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This spicy lemon garlic chicken with creamy lemon sauce is full of flavor! Prepared in a single skillet in 30 minutes, it’s an ideal weeknight dinner recipe.
Key Ingredients for Spicy Lemon Chicken
The timing for this recipe couldn’t have worked out more perfectly because February is Healthy Heart Month and I make this with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, an American Heart Association Heart Check Certified product. Plus, it’s super easy to find at my local Publix.
- Chicken breasts – Thin-cut breast filets are best for this recipe. If you can’t find them in the store, you can butterfly regular chicken breasts.
- Seasoning blend for chicken – I use a combo of dried and fresh herbs but you can absolutely use all dried ingredients if you don’t have (or don’t want to buy) fresh herbs.
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® – I use this to make the lemon garlic sauce because it’s made with good fats from plant-based oils, has 70% less saturated fat and 40% fewer calories than dairy butter, and it still has the buttery taste we all love. It’s also a good source of Omega 3 ALA. Win-win!
- Fresh lemon – The taste of fresh lemon and fresh lemon zest is an integral part of the sauce’s flavor, and you only need one!
How to Make Spicy Lemon Garlic Chicken
STEP 1: In a small bowl, combine the seasoning ingredients for the chicken. Rub on both sides of each breast filet.
STEP 2: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken breasts into the skillet and let them sear (without turning) for 5 minutes. Turn over and let the other side sear and cook for another 5 minutes. Continue cooking, turning as needed until the chicken is completely cooked, then remove from pan and keep warm.
STEP 3: Lower the heat to medium, and add the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® to the skillet and let it melt. Add garlic; cook for one minute.
STEP 4: Add chicken broth, lemon juice, zest, flour and milk, scraping the pan to loosen all the yummy bits. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for several minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.
STEP 5: Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle chopped parsley over chicken to garnish.
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Spicy Lemon Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 thin-cut boneless skinless chicken breast filets
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ tsp fresh thyme chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 4 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® spread
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice juice of one lemon
Lemon Garlic Sauce
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In small bowl, mix the chicken seasonings together. Rub on both sides of each chicken breast.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Place chicken breasts in hot skillet and let cook (without turning) for about 5 minutes. This will put a nice golden brown sear on the chicken. Flip and cook another 5 minutes. Continue cooking and flip as needed until chicken is completely done. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® and let melt. Add garlic; cook for one minute. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour and milk, scraping the pan to loosen all the yummy bits. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for several minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle chopped parsley over chicken to garnish.
Joanna Funkhouser says
When is the flour used?
Liz says
So sorry this question escaped me before now. It goes in with the broth, milk etc. at the end when you’re thickening and reducing. 🙂
Sharon says
Basically, it was ok. I had all the ingredients handy. But you never touched on whether you combine the flour with the seasonings as part of the rub, or after you melt the butter and use it as a roux and the sauce thickens that way…
Donna A Mang says
When does the fresh garlic go in?
Liz says
It goes in after the “butter” melts and cooks for a minute. 🙂