Easy Lemon Chicken with Caramelized Lemons

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Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken with Caramelized Lemons — If you like lemons you’re going to love this very lemony LEMON chicken!! Easy, healthy, ready in 20 minutes, and bursting with bold lemon flavor!!

overhead view of four lemon pepper chicken breasts on a white platter

Skillet Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe 

My daughter loves lemon anything and since I can never go wrong with a chicken dinner, I made this easy lemon chicken. It’s easy, healthy, ready in 20 minutes, and exploding with bold lemon flavor.

If you like very lemony dishes, this one is for you because lemon is incorporated a few ways. There’s lemon pepper seasoning and I caramelized lemon slices. As they caramelize, the lemon slices release lemon juice into a sauce that’s poured over the chicken.

I finished the chicken with fresh parsley and thyme, which has lemon undertones and complements the chicken perfectly. You can serve the lemon pepper chicken with anything from salads to pasta to potatoes depending on what you enjoy.

four lemon pepper seasoning chicken breasts on a white platter

What’s in Lemon Pepper Chicken? 

This easy lemon chicken recipe has a short ingredients list: 

  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper 
  • Chicken breasts 
  • Unsalted butter
  • Olive oil
  • Lemon pepper seasoning 
  • Lemon slices
  • Honey
  • Fresh parsley 
  • Fresh thyme 

close up of lemon pepper chicken breasts on a white platter

How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken 

Add the chicken, salt, pepper, and flour to a zip-top bag. Seal and shake to coat. Add the oil and butter to a large skillet and cook the chicken until done. 

Remove the cooked chicken to a plate, then add the lemon slices and honey and cook until as caramelized as desired. Pour the sauce and lemon slices over the chicken, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and serve. 

Can I Eat the Lemons? 

Of course! I prefer squeezing the caramelized lemons to get out all the juice and don’t actually eat the flesh, but you technically can eat the whole lemon slice if desired. 

Can I Grill the Chicken? 

If you’re craving grilled chicken, I recommend following my Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe instead. I’ve tested that recipe many times and know for sure it works on the grill! 

Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken with Caramelized Lemons — If you like lemons you're going to love this very lemony LEMON chicken!! Easy, healthy, ready in 20 minutes, and bursting with bold lemon flavor!!

Tips for Making Skillet Lemon Chicken 

If your skillet is not big enough to hold all the chicken at once, cook it in batches, adding butter and oil as necessary.

I added about 1/4 cup honey to the sauce, but sweeten it to taste depending on how sour your lemons are and your tolerance for puckering up.

The lemon pepper seasoning chicken is best warm and fresh, but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can enjoy it as is, or slice it up to use on salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more! 

Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken with Caramelized Lemons — If you like lemons you're going to love this very lemony LEMON chicken!! Easy, healthy, ready in 20 minutes, and bursting with bold lemon flavor!!

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4.30 from 10 votes

Easy Lemon Chicken with Caramelized Lemons

By Averie Sunshine
If you like lemons, you're going to love this very lemony lemon pepper chicken! Easy, healthy, ready in 20 minutes, and bursting with flavor!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients  

  • â…“ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • about 1.25 to 1.50 pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts, if your breasts are not thin-sliced, I recommend pounding and flattening them to about 1/2-inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or as needed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
  • 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning, I used a no-salt variety
  • about 16 lemon slices, each about 1/4-inch thick (from about 2 medium lemons)
  • about 1/4 cup honey, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions 

  • To a gallon-sized ziptop bag, add the flour, salt, pepper, chicken, seal, and shake to coat chicken evenly.
  • To a large skillet, add the butter, oil, and heat over medium-high heat to melt the butter.
  • Add the chicken, evenly sprinkle with lemon pepper, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. Flip, and cook about 2 to 3 minutes on the second side, or until lightly golden browned and chicken is cooked through. If your skillet is not big enough to hold all the chicken at once, cook in batches, adding butter and oil as necessary. Place all cooked chicken on a large serving platter, cover with foil to keep warm; set aside.
  • Turn the heat to medium-low and add the lemon slices to the skillet in an even, flat layer.
  • Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons honey. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until as caramelized as desired. After flipping, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste. If necessary while the lemons are caramelizing, add a bit more oil to help the caramelization process along.
  • Taste sauce for seasoning balance and add additional honey, salt, pepper, etc. as desired.
  • Pour sauce and lemon slices over the chicken, evenly sprinkle with parsley, thyme, and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Chicken is best warm and fresh but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 504kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 160mg, Sodium: 842mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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