This lemon pepper chicken with butter sauce is a simple recipe that’s ready in just 20 minutes! The perfect dinner for a busy weeknight.
When I need easy dinner recipes, I turn to classics such as Chicken Vesuvio, chicken adobo, stuffed green peppers, slow cooker chicken breast, and this zesty lemon pepper chicken.
I’m back with another chicken recipe – because really, is there ever such a thing as too many chicken recipes?! This lemon pepper chicken recipe is on the table in 20 minutes, perfect for those nights where you need dinner on the table ASAP. You probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry to make it tonight! Add an Italian salad and some roasted red potatoes for a memorable meal.
Table of Contents
Lemon Pepper Chicken Ingredients
To make this recipe you’ll need chicken breast, flour, lemon pepper seasoning, salt, olive oil, butter, lemon juice and parsley.
How Do You Make Lemon Pepper Chicken?
Star by mixing together flour, lemon pepper seasoning and salt. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with flour, then cook them in a large skillet until they’re golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan, then add butter and lemon juice to the pan. Place the chicken back in the skillet, then spoon the sauce over the top, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs if desired.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- All lemon pepper seasoning is not created equal. When I purchased my lemon pepper for this recipe, I read the ingredients of 4 different brands and they varied quite a bit. Some lemon pepper brands contain salt, others use citric acid instead of actual lemon peel, and some even use yellow food coloring! I recommend choosing one with a more natural ingredient list.
- I recommend using thin cut chicken breasts because they cook quicker and more evenly than thick chicken breasts. If you don’t have thin cut breasts, you can pound regular ones to a thinner consistency with a meat mallet.
- Leftover lemon pepper chicken will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
quick Tip
No fresh parsley on hand? Try using a different herb such as basil, thyme or chives.
Recipe FAQs
The sauce for this dish is made with drippings from the pan, lemon juice, and butter. The lemon pepper seasoning is added to the chicken coating rather than the sauce so that it’s evenly distributed and you get plenty of lemon pepper flavor in every bite.
Serve your chicken with a side of mashed red potatoes, rice pilaf or angel hair pasta. I also recommend vegetables such as sauteed asparagus, roasted broccoli or green beans almondine.
I do not recommend using a substitute such as lemon juice and pepper for lemon pepper seasoning. It will not have the same intensity of lemon flavor compared to lemon pepper seasoning, which uses dried lemon peel. You would need to use a lot of lemon juice to replicate the flavor, which could make the dish too acidic.
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Flavor Variations
While this dish is great as-is, you can change up the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: Instead of chicken breast, try thin cut pork chops, or fish fillets such as tilapia. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you pound them thin.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add veggies to the pan to cook after you remove the chicken. Some great options include onions, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, or mushrooms.
- Flavorings: Amp up the flavor of the lemon sauce of this dish with dried Italian seasoning, minced garlic, a splash of heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh lemon zest, or finish the dish off with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
I’ve made this lemon pepper chicken countless times over the past few months, even my kids love it! I hope your family enjoys this dinner as much as we do.
More Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
3 hrs 5 mins
Baked Bacon Ranch Chicken
50 mins
Firecracker Chicken
50 mins
Chicken Ranch Tacos
30 mins
Lemon Pepper Chicken Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Lemon Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning or more to taste
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- sliced lemons and parsley sprigs optional garnish
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, lemon pepper seasoning and salt to taste. Pour the flour mixture onto a plate or into a shallow bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, turning to coat evenly.
- Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side or until done.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate. Cover to keep warm.
- Melt the butter in the pan, and whisk in the lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.
- Place the chicken back in the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve, garnished with lemon slices and extra parsley sprigs if desired.
Notes
- All lemon pepper seasoning is not created equal. When I purchased my lemon pepper for this recipe, I read the ingredients of 4 different brands and they varied quite a bit. Some lemon pepper brands contain salt, others use citric acid instead of actual lemon peel, and some even use yellow food coloring! I recommend choosing one with a more natural ingredient list.
- I recommend using thin cut chicken breasts because they cook quicker and more evenly than thick chicken breasts. If you don’t have thin cut breasts, you can pound regular ones to a thinner consistency with a meat mallet.
Was craving lemon pepper wings, but didn’t want the queasy after effects that some fast food spots have – these were an incredible replacement! ❤ The suggestion to flatten the chicken was a great tip, and they cooked up perfectly. Super quick recipe that can be prepared easily on a weeknight once you have the seasoning on hand. Thanks so much!
Great recipe, very easy and delicious! Added more lemon pepper directly on chicken. Also pounded organic chicken breasts to make thinner. Would add a little more lemon pepper directly on chicken next time. I would also add more butter and lemon juice to pan drippings to make more sauce to spoon over side of rice. Definitely will make again family loved it!
Loved everything about this! Addedd maybe a tablespoon of maple syrup into the sauce and it really rounded it out. Made the lemon stand out more with a nice sweetness at the end! Will definitely make this again
This sounds delicious and I really would like to try it very soon. Since you’ve done the “research,” would it be okay if you disclose which lemon pepper seasoning you prefer? Thanks – for the recipe too!!
Barbara
Lawry’s, Simply Organic and Newman’s Own are all great choices!
I’m very picky about my Lemon Pepper seasoning as well, my favorite is the Fiesta brand! Living in TX it’s everywhere, but when we moved I could only find it at Wal-Mart.
Can’t wait to try this recipe tonight for dinner!
I used Great Value 😜 and it was delicious. Just didn’t use any salt in addition.
This was delicious! I added a little heavy cream to the sauce and topped with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. Chefs kiss!
Finally, something my 5 year old granddaughter loves! Easy recipe, and no need to go to the store 🍋 😋
This chicken is so good!! I had all the ingredients on hand, so this was so convenient to make in the middle of the week. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Oooh, this chicken looks fantastic, especially paired with the butter sauce. So many wonderful flavors. Definitely perfect for weeknights.
This was so easy to make, with plenty of flavour.