Garlic Lemon Chicken Breasts on the Stovetop
Easy garlic lemon chicken, classic flavours, and a perfectly cooked, moist chicken breast in a delicious sauce, all cooked on the stovetop.
No messing with finely chopping ingredients, just cut them in half, sear in a hot pan, add some stock and then wait for dinner.
You Can't Beat Lemon Chicken
I love this simple chicken thigh recipe for a host of reasons. Sure, it is easy, of course, it is delicious, and it is cheap too!
But it is also one of those magical dishes that straddle the seasons so well.
In the height of summer, the lightness of the lemon makes it feel gloriously summery. But in the depths of winter, it adds some much-needed brightness and fake sunshine to the dinner table.
The flavours in this chicken with garlic and lemon recipe are European in influence rather than Chinese like my crispy lemon chicken recipe.
They taste amazing and feature in dishes as diverse as my creamy garlic lemon chicken pasta, and preserved lemon chicken tray bake to my take on chicken piccata.
And don't worry about all of the garlic, when cooked slowly like this, it goes almost sweet and mellows a lot. It is a technique that I use in my roasted garlic pasta recipe to great effect.
If chicken breast is your thing, then check out my maple syrup glazed chicken breast, marmalade chicken breast, chicken breast in cider, pesto mozzarella chicken breast and gochujang chicken breast recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Do the lemons have to be unwaxed?
No, but I do prefer them that way; the wax used to coat lemons is a food-safe product. It also has no flavour, but it just does not sit well with me.
Don't worry if you cannot find unwaxed lemons! Run them under hot water and gently scrub them with a nail brush; this will remove most of it.
Can I use skin-on chicken breasts?
Yes, although the skin will shrink a little. Also, as it is cooked with the lid on in a "wet environment", it will not crisp up.
If you want to keep the skin crisp, you will need to transfer to an oven without a lid to finish cooking.
You will also need to add 50% more stock to account for the evaporation that the lid prevents.
How do I tell when the chicken is cooked?
I'm not a gadget kinda guy, but I swear by using a meat thermometer for cooking all meats.
It is especially useful for chicken! This is because the minimum safe temperature is right at the point where chicken is at its best.
There is no need to rest this chicken, so place the probe in the thickest part of the breast and look for 73°C or 165°F.
Be aware of using digital thermometers over an induction hob. They can give screwy results; just slide the pan off the heat before taking the temperature.
Serving Suggestions
The seasons will very much define how I serve this garlic lemon chicken breast.
As the weather breaks in late spring, I'll serve it as it is here. New potatoes and broad beans, a combination that I also use with my Spanish pork chops recipe.
But it also works really well with garlic butter asparagus or garlic green beans.
In summer, I'm much more likely to go with a slaw or salad, and a classic celeriac remoulade would be perfect.
In winter, I am more inclined to go with grains, something like a buttered couscous or even better, a toasted millet.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 28cm or 11" frying pan or skillet.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Fork for mashing.
- Kitchen tongs.
- A quick read meat thermometer. Not essential, but I swear by mine!
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups measuring spoons.
Garlic and Lemon Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Large Skinless Chicken Breasts 200g each
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Head Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 15 g Butter 1 tablespoon
- 2 Sprigs Rosemary
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 175 ml Chicken Stock ¾ Cup
- 1 teaspoon Cornflour (optional: cornstarch in the US)
- 1 tablespoon Water (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the garlic head in half, across the garlic and not from tip to root.
- Cut the lemon in half in the same way that you did with the garlic.
- Heat a 28cm or 11" skillet or frying pan over a medium-high heat, and when it's hot, add the oil.Season the chicken breasts with the salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in the pan presentation side down in the centre.
- Then add the garlic head and lemon, both cut side down, around the outside of the pan and the two sprigs of rosemary and allow everything to cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Flip the chicken breast over, pour in the chicken stock and add a lid.Cook on a gentle simmer for another 10-13 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 73°C or 165°F.
- Remove the garlic just before the chicken is ready, place on a cutting board skin side down and push and squeeze, the cloves will pop out.Mash the garlic cloves with the prongs of a fork and return them to the pan.
- Have a taste of the sauce before serving and decide if you want to squeeze in the lemon juice from the cooked lemons. Alternatively, serve a lemon half on the plate for diners to decide.
- If you want to thicken the sauce, remove the solids from the pan before serving, form a slurry with the cornflour and water and whisk it in whilst the sauce is simmering. I personally do not bother.
Wonderful photos! Looks like such an easy dinner recipe!
This chicken dish sounds divinely delicious. I love the combo of lemon and garlic and the fact that it can all be done in one pot! Fab!
This chicken dish looks and sounds amazing! I love the combination of lemon and garlic. I will be trying this recipe.
Wonderful photos! Looks like such an easy dinner recipe!
Thanks Amanda, you are right, insanely simple and really tasty!
This chicken dish sounds divinely delicious. I love the combo of lemon and garlic and the fact that it can all be done in one pot! Fab!
They are classic simple flavours that really do just work.
This chicken dish looks and sounds amazing! I love the combination of lemon and garlic. I will be trying this recipe.
Thanks Angela, enjoy!
Hey Skip...
Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed comment and thank you very much for flagging up a couple of areas where I could have done better... I love doing this but proof reading my own work is one of those things I really dislike and as you can tell I am not very good at 😉
I'll go through your points one by one and hopefully improve on something you liked.
1: I cut the onion into 8 wedges (Updated in the recipe)... I do this as I like the onion to maintain a little shaped and texture but sliced thinly will work.
2: This is one of those Whole Garlic clove dishes, I have confirmed it in the recipe, you can either peel the garlic or leave it in the paper like skin. In the cooking time this garlic will become very soft and mellow, if cooked in the skin it will need squeezing out as I find the paper like skin unpleasant to eat.
3: I guess this is a case of two nations separated by the same language, in all fairness the UK is separated by the same language too... Singing something is a high fast burn so you end up with little caramalised sections. Sounds like you got it spot on.
4: I'm working on a conversion plugin at the moment and have largely settled on using the °C to denote Centigrade, not sure how I missed this when I went back and to clarify my early recipes. I am really struggling getting my conversions to work with Cups but may abandon that notion and just run it with temperatures and weights.
I hope you enjoy the recipe and thank you very much once again for taking the time to give me some pointers.
Indeed it is, unfortunately it is a time that dominates my summers 🙁 Glad you like the recipe 🙂
I sometimes feel like a fraud posting a simple recipe so getting comments make me feel less so, thank you!
Thanks for the great idea about roasting the lemon for some extra lemony kick! This chicken dish is going to come to my house soon. I have a bowl of lemons that need using. Enjoy your weekend I am following you on instagram and love your pics there!s
Thanks Diane, I do mean to post on Instagram more often but I never seem to get round to it. The lemons in this really are a star and searing them off just adds that little extra 🙂
Simple yet sooo delicious. Love this!
Thanks Tracy, it really is so simple it hurts and it tastes fabulous!
I love chicken and your recipes are always amazing. Can't wait to try this.
Thanks Rosemary, I really love this recipe so incredibly simple but tastes like a load of effort has gone into it...
Me too Whitney, this is one of those summer dishes where you can have to oven on and avoid the kitchen, so simple it hurts.
Did I mention that my cast iron skillet is my favorite cooking vessel???
Mine too Renee, there is just something so satisfying about using one... Mine has followed me around for 20 years and is never getting retired 😀
Amazing! I'm loving all of your recipes and I've been making a list of the ones I want to try, and this chicken is one of them!
Thanks Tina, this is wonderfully simple, throw it in the oven and walk away have a chat and next thing dinner is served 🙂
Delicious looking chicken! I'll definitely enjoy giving this recipe a try! We're still enjoying sunny summer days, so this will be perfect!!
Thanks Renee, it is bright and vibrant and most importantly keeps you out of the kitchen, chuck it in the oven then come back, perfect summers day fare for me 🙂
Wowwwwww! Looks quite easy to make and appetizing. I love the combination of lemon and chicken.
Thank you, it really was so simple it hurts, throw it all in the pan, relax with a cooling drink... Go back 30 minutes later and eat, perfect for a hot summers day 🙂
Wow, my favorite flavors, and it looks amazing!! Awesome photos!
Thanks Lisa 🙂 Not far off mine too... On a summers day lemon just makes thing sing 🙂
Thanks Amanda, lemon and chicken are a favourite combination of mine 🙂
Thanks Roy, it really is one of the easiest things I cook, chuck it in a pan stick it in the oven and your only concern is making sure the chicken is not under or overdone... So easy it makes me feel like a bit of a fraud posting it 😉
If only I could get shrimp I would give it a try, unfortunately being landlocked in the centre of Europe means no fresh seafood 🙁
Definitely an easy one Jessica, I doubt I spent 10 minutes in the kitchen and then just throw it in the oven, grab a glass of wine and relax 🙂
Super please let me know how you get on 🙂
I love the look of this garlic chicken and the sound of the recipe. Great combo of flavors!
Thank You very much, you should give it a whirl it is so quick and easy to make I almost feel like a fraud posting it 😉
I love simple recipes like this! Only a few ingredients but brings so much flavours 🙂
Me too, who needs more when everything just works 🙂
It sounds like a wonderful dish. I bet it is delicious with just a fresh green salad on the side
That's pretty much how we ate it, just picked some salad leaves from the garden (rocket worked really well), dressed it and that was all she wrote 🙂
I love how easy this looks - can't wait to try it!
Give it a go and let me know how you get on, I love it simple but satisfying... Just what is needed on a summers day 🙂