This easy lemon chicken skillet is a quick one-pan meal with juicy chicken, simple ingredients, and a buttery lemon sauceโperfect for a weeknight dinner.
Why Youโll Love This Recipe
- This lemon chicken skillet recipe is bursting with fresh lemon flavor in every bite.
- This flavorful dish is a great way to use up summer squash from the garden. Looking for another way to use up zucchini? Try our lemon poppyseed zucchini muffins.
- Made with tender chicken breast for a satisfying protein-packed meal.
- The quick cooking time makes it perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
- It pairs well with many sides! Serve alongside roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta, or rice (white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice).
- Uses flavorful ingredients like garlic, lemon, Italian herbs, and a little butterโnothing complicated here!
Looking for other skillet chicken recipes? Try our one pan creamy chicken broccoli skillet, cast iron chicken skillet with mushrooms and asparagus, creamy green chile chicken skillet enchiladas, and one pan chicken thighs and rice.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breast - use boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe. You could also swap for boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Zucchini and summer squash - we use one green zucchini and one yellow summer squash for this recipe but you can use two of the same kind instead.
- Olive oil and butter - we recommend cooking the chicken in olive oil rather than butter to prevent burning as the oil has a higher smoke point. Then cook the zucchini in butter and add fresh lemon juice to create a delicious lemon butter sauce.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements for this main dish.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Swap the zucchini and summer squash with other seasonal produce of choice such as green beans.
- You can easily vary the way that you serve this lemon chicken recipe. It is delicious with potatoes, rice, or pasta.
- We recommend using olive oil to cook the chicken as it has a higher smoke point than butter and is less likely to burn. You will still get the delicious browned bits and buttery flavor when you cook the zucchini and summer squash in the butter.
Are you a big fan of lemon flavor? Try our creamy lemon chia pudding, Greek lemon orzo soup, or lemon shrimp asparagus pasta.
How to Make Skillet Lemon Chicken
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Place the cubed chicken breast in a medium bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the flour or cornstarch, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix to evenly coat the chicken.
Step 2: Place a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Add the oil to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the chicken breast in a single layer, careful not to overcrowd the pan so the chicken can develop a golden brown crust. Flip the chicken after 2-3 minutes (the sides of the chicken will start to become opaque) and allow the other side to get golden brown. Once the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked (internal temperature of 165 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer), remove it from the pan and set it aside on a plate.
Step 3: Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add the butter to the pan. Add the zucchini and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes, until the zucchini is cooked through.
Step 4: Add the cooked chicken back to the pan along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parmesan and mix well. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve alongside roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta, or rice. Garnish with fresh lemon slices if desired.
Lemon Chicken Skillet FAQs
We recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.ย
This recipe is gluten-free with the use of cornstarch over flour. It is dairy-free with the use of olive oil instead of butter and the omission of the parmesan garnish. It is not vegan or vegetarian.ย
Other Easy Chicken Recipes
If you make this lemon butter chicken recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Donโt forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished productโit makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Easy Lemon Chicken Skillet With Summer Squash
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
- ยพ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ยพ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter, or additional olive oil
- 1 green zucchini, sliced
- 1 yellow summer squash, sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice + the zest from one lemon
- Parmesan for garnishing, optional
Instructions
- Place the cubed chicken breast in a medium bowl. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Add the flour or cornstarch, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix to evenly coat the chicken.
- Place a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the chicken breast in a single layer, careful not to overcrowd the pan so the chicken can develop a golden brown crust. Flip the chicken after 2-3 minutes and allow the other side to get golden brown. Once the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside on a plate.
- Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add the butter to the pan. Add the zucchini, summer squash, and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes, until the zucchini is cooked through. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parmesan and mix well. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Save Time/prep ahead:
- You can cut the chicken and summer squash ahead of time and place in separate covered containers in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can also measure the seasonings ahead of time.ย
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Lemon Chicken Skillet." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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