Lemon Chicken
This Lemon Chicken is the best kind of weeknight dinner—easy to make, packed with flavor, and versatile enough to go with any side dish. You’ll love the crispy crust and bright, lemon butter sauce!
Lemon Chicken Recipe
This Lemon Chicken is going to be your new favorite chicken dinner! We’ve upgraded your everyday chicken breast recipe with a crispy almond flour and parmesan coating with Italian herbs and a delectable lemon butter sauce. This low carb meal manages to be quick, inexpensive, and worthy of company!
Chicken is such a versatile and popular choice for dinner. It’s easy, it goes with a variety of sides, and let’s face it: it’s a lot harder to mess up than a fancy (and expensive!) cut of beef. It can be easy to get into a rut cooking the same recipes week after week, but this lemon chicken recipe is here to shake things up! Even better news, we’ve got 50+ Easy Chicken Breast Recipes you can try the next time you’re looking for a good bite of something new!
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Keto Chicken Recipe
One bite and I just know you’ll love this lemon chicken as much as I do. Here’s what makes it so good.
- Easy. Sure, it’s a bit more involved than sprinkling your chicken breast with salt and pepper and tossing it in a baking dish, but overall, this is a simple recipe you can easily whip up on a weeknight.
- Crispy and juicy. Two magic words when it comes to chicken! Pan-frying keeps the chicken moist, while the almond flour coating makes it delightfully crispy without breadcrumbs or flour.
- Flavorful. This lemon chicken recipe is bursting with flavor thanks to the herbs, buttery sauce, and bright, citrusy lemon.
- Keto-friendly. Almond flour makes this dish a great option for low-carb or keto diets. If you’re not keto and prefer to use regular flour or panko breadcrumbs, you could do that instead.
Lemon Chicken Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you need to make this lemon chicken. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact amounts for each ingredient.
For the Chicken
- Avocado oil – The high smoke point and light, neutral flavor makes this a great choice for this recipe. You could use your favorite cooking oil, though.
- Chicken breasts – Splitting chicken breasts in half ensure that this dish is healthy, quick, and not overdone. You could replace these with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or tenders if you prefer. Whichever cut you get, make sure each piece is about the same thickness so they will be finished at about the same time.
- Eggs – Size large. Beat these lightly in a small bowl.
- Almond flour – Be sure to use almond flour, not almond meal. If you are not keto, low-carb, or gluten free, you could replace this with all purpose flour or panko breadcrumbs.
- Grated parmesan – This sticks to the chicken and creates a great crispy texture as it cooks. Make sure you’re not using shredded parmesan; this will not stick well or create the breading we want.
- Italian seasoning, Salt, Pepper – If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, thyme would work quite well with the flavors in this recipe.
Lemon Butter Sauce
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter; if you use unsalted, you’ll want to add salt to taste.
- Garlic – Minced. Fresh always has a stronger taste, but you could use the pre-minced jar of garlic from the store if that makes things easier!
- Dry white wine and Lemon juice – Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris are all good dry white wines for cooking. You could also substitute chicken broth instead of the wine if you prefer. For the juice, you can use bottled or squeeze 2 large lemons.
How to Make Lemon Chicken
In addition to the ingredients listed above you will need a large skillet, knife, cutting board, and a few shallow bowls. No fancy equipment is needed! Ready for some crispy keto chicken? Me too! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Slice the Chicken
Since chicken breasts are usually large you will need to cut the chicken. Slice the chicken breast as if you are butterflying it, but instead cut all the way through to make two thinner chicken breasts. This ensures the meat cooks through without drying out or overcooking.
Bread the Chicken
Set up a breading station in two shallow bowls. Beat the eggs in one bowl, then in the second bowl whisk together the almond flour, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Next, it is time to coat the chicken. Dredge each chicken breast in the beaten eggs, followed by the almond flour mixture, coating evenly on both sides. Be sure they are evenly coated so every bite of chicken is perfectly flavored.
Cook
Set a large skillet over medium heat and add the avocado oil. Once it’s shimmering, add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until it’s golden brown and crisp. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Make the sauce
In the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the minced garlic for about 30 seconds, or until it’s fragrant. Add the wine, scraping the pan to deglaze it, then stir in the lemon juice and the remaining butter.
Add Chicken to Skillet
Once the sauce has reduced slightly, add the chicken back to the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165ºF. Normally, I would suggest covering the dish as the chicken warms through. However, you want to be sure to add the chicken back to the skillet UNCOVERED, otherwise, the moisture will make the breading a soggy mess.
Serve
Plate the chicken and serve with lemon wedges, Parmesan, and parsley, if desired. This lemon chicken is the type of main dish that goes with a wide variety of sides. Some of my favorite pairings include:
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Air Fryer Zucchini with Feta
- Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
- Keto Three Cheese Biscuits
- Green Beans Almondine
Tips and Variations
These simple tips and variations will help you make perfect lemon chicken.
- Use an instant-read thermometer. It’s a real game-changer when it comes to cooking meat because it takes out all the guesswork. No more over-cooked chicken!
- Make sure the chicken is even in thickness. Chicken that is uniform in thickness will cook more evenly. If necessary, use a meat mallet to even pieces out after slicing in half.
- Add lemon zest. For an even more lemony flavor, zest the lemons before juicing them; sprinkle the lemon zest over the chicken as a garnish before serving.
- Skip the wine. You can use a flavorful chicken stock instead of wine for the sauce if you’d like.
Store
Store the cooked lemon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend storing any leftover sliced lemons in the container as these can make the breading very mushy if they’re touching it.
Freeze
You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months, although it’s definitely best served fresh. Freeze the lemon chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat as desired.
Reheat
This recipe is still tasty when eaten later, but it’s very difficult to get back that crisp-yet-juicy texture on the breading. No reheating methods will give you that little crunch back, but the oven or skillet can get it close.
- Oven: Place chicken on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through.
- Skillet: Place chicken in a skillet on medium-low heat until warmed through, flipping halfway through for even reheating.
If you don’t want the sauce but want crispy chicken, air fry the chicken breasts at 390 degrees F for about 2-3 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken)
Lemon Chicken FAQ
You can use chicken broth in place of wine if you prefer. Make your own homemade chicken stock for an inexpensive option that adds a lot of flavor.
Almond flour is used to keep this recipe low carb, keto-friendly, and gluten-free. If you none of those dietary restrictions concern you it is possible to substitute the almond flour for regular flour or panko breadcrumbs.
Yes, this recipe works well with 1 inch pork chops.
More Keto Chicken Recipes to Try
- One Pan Keto Cheesy Jalapeño Chicken – This creamy one pan dish is so comforting and simple. It’s great for those busy weeknights when you want something easy and delicious.
- Chicken Fajitas (keto + low carb) – These are great when you want to feed a crowd an easy, healthy dinner! Make ahead of time and serve from a slow cooker for potlucks.
- Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Soup (keto + low carb) – Serve this with a side salad and some keto dinner rolls, and it’s a full healthy meal company will love!
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken (keto + low carb) – These are perfect for stuffed peppers, sandwiches, zucchini boats, lettuce wraps, and these awesome BBQ Stacks with chaffles!
- 50+ Chicken Breast Recipes
Get the Recipe: Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, for me, that was 3 chicken breasts
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast as if you are butterflying, but cut all the way through to make two thinner chicken breasts.
- Set up a breading station with two bowls. In one bowl beat the eggs, in the second bowl combine the almond flour, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Dredge each chicken breast in the beaten eggs, then the parmesan mixture, making sure it is coated on both sides.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat, and add the avocado oil. Brown the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan add 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the minced garlic for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the wine, scraping the pan to deglaze it. Add the lemon juice, and remaining butter to the skillet and stir.
- When the sauce has reduced slightly add the chicken back to the skillet. and cook 2-3 minutes until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Top with lemon wedges, parmesan, and parsley if desired.
