by Richa
Creamy Lemon Chicken with Thyme is an easy, weeknight dinner that just needs one skillet and is ready in 30 minutes.
We are talking about flavorful, lemony, thyme chicken breasts that are tossed in a creamy sauce that doesn’t have any heavy cream, which makes this meal light, healthy and easy.
Like you, I’m always looking for easy weeknight dinner recipes. Which is how this super easy lemon chicken recipe with thyme was born. One of those late evening experiments which turned out to be so yummy that since then, we’ve been making them again and again.
This simple recipe uses a small list of ingredients – chicken, olive oil, butter, garlic, thyme, lemon, flour and milk. I usually have most of these in my pantry, and don’t worry if you don’t have fresh thyme, although I really love the flavor. Dried thyme works in a jiffy!
Thyme and lemon are flavors that always complement each other which is why I love using them together in this recipe.
I definitely like using chicken breasts in this recipe, simply because they cook really fast. And when it’s time for dinner, I have a family that doesn’t like to wait. They are also leaner and healthier than red meat so thats a win win. But it’s very important to cook them right or they can taste dry and rubbery.
I usually start by rubbing minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper over the chicken breasts and leaving them to marinate for 15-20 minutes. This helps add more flavor to the breasts and the lemon juice tenderizes them slightly.
In they go into a really hot pan for a quick sear till they are golden brown and then cook for another couple of minutes to make sure they are almost done.
Once the chicken is cooked, you use the same pan to make the sauce. Add a little more butter, cook some flour till light golden in colour and whisk in the milk and thyme for a simple flavorful sauce that coats the chicken and gives this recipe its creaminess.
What to serve lemon chicken with?
When we want to keep this low carb, I serve this with steamed broccoli, mashed cauliflower “potatoes” or asparagus. But this lemon chicken also goes really well with brown rice, mashed potatoes and quinoa.
This is the kind of dinner that will have everyone licking their plates clean. And its simple and easy enough for you to be able to make it on demand!
I hope you try this recipe and love this as much as I do.
Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme Leaves
Instructions
- Rub the chicken breasts with garlic, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add chicken breasts. Cook the breasts for 5-6 minutes on each side till cooked though and not pink from inside. Once cooked, take the chicken breasts out of the pan and set them aside on a plate. Cover the plate with foil to keep the breasts warm.
- In the same pan heat butter and add the flour. Stir the flour for a minute and slowly start whisking in the milk till all the milk is incorporated and there are no lumps.
- Simmer the sauce while stirring occasionally till the sauce thickens slightly. Add the remaining salt, lemon zest and thyme and mix. Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for two more minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Repin this Easy Chicken Recipe
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