Lemon Pepper Chicken with Cream Sauce
When we’re wrapping a long day on-set. this dish is definitely one of our go-do dinners. Skillet chicken cooked with lemon pepper seasonings and served with a cream sauce is a fantastic simple meal. There’s so many ways to serve this awesome dinner and it never disappoints.
Lemon Pepper Chicken
As you already know, we’re obsessed with citrus. It’s such a versatile fruit that fills our garden and kitchen all year round. From cocktails to sauces and cooking, we eat and drink citrus every day. This lemon pepper chicken is a result of our obsession, especially when we’re needing a simple dinner. All cooked in a skillet, this is a favorite weeknight meal that always hits the spot. The bright and amazing flavors of our lemon cream sauce is another awesome recipe in itself. You can use it on veggies, for dipping or eggs. Yes, this lemon pepper sauce is awesome on poached eggs, scrambled or anytime you need a breakfast or brunch sauce.
Video: Skillet Chicken with Lemon Pepper Cream Sauce
What would we eat it with? Serve it Low Carb (Keto) or with Pasta
There’s several ways we would normally serve it. It really depends on what mood we’re in.
- When we’re really hungry, we’ll serve this lemon pepper chicken with pasta. It’s a fresh way to enjoy pasta and sauce with bright flavors of lemon juice.
- Sometimes we’ll have a few slices of grilled bread and just dip it into the sauce while eating the chicken.
- For a low carb version we’ll make zucchini noodles. We’re obsessed with zucchini noodles and always have a bag of spiralized zucchini prepped and stored in the fridge. When we’re ready to eat, we just grab a big handful of the zucchini and cook it with the chicken.
- There’s lots of options to enjoy this as a low carb or hearty meal. Regardless of how you serve it, we guarantee it’ll be on your regular rotation. It’s too easy to not want to make and the flavors will make you crave more of the lemon pepper cream sauce. If you have a few lemons lying around that need to be used, make the sauce! It’s worth making an extra batch of to save for later. You won’t regret it.
Enjoy,
diane and todd
Chicken in Lemon Pepper Cream Sauce
If chicken breasts are very thick with rib meat attached, you should slice them lengthwise so that they’re thinner. This will make cooking them quicker. If you want to use thick chicken breasts, then make sure to cover the chicken and cook for longer and keep checking to make sure they’re cooked through.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds (910 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts , sliced in half lengthwise if they are very thick (or chicken thighs)
- salt
- black pepper
- (Optional) smoked paprika , to taste
- (Optional) ground cumin , to taste
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) butter or olive oil
For Lemon Pepper Sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) butter , or olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced or crushed
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream (NOT the same as half and half)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) worcestershire sauce
- zest of 1 medium lemon
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon pepper seasoning
- salt , to taste
- cracked black pepper , to taste
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) minced parsley , optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Season all sides of chicken with salt and pepper to preference. (Optional) Season with sprinkle of paprika and/or ground cumin.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of butter or olive oil to skillet and melt. Add the chicken and sear both sides until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- When chicken is browned, remove it from the skillet.
- Using the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium heat, and melt 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of butter and stir in the crushed garlic (about 4 cloves). Cook garlic until fragrant. Add 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth, 2 teaspoons (10ml) Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, 3 Tablespoons (45ml) lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons (10ml) lemon pepper seasoning. Whisk the sauce until completely combined. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Return the chicken breasts to the skillet. Place the skillet in the oven and bake at 400°F (205°C) for about 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (timing will vary depending on the size and cut of your chicken).
- After the chicken is cooked through, garnish with optional parsley. Serve the chicken with the lemon sauce with cooked pasta, noodles, rice, steamed veggies or soft bread to soak up all the delicious sauce!
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories: 541kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 221mg, Sodium: 320mg, Potassium: 959mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 899IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 1mg
More easy recipes:
- butter rum apple crisp tart
- Holiday potatoes
- favorite thanksgiving sides
- sangria recipe
- kiwi margarita
- More of our Chicken Recipes Here and Citrus Recipes Here.
- This recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated with new images and more detailed recipe instruction.
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I cooked this for my kids and they just loved it.
Hi Diane and Todd!
I just wanted to say how much I love your Lemon Pepper Chicken with Cream Sauce!The combination of lemon and cream is so comforting. The lemon cream sauce on veggies and eggs is fantastic too.
This is definitely my favorite chicken recipe. The lemon pepper sauce is just amazing.
Would this freeze well? I am never sure when cream is used.
Hi Jacqueline, the sauce won’t be as smooth if it’s thawed. So it’s best to eat it within a few days. You can store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Loved this.. thank you for sharing this recipe
I make this chicken all the time! It’s one of the things I make for my family that they love every time. I do always double the sauce part, I feel like it’s so much better with extra sauce, and I use fresh linguine, which holds the sauce very well. To be honest, I could do without the chicken because chicken in general isn’t my favorite, but the sauce is to die for! Definitely must try this recipe, you’ll fall in love!
This was so delicious!! Thank you ?
Thanks Tina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I made this for dinner last night with pre-seasoned lemon pepper chicken breasts from my grocery store. Served it over whole wheat linguini, and it was a huge hit with my family. I loved how much the lemon stood out in the sauce.
Hi Beth! That’s awesome that you used pre-seasoned lemon pepper chicken. Makes the recipe easier. And we’re happy that your family enjoyed the recipe.
Fantastic. I added broccoli and kids devoured this. The bright lemon sauce is amazing. Think i’ll try this again with pork chops!