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Chicken with lemon butter sauce is pan-seared chicken breast served with a nutty browned butter sauce, toasted capers, lemon zest, honey, and fresh herbs.
About the Dish
This chicken in lemon butter sauce comes together quickly in one skillet, so there’s minimal cleanup. This is one of those weeknight skillet chicken dishes I make when I want something fast but not boring. The kind of last-minute dinner you pull together with what’s already in the fridge and still feel really good about serving.
Even though it’s quick, the flavor is still amazing. The chicken is pan-seared until crispy on the outside while juicy on the inside. And this sauce, it’s a nutty browned butter sauce with briny capers, bright citrus, a touch of sweetness, and fresh herbs that coat every bite.
Table of Contents
Prep the Ingredients
The Chicken
Chicken Breast | Parchment Paper or Plastic Wrap | Mallet or Rolling Pin
Place the chicken breasts between parchment paper or plastic wrap, then pound it till about ¼ inch thick using the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin. The surface should be level, with no thick center, so that everything cooks evenly.
The Dry Coating
All Purpose Flour | White Pepper | Onion Powder | Garlic Powder | Allspice | Kosher Salt
Mix all dry ingredients ahead of time and place in a plate so the coating is mixed and ready to use when you are.
The Sauce
Unsalted Butter | Capers | Caper Brine | Lemon | Honey
Drain the capers and measure the brine separately. Zest the lemon first, then juice it, keeping zest and juice separate. Have the butter portioned and the honey measured so everything for the sauce is ready to go at once.
The Clarified Butter
If you don’t have clarified butter on hand or don’t want to buy it, you can make it by gently melting unsalted butter over low heat until it separates. Skim off the foam, then carefully pour the clear butterfat into a separate container, leaving the milk solids behind. The clarified butter should be fully liquid, clear, and free of solids so it can handle high-heat searing without burning. A high smoke point oil can also be used, but the chicken won’t have the same buttery flavor.
The Herbs
Parsley | Chives
Wash and chop the herbs so they can be added quickly at the end.
Ingredient Swaps
- Clarified butter: If you don’t have clarified butter, a high smoke point oil like avocado or grapeseed oil works for searing, but you’ll lose some of the buttery flavor on the chicken. A mix of oil and regular butter also works, as long as the oil goes in first to keep the butter from burning.
- Capers: Chopped green olives can stand in for capers if that’s what you have. The flavor is a little rounder and less sharp, but you still get that salty, briny hit in the sauce.
- Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work here too. They’ll stay a bit juicier and take slightly longer to cook, but the sauce and method still translate well.
- Parsley and chives: If you’re short on fresh herbs, one or the other is fine on its own. Parsley keeps things clean and fresh, while chives lean a little more savory.
Similar Recipes
- Crispy Lemon Scallion Chicken: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs seared until deeply crisp, then finished with a bright lemon and scallion sauce poured over the top. It’s citrusy and savory like this dish, but heavier on crispy skin and a bit more hands-off once it hits the pan.
- Crispy Chicken Thighs: Ultra-crispy chicken thighs with a rich sake butter sauce that is savory with a deep in flavor. The method is similar, but the thighs make it heartier and the sauce more umami-forward than lemony.
- Easy Chicken Piccata: Classic chicken piccata with thin cutlets, with a lemon caper pan sauce. It shares the lemon-and-caper backbone, but goes lighter on butter and leans is more traditional.
Nadia’s Tips
- This is one of those recipes where the pan really matters. I use a stainless steel skillet here because it holds heat extremely well once it’s properly preheated, which is what gives you that deep golden crust on the chicken.
- Let the pan preheat completely with nothing in it first. No butter, no chicken yet. Once it’s hot, add the clarified butter and let that heat up, then add the chicken. That order makes all the difference. The chicken should start browning right away instead of sticking or steaming.
- Stainless steel is also ideal for the sauce. As the chicken sears, it leaves behind those golden bits on the pan, and because the pan is non-reactive, you can go straight into butter, capers, and lemon to build a clean, flavorful pan sauce without switching pans.
- I do work with All-Clad but it was virtually the only pans I used for years before that. I really recommend their stainless steel pans and the D3 line is my favorite.
The Perfect Pairings
Prickly Pear Cocktail: A bright, fruity gin cocktail made with prickly pear syrup, fresh citrus, and a spicy sugar rim that is a really refreshing start to the meal.
Potato Puree: Silky-smooth potato puree boiled with milk and garlic for deep flavor and velvet texture, a classic side that complements skillet chicken and catches the buttery sauce perfectly.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Fennel and Manchego: Tender butter lettuce and crisp shaved fennel tossed with a lemon-honey mustard dressing and shaved manchego. This salad is a bright and crisp addition to the rich, buttery meal.
Strawberry Pavlova: Crisp meringue topped with sweetened cream and ripe strawberries, offering a light, elegant dessert finish that rounds out a memorable meal.
Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce FAQ
This one is best right after cooking so the chicken stays crisp and the browned butter sauce tastes fresh. You can prep the ingredients ahead, but I wouldn’t fully cook it early unless you’re okay with a softer sear.
A stainless steel skillet works best because it holds heat well and creates those golden bits in the pan that turn into the sauce. Cast iron also works, but stainless gives you a better crisp as long as you heat the pan correctly.
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs work well and stay very juicy. They take a little longer to cook and won’t get quite the same crisp edge, but the sauce still works beautifully with them.
No, the lemon is just right because I have you start out a little, and then adjust it to your tastes. The lemon zest and juice cut through the butter, while the honey and capers keep it balanced instead of sour.
Anything that can catch the sauce is ideal. Mashed potatoes, potato puree, pasta, or crusty bread all make sense, with something fresh on the side to balance the butter. Check out my Perfect Pairings sections for some ideas.
Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce
Equipment
- large skillet
- meat mallet, or rolling pin
- shallow bowl
- grater/zester
- tongs
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 1 large chicken breast, cut in half horizontally, or 2 small chicken breasts butterflied
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons clarified butter, or high heat-point oil
The Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon caper brine
- ½ – 1 lemon, juice, adjusted to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for topping
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Place the chicken between parchment or plastic wrap and pound until evenly thin, about ¼ inch thick.1 large chicken breast
- Season and Dredge: In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, and kosher salt. Coat the chicken on both sides and shake off excess flour.3 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sear the Chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the clarified butter and raise the heat to medium-high. Sear the chicken until deeply golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.1 to 2 tablespoons clarified butter
- Make the Sauce: Lower the heat to medium and add the unsalted butter and capers. Cook until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest and honey and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the caper brine, juice of 1/2 lemon, parsley and chives. Taste and adjust for salt and lemon juice.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 lemon, 1½ teaspoons honey, 1 tablespoon caper brine, ½ – 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon chives
- Finish and Serve: Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top until warmed through, about 1 minute. Add the chicken to a plate, top with the lemon butter sauce, more fresh parsley, chives, and that is it.
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
