Are you searching for a new weeknight dinner hero? A recipe that is fast, incredibly easy to clean up, and so packed with bright, sophisticated flavor that it tastes like it came from a high-end restaurant? This stunning, from-scratch Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken is that perfect meal. Juicy, golden-brown chicken breasts are simmered in a luscious, velvety cream sauce that is bursting with the vibrant flavors of fresh lemon and earthy thyme.
This isn’t just another chicken recipe; it’s a guide to your new favorite one-pan wonder. We’ll show you the simple secrets to perfectly cooked, juicy chicken and how to build a luxurious, restaurant-quality pan sauce in minutes. This is the kind of elegant, satisfying, and easy comfort food that is perfect for a busy weeknight but special enough for a date night or dinner party.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: A Restaurant-Quality Weeknight Dinner
What makes this Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken so spectacular is its incredible depth of flavor, all developed in a single skillet. The chicken breasts are seared to a beautiful golden brown, creating a delicious fond on the bottom of the pan that becomes the savory foundation for our sauce. That sauce is a perfect harmony of flavors: a rich chicken broth and fresh lemon juice base is reduced to concentrate its flavor, then finished with heavy cream and butter to create a silky, luscious, and bright-tasting cream sauce. It’s a fast, easy, and elegant meal that will make you feel like a professional chef.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 45 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Elegant Dish
This recipe uses a handful of simple, fresh ingredients to create its signature bright and savory flavor.
- The Chicken:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: This recipe works beautifully with lean chicken breasts. The secret to ensuring they stay juicy and cook evenly is to pound them to an even thickness before you start. This simple step is a total game-changer. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are also a fantastic, extra-juicy option.
- The Creamy Lemon Thyme Sauce: This is the luscious, savory heart of the dish.
- The Flavor Base: We build a deep, rich flavor foundation by sautéing onion and fresh garlic in the same pan that was used to sear the chicken. A rich chicken broth is then used to deglaze the pan and scrape up all those delicious, caramelized brown bits.
- The Brightness: It is absolutely essential to use both fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest for the most vibrant, multi-dimensional, and authentic lemon flavor.
- The Herbs: For the best, most fragrant, and delicious flavor, use fresh thyme leaves. Their earthy, slightly minty flavor is a classic and perfect pairing with lemon and chicken.
- The Creaminess: A splash of heavy cream creates a luxurious, rich sauce, while swirling in a few cubes of room temperature butter at the very end (a classic French technique called monter au beurre) gives the sauce a beautiful, glossy shine and an even more velvety texture.
Step-by-Step to the Perfect Skillet Chicken
This delicious, one-pan meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: Prepare and Sear the Chicken
Step 1: If your chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, place them between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to gently pound them down until they’re roughly all the same thickness (about 3/4-inch thick). This is the secret to juicy, evenly cooked chicken.
Step 2: Pat your chicken breasts completely dry with a paper towel and sprinkle both sides lightly with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Step 3: In a large, ovenproof skillet (a cast-iron skillet is perfect here!), heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
Step 4: Carefully place the chicken in the hot skillet and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the chicken is a beautiful golden brown on both sides. It will not be fully cooked in the center at this stage.
Step 5: Transfer the seared chicken to a clean plate and loosely cover it with foil to keep warm. Do not wipe out the pan!
Step 2: Build the Lemon Thyme Pan Sauce
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Step 2: Remove the skillet from the stove. Add the 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken broth, the 1/4 cup of lemon juice, the 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, the 1/3 cup of finely chopped onion, the 2 cloves of minced garlic, and the 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves to the pan.
Step 3: Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. As the liquid heats up, use a wooden spoon or a whisk to scrape up all the flavorful browned bits (the “fond”) from the bottom of the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 4: Allow the sauce to boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to around 1/2 cup and has a more concentrated flavor.
Step 5: Stir in the 1/3 cup of heavy cream and the 3 tablespoons of cubed, room temperature butter. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes to meld the flavors.
Step 3: Combine and Finish in the Oven
Add the seared chicken and all of its accumulated juices from the plate back into the skillet with the creamy sauce.
Transfer the entire skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is fully cooked through. This will take about 10 minutes.
Pro Tip: The only 100% foolproof way to check for doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. The chicken is perfectly and safely cooked when the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast registers at least 165°F (74°C).
Serve the chicken warm with the delicious, creamy pan sauce spooned over the top and a garnish of fresh lemon slices and thyme sprigs, if desired.
The Best Easy & Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken (One-Pan!)
A one-pan skillet meal featuring pan-seared chicken breasts finished in a rich and flavorful creamy lemon-thyme pan sauce. The chicken is first browned in an ovenproof skillet to develop a golden crust. A pan sauce is then created in the same skillet by sautéing aromatics, deglazing with chicken broth and fresh lemon juice, and reducing the liquid to concentrate the flavors. The sauce is finished with heavy cream and butter for a creamy consistency. The seared chicken is returned to the skillet with the sauce and baked until cooked through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Searing, Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (around 1.5 lbs total)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 2 medium lemons)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- Optional for garnish: lemon slices and fresh thyme
Instructions
- If the chicken breasts are uneven, pound them to an even thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning once halfway through, until browned on the outside. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Remove the skillet from the stove and add the broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, onion, garlic, and thyme. Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Allow it to boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
- Stir in the cream and butter. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Return the seared chicken to the sauce in the skillet.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through (at least 165°F).
- Serve the chicken with the pan sauce spooned on top and garnish with fresh lemon and thyme, if desired.
Notes
- Using a large, oven-safe skillet is essential for this recipe, allowing you to go from the stovetop to the oven in one pan.
- Pounding the chicken to an even thickness ensures it cooks uniformly.
- Reducing the pan liquid is a key step that concentrates the lemon and thyme flavors for a more intense sauce.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
What to Serve With Your Creamy Lemon Chicken
This beautiful, saucy skillet dinner is a fantastic centerpiece for a complete and comforting meal.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes: The absolute perfect partner for sopping up every last drop of that incredible creamy lemon sauce.
- Orzo or Rice: Spoon the chicken and sauce over a bed of fluffy rice or a delicate orzo pasta.
- Roasted Vegetables: Serve alongside some simple, roasted asparagus, green beans, or broccoli.
- Crusty Bread: A simple side of warm, crusty bread is a must-have for dipping into the delicious sauce.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This is a fantastic recipe for a quick meal, and the leftovers are just as delicious.
- Make-Ahead: You can get a head start by pounding and seasoning your chicken a day in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: The sauce will thicken in the refrigerator, but it will become creamy again when reheated. You can reheat the chicken and sauce gently in a covered skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave.
For more recipe follow my Pinterest account
Creative Recipe Variations
- Use a Different Protein: This delicious, creamy sauce and simple cooking method is also absolutely fantastic with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, seared, boneless pork chops, or even pan-seared salmon fillets (just skip the oven step for the salmon).
- Add Some Veggies: For a true one-pan meal, you can sauté about 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms with the onion and garlic, or wilt a few large handfuls of fresh spinach into the finished sauce before you add the chicken back in.
- Use a Different Herb: If you’re not a fan of thyme, this recipe is also incredible with an equal amount of fresh, chopped rosemary or tarragon.
Enjoy Your New Favorite Weeknight Meal!
You’ve just created a truly special skillet dinner that is a perfect harmony of bright, fresh, and savory flavors. This Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken is a testament to the power of a simple, from-scratch meal to bring comfort and joy. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying recipe that is sure to become a new staple in your dinner rotation.
We hope you enjoy every last, warm, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, easy, one-pan meal!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute best way to keep my chicken breasts from being dry and tough?
The number one, game-changing secret is to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Chicken breasts are naturally thicker on one end than the other. Pounding them to a uniform thickness (about 3/4-inch) ensures that the entire piece of chicken cooks evenly and quickly, which prevents the thinner parts from drying out before the thicker part is cooked through.
Q2: What does it mean to “deglaze” a pan?
Deglazing is a simple but crucial technique for building a flavorful pan sauce. After you have seared your meat, you will see a lot of delicious, caramelized brown bits stuck to the bottom of your pan (this is called the “fond”). When you pour a liquid (in this case, the chicken broth and lemon juice) into the hot pan, it will release all those stuck-on bits, lifting them up and dissolving them into your sauce. This is where all the deep, savory flavor comes from!
Q3: Can I make this recipe dairy-free?
Yes. To make this recipe dairy-free, you can substitute the butter with a high-quality dairy-free butter substitute or more olive oil. For the heavy cream, you can use a full-fat, unsweetened canned coconut milk, which will add a lovely, subtle coconut flavor that is delicious with the lemon and thyme.
Q4: What is the best skillet to use for a one-pan, stovetop-to-oven meal?
The absolute best tool for this job is a large, 12-inch, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Cast iron heats very evenly, gets a fantastic sear on the chicken, and can go seamlessly from the stovetop to the hot oven. A large, oven-safe stainless steel skillet or a Dutch oven would also work beautifully.
Q5: Can I use dried thyme instead of fresh?
For the absolute best, brightest, and most fragrant flavor, fresh thyme is highly recommended. Dried herbs have a more muted and earthy flavor. If you must substitute, the general rule of thumb is to use about one-third the amount of dried herbs as you would fresh. For this recipe, you would use about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried thyme.