Light and Luscious Lemon Chicken

My Mom loves lemon chicken. Any and all kinds of lemon chicken. She makes many different ones including Chicken Francese, Chicken Piccata and this recipe that she just calls Lemon Chicken. It is the simpler of the three – without the strong flavor bursts of the capers in the Piccata or the wine in the Francese. Or the tell-tale pucker. It’s a milder, lighter version, and my favorite of the three.

The chicken is lightly dredged in flour and pan-fried. The chicken is removed and garlic and onion are sauteed. The chicken along with lemon juice and chicken broth are added back in to finish cooking in the oven. The lemon and chicken broth together make a flavorful, broth that isn’t overpowered by the lemon.

It’s nicely balanced, bright, and delicious. The chicken is fork tender and melts in your mouth in little bursts of subtle lemon flavor. This is a perfect summertime comfort meal!

Lemon Chicken

(From My Mom)

1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds chicken breast

flour

cornstarch

Sea salt and fresh pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup minced onion

2 lemons

14 oz. chicken broth(about 1 and 3/4 cup)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

Linguine or Spaghetti

Parmesan, fresh grated

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out your chicken breasts to 1/2 – 1 inch thick, cover with saran wrap first so chicken juice doesn’t fly everywhere.

2. In a small bowl combine about 1/2 cup flour with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Wash the chicken breasts(don’t dry them), season with salt and pepper, and lightly coat them with the flour mixture.

3. In a large oven proof skillet over medium heat melt the butter and vegetable oil together. Add the chicken breasts and cook on each side until golden brown.

4. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the garlic and onion, saute over medium-low heat until tender. Add the chicken back to the pan. Squeeze the lemons over the chicken breasts. Add the chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the lemons and place them on top of the chicken.

5. Finish cooking them in the oven about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. In the mean time cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions.

6. Finish by sprinkling parsley over the top.

7. Serve over linguine or spaghetti with fresh grated Parmesan.

Print Recipe

Moon says thanks for all the birthday wishes! He read all your comments:

Comments

nura loabi says:

08/01/2009 at

yumm!!! i love it soo much. this is soo simple and sound delicious :)btw moon look soo pretty and cute!

VetTech says:

08/01/2009 at

That looks so amazingly good…so carbolicious!

Sagan says:

08/01/2009 at

That looks delicious. I love the presentation with the lemon slices on top!

bluecottonmemory says:

07/31/2009 at

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unconfidentialcook says:

07/31/2009 at

Yes…this looks absolutely perfect! I just picked three huge lemons off my friend's tree last nigh and happen to have chicken in the fridge. Thanks for dinner tonight!