Chicken Breast Recipes: 20-Minute Lemon Herb Chicken Skillet for Busy Weeknights

Name: Chicken Breast Recipes: 20-Minute Lemon Herb Chicken Skillet for Busy Weeknights
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 lb (900g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4 cutlets; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed; 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup chicken broth; Juice and zest of 1 large lemon; 1 tsp dried Italian herbs, or 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme and parsley; 4 packed cups baby spinach

Oct 20

3 min read

Updated: 15 hours ago

Seared chicken breasts in a lemon garlic butter pan sauce with wilted spinach in a skillet

Get the Digital Cookbook Bundle

20 minutes, one pan, eight pantry ingredients

Chicken breast gets a bad reputation it mostly does not deserve — the problem is almost always thickness, not the cut. Slice each breast horizontally so it cooks evenly in six minutes, and you get something juicy rather than dry. The pan sauce is built on the fond underneath and takes another three.

▸ Get the full family dinner cookbook

Why this one works

Halving the breasts horizontally is the whole technique. An even half-inch cooks through before the outside dries out.
Cold butter whisked in off the heat emulsifies the sauce so it clings to the chicken rather than sliding off.
Eight ingredients, one pan, and nothing needs to be bought specially.

At a glance

Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Protein: 52g per serving
Calories: 428 per serving

Ingredients

Chicken

2 lb (900g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4 cutlets
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp olive oil

Save This Recipe Collection

Lemon herb pan sauce

4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
1 tsp dried Italian herbs, or 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme and parsley
4 packed cups baby spinach

Instructions

Make even cutlets. Lay each breast flat and slice horizontally through the middle into two thin pieces. Pound any thick spots gently to an even half inch. Pat dry and season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Sear the first side. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay in the cutlets without crowding — two batches if needed — and leave them for 4 minutes until deeply golden.
Finish the chicken. Flip and cook 3 minutes more, until 165F / 74C at the thickest point. Move to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Soften the garlic. Lower the heat to medium and add 1 tbsp of the butter and the sliced garlic. Stir for 45 seconds until pale gold and fragrant, scraping the brown bits loose as you go.
Deglaze. Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and let it bubble down by about half, 2 minutes, lifting everything stuck to the pan.
Mount the butter. Take the pan off the heat. Add the remaining cold butter a cube at a time, swirling constantly, until the sauce turns glossy and slightly thick. Stir in the lemon zest and herbs.
Wilt and serve. Add the spinach and toss for 45 seconds in the residual heat until it just collapses. Return the chicken and any resting juices, spoon the sauce over and serve.

Notes and swaps

Serve over orzo, mashed potatoes or rice to catch the sauce, or keep it low carb with the spinach alone.
Chicken thighs work; they need 5 to 6 minutes a side.
Do not boil the sauce after the butter goes in, or it separates into oil.