Lemony buttery saucy goodness
When life gives you lemons, make lemon butter sauce.
One of the biggest culinary joys you can experience is the perfectly cooked chicken breast that has a slight crust and is still totally moist and juicy on the inside. Sadly, the path to this perfection is littered with hundreds of chicken breasts that are overly dried out or still raw in the centre or somehow both.
Like all of my favourite recipes, I discovered a version of this one a few years ago and have been fiddling and tweaking it ever since and am now happy enough with it to share it with you.
Chicken Breast with Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts - I use skinless chicken breasts that weigh approximately 150g each so my cooking time and method has been perfected to that. You may need to adjust if you choose to use skin-on chicken breasts or slightly smaller ones.
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
4-6 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
1 cube chicken bullion - I use these Maggi Cubes*
2 lemons - juiced
Method:
Pat the 2 chicken breasts with tissues to remove excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper on both sides and then drizzle 1 tbsp flour on each side. Make sure the chicken breast is covered with a thin coat of flour and dust off the excess.
Set a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and melt 1 tbsp butter in it. Once you see the butter bubbling very gently, add the seasoned and floured chicken breasts to the pan and let it cook on a medium low flame for 5 minutes. Do not move them around or fiddle with them, we want them to develop a nice golden-brown crust.
After 5 minutes, flip the chicken breasts and let them cook again without fiddling with them for 4 minutes. Then add 2 tbsp water to the pan, turn the heat down, cover it and let the chicken cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest in the same pan for 2 minutes. Remove the chicken onto a plate and set it aside.
Melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter in the same pan and add the 4-6 cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Fry the garlic for a few minutes until it’s cooked through. Now add 1/2 cup water to this and crumble 1 cube of chicken bullion into it. Mix this well and let it come to a boil, always cooking on low-medium heat.
In a few minutes you’ll see that the mixture has thickened a bit because of the residual flour in the pan from frying the chicken breasts. Turn off the heat and add the juice of 2 lemons. Mix it well and your sauce is ready.
To serve, slice the chicken breasts into thick slices and drizzle the sauce over it. Enjoy with veggies on the side and pour some of the sauce over them too.
🍱 Meal prep tip:
If you’d like to carry this to work, slice the chicken breast and pack it into your lunchbox with the veggies and carry the sauce separately in a heatproof container. You’ll need to warm it up along with the chicken and veggies since the butter in the sauce will cause it to firm up. That said, this is one of my absolute favourite lunch box meals. I always carry a little extra of the sauce because my friends at work love dipping whatever they’re eating into it as well.
💬 When it comes to cooking chicken breasts, the struggle is real my friend. Tell me all about yours in the comments.
Ever made an Egg-In-The-Hole?
It's got everything I love about eggs made sunny side up - crunchy toast, a jammy egg yolk - in a pretty, portable package. It's quick to make in the morning and a delicious, comforting way to start your day. Fun fact: It’s been my most successful recipe on Instagram. Everyone that tries it, loves it! If you’ve tried to make one, drop a 🍳 in the comments.
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