, then add the butter, the butter won’t brown (as long as you watch your heat).
This was very good! Thanks Melanie! I will have to disagree with those that added more butter/sauce. I doubled the sauce and the chicken was drowning in butter! We ended up having to pour some of it off, cause it was just unappetizing, but the Chicken breading and flavor over all was wonderful! There were no leftovers and the kids loved it too! Next time I make this, I will just stick to how the recipe says. Oh, also I didn’t have the parmesan, so I just did without. It was still fantastic! I also added lemon zest to the breading mixture and shook it up into it. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
Just made this. My fiance says its a keeper! I agree!! Yummy, Thank you. I have made Chicken Franchaise, Chicken Marsala, and Chicken Scallopini. He likes them all, but loves this.
It’s cooking now! My hubby and I made this in no time, and the items needed are readily available so no need to run to the grocery store! Thanks!
Tried this last week and we loved it! It is going in my permanent book. Thanks for sharing!
so i’ve made this more times then i can count & i love it more every time. thanks for sharing!
My family loved this recipe! I am saving a bunch of your recipes to make for family this Christmas! Thanks Mel.
This was so good! Made it tonight 🙂 Thanks for yet another amazing dinner!
I’ve tried this recipe twice in as many weeks now. The first time, I made it for 4 adults and 1 toddler and doubled the sauce. It worked out very well, and everyone loved it. The second time (just last night actually), I omitted the lemon butter sauce and substituted a jar of marinara sauce, making it like a chicken parmesan. It was very, very yummy. And I will definitely be doing BOTH versions again…maybe not as frequently 😉
Absolutely delicious! I mixed bread crumbs with panko for the breading because I was out of flour. Hubby who is a very picky eater raved about it. Definite repeat.
This was incredible! My entire family loved it …even the picky ones. Another winner, Mel. Thanks so much!!!!
Thanks so much for getting back to me on the freezing question! I forgot i asked it and was just revisiting your site for recipes. I think you might be right about the breading not freezing right. Thank you!
This was sooo yummy! Thanks for posting!
I made this a week or so ago and it was so good! I posted it on my blog today. Thanks for the “yumminess” Mel!
This looks delicious! Do you think that you could freeze this? If so, when would you recommend freezing it? Before the final bake?
Thanks!
Hi Molly – I’ve never frozen this so I don’t know how it would work out. I’m worried the breading might not freeze that well, to be honest!
I just have to tell you that is almost embarrassing that nearly every time someone asks me for the recipe for something yummy I have made I have to refer them to your web site! And also, this chicken recipe is the meal most requested by my family. It is so incredibly delicious! Thanks for making me a better cook!
So I’ve been following your blog for over a year now and everything, I mean everything; (with the exception of the mac and cheese which I’ve never liked but thought I’d give a try since you’ve never let me down) has been Amazing! This however, without a doubt is my husband’s favorite. When I made it he told me it tasted like it came from a really fancy restaurant. Who wouldn’t love that compliment??? So this is a big thank you for all your recipes, they’ve made me love cooking once again. Also I’ve been following your menu planner idea, and lets just say that for the last 8 weeks we’ve only eaten out 3 times and for our family that is no small feat! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
Thanks for another great dish. I made this last night and my 4 year old ate it like candy!!! I was so happy about that. Such a nice flavor.
I posted it on my blog. Thanks!
Yum! I made this last night and it was awesome! My only change was the inclusion of a Panko breading 🙂 Thanks for an awesome dinner!
http://ducksoven.blogspot.com/2011/01/panko-crusted-chicken-with-lemon-butter.html
Chelsea – panko = brilliant!
Ingredients are on the counter, the time will come soon!
Just finished eating this for dinner and it was so delicious. My husband scarfed it down so fast I could hardly believe my eyes, LOL….and my 10 year old son said it’s a keeper. It definitely is! So tender and the sauce is amazing. Thank you!
Kristen – husband scarfing = success! Glad you loved this one.
Mel, this was a big hit at my dinner table, thank you so much. I served it with some sautéed tomatoes, zucchini, onions, green pepper, and some rice. I will be making this one again for sure.
Thanks, Tiffany!
I made this chicken tonight and everyone loved it….I was worried that it would be dry but it was so moist and the sauce was delicious. The fresh parsley turned out a little dark after cooking so next time I’ll probably just sprinkle it on after taking the chicken out of the oven. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Bobbi – glad you liked this one!
I made this over the weekend and it was FABULOUS! Everyone loved it. I think next time I will try using Panko instead of flour for a little extra crunch.
Thanks, Michelle! I think the idea of panko is brilliant with this dish.
Just cut the recipe in half made this with rice and veggies for my mom for dinner. She loved it and so did I. Thanks for the great recipe!
Becky – glad a halved version of this worked out for you and your mom. Thanks for letting me know!
I was so excited to try this recipe, and I was not disappointed when I did! The chicken was so tender and had tons of flavor! I will definitely make this again and again.
Thanks, Kat – so glad you liked this one!
OMGosh! I made this today and this chicken is honestly DIVINE. It is so tender and delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe! I didn’t have Parmesan on hand, so I used Monterey Jack, and it was incredible–even with the tiny tweak.
Thanks, Andrea – I actually think the melted monterey jack cheese sounds to die for in this recipe!
I made this and my husband said, “gourmet” and delicious. I also served it on a bed of simple wilted spinach with dollops of goat cheese. WOW! Thanks for the easy, but gourmet, recipe.
Sheila – great compliments from your husband. Your version with spinach and goat cheese absolutely DOES sound gourmet!
Made this last night and it was so stinkin good! Even my husband and 3 year old, who are hard to please loved it! Thank you!
Connie – glad your hard-to-please family loved this!
Yeah, I saw that the temp was left out so I put mine on at 375 (I figured it would be a nice middle ground between the a possibly undercooked chicken at 350 and overcooked chicken at 400…I dunno) and I put it in for 25 min. It was PERFECT! I have never made such juicy chicken. Yum!
Steph – I’m thrilled this turned out so perfectly for you!
i decided to overlook the amount of butter in this recipe and make it and not feel guilty while i devoured it. me and my husband fought over the last piece of chicken….thanks for the delish recipe!
Leslie – you are my kind of girl. Just look away from the butter and enjoy the meal! So glad you liked it – and I hope you won the fight over the last piece.
Looks delicious but simple! YUM!
WOW. This was so good. I’ve tried so many of your recipes and they have never failed. This was so good, and the PERFECT amount of garlic. I made it when I got home from church today and it was so fast!! I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I loved how you just threw the chicken in the ziploc bag. Thanks!! OH, and we had a girls night out while our hubbies were on a camping trip this weekend and had the slow cooker hot fudge peanut butter pudding cake and wow again!! It was so delicious (I thought I’d save typing time by putting these two comments together, hah!) Thank you!!
Amy – glad you liked this one! I love fast(er) type meals for Sunday. And let me tell you, that hot fudge cake is screaming “girls night out dessert!” Perfect idea!
This is a beautiful chicken dish. Love it! Thanks for sharing.
This was such a great recipe! This recipe also works wonders with Tilapia. The only exception there is that you do not coat it with eggs and then put it in a pan before baking. You do everything but then only cook for 12 minutes at 400. You should try it!
Kristina – LOVE the tip on the tilapia, thanks for including it!
there are fewer words i like to see side by side than butter and sauce. yum.
This looks delicious, can’t wait to make it.
Can’t beat a great, simple chicken dish!
This looks simple, yet addicting!
We made this last night and it was a huge hit – thanks!
Thanks, Janel!
Also, Melanie, sorry if I stepped on your toes by commenting on this further, but I felt so bad to read that she had a problem doubling it! I am a lover of butter, so I almost always double it and felt I should mention how I do it! Yikes, good thing for the elliptical!
Amanda, I feel bad that doubling didn’t work out! I wish I would have read your comment when you were asking about doubling measurements! I would’ve commented on here about how I usually double it! When I double it, I usually make it exactly as Melanie has described in the breading and browning section, and then I go back to the pan to make the sauce. To make double the sauce, I use 1 stick of butter (I know, I know, but it is worth it!), 3 tbs lemon juice (4 would be overpowering), 5 cloves of garlic, and 2 tbs parsley flakes. Then, I drizzle all of it over the chicken and cook. After it is cooked, I use the excess sauce over the pasta. So sorry you didn’t love it!
Allie – oh, heavens, you aren’t stepping on my toes at all! I’m grateful you are willing to chime in and let us know what works since you are definitely the expert on this recipe. Thanks for the details on doubling the sauce!
Amanda – I’m sorry, also, you didn’t love this recipe!
Big hit at our house tonight, everyone loved it, even the babies
Thanks, nellie!
I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken breasts, so I am definitely bookmarking this to try!
My daughter Noelle loves all things lemon, and she loves chicken dishes ….I have a feeling this recipe will be a favorite!
Made it for dinner today. Chicken was good, but I doubled for the sauce and still wasn’t happy with it. This one was just ok at our house.
THis sounds yummy, i’m making it now! I’m assuming the oven temp is 350? I’ll let you know how it tastes!
Jordan – sorry for the late clarification – I’ve updated the recipe and yes, the oven temp is 350. Sorry for leaving it out initially!
YAY ALLIE!!! I’m excited to try this. This sounds so good. Wish you lived close so you could cook for us:-)!
Thanks! This came on the perfect day– I was looking for something fab to make for dinner. I made this & I’ll let you know how we like it. BUT did you post an oven temp? I’m not sure if I missed it or not?!!
Ok, so if I want to double the sauce would you use 4Tbs of butter and 4 of lemon juice? Do you think I could use some olive oil in there instead of so much butter?
Yay! I must admit my heart did a little leap when I went on your site to get inspiration for what to make for dinner tonight, and my recipe was right there! So happy you liked it! What did your hot dog loving hubs think? And the kiddos? Weird to see my name on your post….based on how I kinda feel famous for one measly recipe…..you must feel like a true rockstar all the time!!!!
This looks great! We love lemon chicken & pasta. I will try this next weekend.
Hooray-no worries! Just got the chicken out of the oven and tried a bite-it was delish. A little fresh lemon juice on top and it was great! No eggy (is that a word) taste at all. Oh the magic of cooking. Thanks for a great recipe!
im bookmarking this to and want to try it with chix and talipia, butter lemon sauce sounds yummy!
This looked so good that I am making it right now even though dinner is hours away. I just got it in the pan though and the chicken is very coated with egg and it smells like scrambled eggs cooking. Will the chicken have an egg flavor because of the thick egg coating?
Hi Taryn – my kitchen did have a slight egg smell while I was browning the chicken but once it simmered in the oven with the sauce, I definitely didn’t feel like the egg coating was overpowering. When you dip the chicken into the egg/Parmesan mixture, you can jiggle and shake the chicken slightly to remove excess egg but still keep a nice thin coating. I hope you like the result – let me know what you think either way!
CAN I MAKE THE SAUCE AHEAD OF TIME AND REFRIF IT
Haven’t tried it with a make-ahead variation but you could certainly try.
Very satisfying looking!
This sounds so yummy! Especially on a rainy day like today. Thanks for your advice on how to get my picky eaters to actually eat something. I don’t think I’ll be hearing any complaints when I make this!
Oh, YUM. Printing this one out…
Love the looks of this and the ingredients list is very minimal which is always a plus! 🙂
This looks and sounds incredibly delicious! I’ll definitely be trying this one!
oooh I love new ways to make chicken. I never seem to know what to do with it. I know I tell you this all the time Mel, but I seriously have to space out making your recipes because otherwise I having nothing original to post on my blog! Oh and I passed on your blog to a bunch of family members over labor day. I’ve already gotten a few of them hooked 🙂
Just found your blog….looks like I have some new recipes to try.
This looks great, I’ve just bookmarked it and can’t wait to try this!. Thank you… I needed a new recipe.
This looks incredible! Chicken is my favorite protein, and I am always trying to find new ways to serve it, too. The lemon butter sauce sounds divine!
My husband would love it. The lemon butter sauce sounds incredible.