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Don’t know what to make for dinner? I got you! This is a delicious crispy chicken that has a lemon basil sauce that you are going to LOVE. This will be a huge hit with the whole family!
I love to pair this chicken with some crispy potatoes and fresh salad. You can go a completely different route, double the sauce and serve it over pasta!
Why You’ll Love Lemon Basil Chicken
I have made an entire series perfecting my crispy chicken and I am bringing you all my tips and tricks to make it perfect! This sauce is so delicious. It’s sweet, it’s savory, it’s spicy, it’s lemony, it’s buttery, it’s just wonderful!

How To Prepare Lemon Basil Chicken
🔪 Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, cover with plastic wrap and then pound until desired level of thickness.
🧂 Mix the flour with the parmesan on a plate, add salt and pepper.
🔥 Preheat a pan on high for 2 minutes. Add plenty of olive oil to the pan and lower to medium high.
🍗 Pat dry the chicken breasts very well. Coat them with the flour parmesan mixture on both sides, pressing very well. Let it sit for 15-25 minutes on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath.
🎛️ Fry the chicken breasts on medium high until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
🍋 In another pan, preheat for 2 minutes as well. Add a bit of olive oil and the halved lemon wheels. Let them caramelize for about 2-3 minutes per side and then remove. Chop very small, this will be added on top of your chicken in your lemon basil sauce.
🧄 On medium heat, add in the shallots, Fresno and garlic. Then, deglaze with the wine and let it reduce by half. Add in chicken broth, lemon zest , honey and soy sauce. Let it simmer until reduced by half.
🌿 Squeeze in juice of ½ lemon, add the chopped lemons, basil and chives. Cook together for 2 more minutes. Turn heat off, add the butter and emulsify.
🍽️ Serve the chicken with the lemon basil sauce, more chives, basil, parmesan and black pepper.
🫶 And that is it, subscribe for more!
Substitutions for Lemon Basil Chicken
- Sometimes Fresno peppers can be hard to find. If you can’t find them you can just use jalapeños or chipotle peppers instead.
- You can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts but make sure you pound them really well.
Variations for Lemon Basil Chicken
- Non-Spicy Version: If you are not a spice fan, you can always just leave out the chiles and nothing else has any heat.
- Pasta Variation: Craving some carbs? Double your Lemon Basil sauce and serve this chicken over your pasta of choice.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
- A key to getting the crispiest Lemon Basil Chicken is to coat your chicken in everything and then let it rest on a wire rack for 15 to 25 minutes to give the coating time to really stick.
- Make sure you preheat your pan properly. This is another common mistake that happens and the crispy crust doesn’t stick as well.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan while frying, you may have to do it in batches but it’s worth it.

Similar Recipes
Common Questions
Yes of course! Sometimes Fresno peppers can be hard to find. If you can’t find them you can just use jalapeños or chipotle peppers instead.
Yes you can. Make sure they are boneless and skinless, but pound them really well.
I use Local Hive and Nature Nate’s.
Lemon Basil Chicken

Equipment
- 1 meat mallet
- plastic wrap
- 2 pans
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup Parmigiano reggiano, grated and more for topping
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 lemons, 1 just for the zest, ½ kept whole and ½ cut into wheels and then halved
- ½ cup white wine
- 16 oz chicken broth
- 1 shallot, brunoise
- 2 garlic clove, minced
- 2 fresno chiles, minced
- 12 basil leaves, more for topping
- 2 tbsp chives, more for topping
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp honey
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, cover with plastic wrap and then pound until desired level of thickness.
- Mix the flour with the parmesan on a plate, add salt and pepper.
- Preheat a pan on high for 2 minutes. Add plenty of olive oil to the pan and lower to medium high.
- Pat dry the chicken breasts very well. Coat them with the flour parmesan mixture on both sides, pressing very well. Let it sit for 15-25 minutes on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath.
- Fry the chicken breasts on medium high until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- In another pan, preheat for 2 minutes as well. Add a bit of olive oil and the halved lemon wheels. Let them caramelize for about 2-3 minutes per side and then remove. Chop very small.
- On medium heat, add in the shallots, Fresno and garlic. Then, deglaze with the wine and let it reduce by half. Add in chicken broth, lemon zest , honey and soy sauce. Let it simmer until reduced by half.
- Squeeze in juice of ½ lemon, add the chopped lemons, basil and chives. Cook together for 2 more minutes. Turn heat off, add the butter and emulsify.
- Serve the chicken with the sauce, more chives, basil, parmesan, black pepper and that is it!
Video

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