Are you in a chicken rut? Cooking the same ol’ boring chicken breast week after week? Yeah, then you need to try this Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken ASAP. It’s savory, tart, and peppery, and has a delicious pan sauce that you’ll want to spoon over your entire plate! This one is so quick and flavorful, I know it’s going to go into your regular rotation. ;)
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What Kind of Chicken Should I Use?
This quick skillet cooking method requires thin chicken pieces that cook quickly, like boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into thinner pieces), chicken tenders, thin-cut chicken breast, or chicken thighs. This method is not suitable for bone-in chicken.
Do I Need Fresh Lemon?
Nope! While I did garnish this dish with some fresh lemon slices (I had those leftover from another dish), you actually don’t need fresh lemon to make this lemon pepper chicken! Most of the lemon flavor comes from the potent lemon pepper seasoning. The small amount of lemon juice added to the pan sauce can be bottled.
What Is Lemon Pepper Seasoning?
The lemon pepper seasoning I used to flavor this recipe is a mix of lemon zest, pepper, citric acid, and salt. Most major spice brands in the U.S. as well as many major generic store brands make their own lemon pepper seasoning, so it should be easy to find in just about any grocery store in the U.S. If you can’t find lemon pepper at your local store, there are plenty of recipes online for homemade lemon pepper seasoning.
Make sure to check if the lemon pepper seasoning you have contains salt. If it does not, you may need to add more salt to the recipe below.
What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Chicken
I went full-on lemon and served my Lemon Pepper Chicken with Lemon Parsley Pasta, but it would also go great with some Sautéed Vegetables, Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad, Roasted Broccoli, Lemon Garlic Roasted Asparagus, Spinach Rice with Feta, Spanish Chickpeas and Rice, or Pasta Primavera.
Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs. total) ($6.79)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning ($0.30)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.14)
- 1 tsp lemon juice ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional) ($0.10)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to carefully fillet the chicken breasts into two thinner pieces (or use thin-cut chicken breasts).
- Combine the flour and lemon pepper seasoning in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over both sides of the chicken breast pieces and then rub it in until the chicken is fully coated.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium. When the skillet and oil are very hot, add the chicken and cook on each side until golden brown (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add the butter and minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for about one minute.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and whisk to dissolve all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the lemon juice and allow the sauce to simmer in the skillet for 3-5 minutes, or until it has reduced slightly. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed (I did not add any).
- Finally, return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over top. Allow the chicken to heat through. Season with a little freshly cracked pepper and fresh chopped parsley (optional), then serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Use a sharp knife to carefully fillet two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into thinner pieces (or use thin-cut chicken breasts).
Combine 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and 1 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over both sides of the chicken pieces.
Smear the flour mixture over both sides of the chicken until they’re evenly coated.
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and cook on both sides until golden brown (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.
Add 1 Tbsp butter and one minced clove of garlic to the skillet. Sauté the garlic for about one minute.
Pour ½ cup chicken broth into the skillet and whisk to dissolve all the browned bits off the bottom. Add 1 tsp lemon juice to the broth, then let the broth simmer in the skillet for 3-5 minutes, or until it has reduced just slightly. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed (I did not add any, but this will depend on the salt content of your lemon peppers seasoning and broth).
Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over top. Allow the chicken to heat through (a few minutes).
Top the chicken off with some freshly cracked pepper and chopped parsley (optional), then serve!
The lemon helps keep the chicken extra tender, juicy, and flavorful! Enjoy!
I cooked mine in pan till brown both sides then put a can of rotel.in it simmered to remove most of the juice. Perfect over rice
I’ve made this recipe many times and I love it more each time. I like to dice my chicken before I cook it for maximum flavor on each bite. I also make an extra sauce and add the chicken to pasta or rice. Absolutely love this recipe.
So good and fairly healthy! Will be making again soon:)
This was the first recipe I made in my new home! Was delicious and super easy! It’s going to be on the rotation of regular recipes! I did opt to make a little extra “juice” for the chicken and pasta but I’m still adjusting to cooking on an electric stove top and I think I let it simmer for too long.
Just made this tonight.
My son and I are everything last piece, and the the sauce is sooo delicious. Will make every week now !
Great flavor, very zesty. My mother and boyfriend loved it as well. My first time making chicken, thank you! 🙏 ☺️👍
Very tender and flavorful I loved it
Love this recipe. It’s so easy. Only added one thing. After I floured the chicken, I dipped it in beaten egg. The lemon pepper really did bring out the savory lemony flavor.
Chicken tasted fine but the texture from the sauce made it really slimy and off putting. Not sure if I did something wrong there.
Tastes amazing! Just what I have been looking for. Other recipes I have tried
Hi Beth! I’m impressed with your drive! Loved your lemon pepper chicken, it was delicious but I needed more sauce. Do you think I could double the sauce? Do you think that would work?
Amazing! This recipe is so delicious and perfect for a beginner like me. Thank you so much! This will be an easy staple moving forward for me.
was simple and tasty but the sauce was so watery and not creamy at all? if you like sauce like that then this is the recipe for you.
excellent recipe – clear concise instructions made from simple ingredients
easy to scale up a bit
Okay, this might be crazy- but what do you think about using white fish like cod or rock fish with this recipe? Adjusting the recipe for cook time…
I think that would be lovely!
This is delicious and easy. I used two teaspoons of lemon instead of one and put lemon slices on the chicken while it was cooking in the sauce. My son who gets really sick of all the chicken I make gobbled it up. Yum!
I had a lemon on hand, chopped up and added to the skillet.
Ended up needing to cook my chicken longer than called for, but turned out great!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was tasty, tender and juicy. I paired it with sautéed spinach/garlic/pine nuts and jasmine rice. I even poured some of the sauce over the rice. This was a definite hit!
Ooh! Pine nuts sound delicious! I added some Asian stir-fry vegetables and noodles! So good!
This was excellent. The sauce was delicious on the broccoli I made as a side. I’ve also made this with lime pepper and lime juice and it was a hit. Thank you for this recipe.
gas*
This shit ass frl!
This recipe is a favorite in my rotation. Everyone loves it! We use Kinder’s brand lemon pepper seasoning because I think it’s worth it for the depth of flavor with good seasoning. We make the noodles recipe with it that has garlic, butter and parsley. Heavenly!
This turned out amazing! At first I thought the chicken would be a bit dry but sauteeing in the butter/broth sauce makes it so juicy. This is definitely going into the dinner rotation!
I realized a bit too late that I was out of lemon pepper seasoning. But, I used Trader Joe’s citrusy garlic. This recipe was a huge hit with the family. Fairly easy to make, served it with angel hair pasta with parm cheese and steamed broccoli.
So easy and so delicious! Quick too! Not much mess to clean up either! Budget Bytes is brilliant!
We double everything in terms of sauce and have spaghetti on the side.
This was delicious! I added more garlic and lemon. So easy!
great recipe! used boneless, skinless thigh meat, used more broth for the sauce and sprinkled more of the lemon pepper seasoning while the chicken was frying so it was really flavorful.
I love that! it’s so simple and quick to make and tastes delicious
This was so good! I’ve had my eye on this for a while and made it tonight for my husband and I. The final result is greater than the sum of its parts. Thanks for this uncomplicated, tasty recipe.
I just made this recipe and it’s easy, delicious, and affordable! I added a little more garlic and a dash of white wine to the sauce–heavenly! I will definitely be looking for more of your recipes. Thank you for sharing!
The lemon chicken sounds easy enough going to make it tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.💜
Looking forward to try it tonight. Been craving lemon pepper chicken for a while.
I made the Lemmon pepper chicken Breasts & it turned out so Amazing! Sooo much flavor my son & I ate almost all of it! Thanks for delicious receipe!
Very delicious! I’ve never eaten in a fine dining restaurant however this dish brings a feeling of fine dining to your dinner table. I added a bit more garlic and lemon juice than what’s called for but that’s because I didn’t feel like measuring the lemon juice, I just used half a lemon. I’d be very tempted to go for seconds, if I wasn’t full. This will most definitely be in my meal rotation!
So simple yet so delicious – it’s like chicken piccata lite ❤️. Perfect meal for the in-laws
Why doesn’t this have more reviews?! So easy and SO GOOD. I could eat this every day, it’s definitely going in the rotation 🙌
I made this tonight. It was easy to make and delicious. My husband said I should make this again. Thanks for recipe.
This was excellent! Thanks Beth :-)
My teenage kids loved it.
I also really enjoyed it. It is a fairly simple recipe, with a high level of fine dining quality. Could easily be used for a family gathering or dinner with friends; which will surely impress. Excellent! :)
Thank you for sharing.
Simple and delicious
Absolutely loved this recipe. So easy and punchy. Can be served with any sides you’ve got on hand. Will be making this again!
This is really good! Took more than a half hour but it’s my first time with it. Did not add any more pepper at the end, our seasoning was peppery enough. Definitely easy to make. Nice first recipe from this website! Served with pasta side and broccoli florets. Take the time to make the sauce, it was yummy. Thank you.
This is the perfect meal for me to make when I’m low on groceries; I have everything in my pantry except for the chicken so it’s the only ingredient I need to buy at the store.
Super simple but also really tasty and I constantly go back to this recipe whenever I have a craving for it!
Incredible flavour. This has been on rotation for about a year in my household. This one is my favourite from you. Thanks!
Delish and so simple!
Thank you!!
I love it
This is my new favorite recipe and my kids love it too!
Extremely delicious, easy recipe to follow. Dinner was a hit with the family and I’ll definitely be making again!
This was the best, simple , flavor, easy….
This chicken recipe is so delicious, tender , with full flavor. I have made this particular recipe/dish many times throughout the year. It works every time and will definitely impress your dinner guests. It does take time to prepare and is so worth the result
Made this tonight for the first time and it was delicious!
Thank you for sharing 😊
Tried this recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious!
Thank you for sharing it 😋
Fantastic dinner! I served over rice and asparagus and it was excellent.
I have made this chicken many times in the past 6 months, my daughter-in-law loves it. I do make more sauce than as stated in the recipe, because I serve it with angel hair pasta and you have to have the sauce for the pasta so I’ve doubled it I’ve tripled it I’ve played with the recipe to get the right concoction for however many people I’m trying to feed it that one given time it’s actually going to be my meal for Christmas Eve. So thank you very much for posting it.
I’ve made this a couple of times and decided to make it for my parents. My Dad doesn’t like chicken because it’s boring, so I thought this recipe would appeal to him since the flavor is so bright. He took seconds and repeatedly complimented it. He also told me to pass on the compliment to whoever I got it from, so here I am. It’s super easy to make. I served it alongside sautéed zucchini, squash, and onions and also Brussels sprouts.
Just made this for my kid. We both loved it. Had the great flavor like chicken wings but with healthier cut of meat. We’ll be making this again and again.
Wonderful flavor & so tender & juicy!
Thank you!
5 picky teenagers and my husband ALL gave this 5 stars. I shared it with my siblings and their families loved it too. A complete win! Thank you!!
Absolutely delicious! It was so easy to make and I followed the recipe exactly. 100% recommend!
This was excellent. Flavor was on point . Served it with angel hair pasta and broccoli and my family really enjoyed it . Only wish i had made more of the sauce for the pasta.
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it was delicious! Toddler ate it too!
so easy and so delicious!
I made this recipe last night and it turned out great! Literally the ONLY thing I changed was that I used chicken tenders instead of breasts because that’s all I had. The amount of chicken was basically the same. The flour/ lemon pepper seasoning rub was perfect. Next time I’m going to try to double the ingredients for the sauce because my husband and I couldn’t get enough! I served this with whole wheat penne lightly buttered.
This is seriously an amazing recipe. I make it all the time. Chicken is always a bit scary for me and I often mess it up but this recipe is very forgiving and always tasty even if the chicken is a bit over cooked !! I can’t help but drink the leftover sauce when I’m cleaning up… my boyfriend and I call it ‘the forbidden juice’
Very nice and easy. Taste just as good as it looks!
This. Was. So. Delicious.
This was absolutely delicious. I didn’t have lemon pepper seasoning so I added 1 tsp of pepper and salt to the flour and more lemon juice to the sauce. My husband loved it!!! Served it with orzo and asparagus.
Have you ever made this in the oven?
Nope. You definitely won’t get the same browning effect in the oven, which is important for adding flavor to this sauce.
Delicious! I worry about overcooking chicken breasts, but this turned out great! Thank you—I’ve been in a cooking slump, and your recipes inspire me.
So easy and delicious. Thank you!
I made this recipe tonight and it turned out so tasty! My whole family loved it. The only thing I did differently was thicken up the sauce with some cornstarch so all that deliciousness stuck to the chicken! While cleaning up the kitchen I saved washing the pan for last so I could run my finger through the leftover sauce and eat it. It is that good!
Seriously delicious. Followed the instructions exactly and it turned out perfect. I served with the lemon parsley pasta and oven roasted summer vegetables.
Oh wow this was AMAZING. It was easy to put together. I served it with roasted red herb potatoes and roasted broccoli + parm. I will absolutely make this regularly now.
This turned out so good! I made pasta on the side and mixed it all together. Delicious! Thank you!
So delightfully tasty and delightfully easy. I used Trader Joe’s Citrusy Garlic seasoning blend since that was what I had on hand. I made this last night and today my husband had to go out of town for work for a few days. On his way out of the house, my husband— who is not particularly effusive about my cooking—said “I’m just so bummed I’m not here for those leftovers.
Thanks for this yummy recipe! It’s a new favorite!
Haha! You’ll have to make it for him again when he returns. :)
This was a really great recipe! It ended up being the juiciest chicken that I’ve cooked in a skillet and the flavor was phenomenal! t was perfect & one of the best dinners I’ve made ever. Thank you so much! 5 stars for sure!
Made tonight and my daughter ate the whole meal. Thank you!
If you double recipe do you double all the ingredients?
Correct. :)
Can you bypass the lemon juice
The end result will be a little less tart and lemony, but I suppose you could if you needed to.
So good! Loved this recipe, the chicken stayed moist and juicy and had plenty of flavor. was such an easy dish and was served with some steamed broccoli to make a lunch that took 20 minutes total from prep to table.
Fantastic! I doubled the sauce so we would have more for the pasta. A hit meal for us and the kiddos.
This was really good, I added a splash of cream to the sauce and it turned out great.
Loved this recipe!!! Easy and so much flavor. Will make again and again.
Beautiful sauce. I’m so glad to find another use for my lemon pepper seasoning.
Made this tonight and wow. Beyond delicious, so quick to make as I Had everything on hand already. Will add this to my meal prep rotation.
Okay – made this last night for my family of five and OMG! I admit I basked in the compliments and shamelessly behaved as if this took me hours instead of the minutes it actually took (hey – don’t judge me!). I doubled the recipe following Beth’s instructions EXACTLY as written. This was a wonderful, wonderful meal. I served with garlic fettuccini ( I buy it by the 12-pack on Amazon so it’s always in my pantry), roasted broccoli and crusty hot French Bread. My husband (a triathlete) and I are raising three grandchildren – two of which are teenagers – so meals can be interesting, to say the least. Everybody just loved this dinner and my youngest (12) declared it a “make again Grandma” which is a compliment of the highest order. Trust me. I used Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Lemon Pepper seasoning because I like to control the amount of salt in my food. This was just delicious and most definitely goes in my monthly rotation. Thank you again Beth! For those of you who have not tried it – Beth’s sausage and lentil stew is another amazingly tasty meal that actually converted my “I hate lentils” husband into a “when are you going to make that lentil stuff again” guy. It’s just that good. :-)
Lemon and pepper 2/3 of my favorite ingredients (third being garlic). This looks really amazing and also very cheap. I’m definitely going for it. thanks for the recipe.
This came out so delicious despite that I used a bunch of onion powder and salt mixed in water in place of broth, because I forgot that I actually DID have some bouillon in the fridge. Thanks for the recipe! Looking forward to trying it again with the broth :)
I think next time I will pound my chicken flat instead of trying to cut it as directed. Due to the particular characteristics of my chicken breasts, I ended up with two “normal” pieces and 2 “irregular” pieces, which were vastly different sizes. Therefore, the smaller pieces were done in 10 minutes but the others needed another 5 minutes. Aside from that, it was delicious. I bought Lawry’s Lemon Pepper seasoning because it had real lemon rind in it. I minced the garlic and then forgot to put it in at the end like a dummy, but it was still very tasty! All three of us loved it.
Have you ever tried this recipe with tofu? I’d like to try but I don’t know if it would work
I haven’t, unfortunately. While I’m sure you could flavor tofu with lemon pepper, you probably won’t be able to get a nice pan sauce like you can with chicken. You need those browned bits of meat for that.
I did not expect it to have that much of a taste, being chicken. But wow. Just amazing. It was perfect. Best Lemon Pepper chicken recipe I have tried.
What an amazing idea!! Thanks!!
Delicious easy recipe. Quick to put together. Only thing I did different was add a little more lemon juice. Hubby loves lemons. I prepared the chicken ahead of time and put in the fridge til ready to fry. Definitely a keeper.
Made this tonight with some quinoa and a veggie. This chicken recipe and sauce are outstanding and super easy to make. 🙏🏼 thank you!!
Hi,
Is this something that keeps well and is good for meal prep or is it more of a one-off thing?
I enjoyed the leftovers quite a bit, but sometimes that’s just a matter of personal preference. :)
An alternative to cutting the breasts is to just put one in a zip bag or sheets of waxed paper and pound it with the flat side of a kitchen tmallet or rolling pin. Then if the chicken is too big just cut it in half to cook.
Very tasty and quick! Made it for dinner tonight, added peas and capers. Didn’t really need the capers, will omit next time.
What is the pasta side dish that you made with this?
Lemon Parsley Pasta. :)
Super tasty and easy! My husband loved it too! Thanks for the recipe!
So I’m a lifelong vegetarian as is my husband and 17yo. However my 15 yo is no longer and has a very healthy appetite! This seems like an easy beginner chicken dish I could prepare for him? So far I’ve only made salmon as it’s so easy to make in oven. I’ve zero expertise cooking meat! Would you recommend this for me to try? On the flip side we love and have made many of your vegetarian recipes! The lentil spinach curry and cauliflower chickpea masala are regular rotations in my dinner menu! Thank you!!
This is quite easy to make! Would recommend that you filet(butterfly) the chicken breast first, or buy then cut. Pound it a bit. Then get a decent sear on each side to hold the moisture in.
Hmm, I think it just depends on your overall cooking skill level. I would say this one is just slightly above beginner because it may be difficult to fillet the chicken breast if your knife skills aren’t strong (you could buy thin cut breasts, though), and the browning step may be tricky if you’re not used to cooking things in a skillet. I would say that if anything, use some sort of non-stick (cast iron or teflon) if you’re really beginner level. That will make the browning step a little easier. Other than those two things this recipe is incredibly simple. :)