Last Updated on April 30, 2025 by Michelle Mundy
Quick and easy One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken is tender chicken cooked in a delicious creamy lemon butter sauce. So good you’ll want seconds!
One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken isn’t hard to make, yet it tastes like you cooked it all day. Served alone, over potatoes, rice, or over pasta, this is a savory delicious dinner that the whole family will love!
What you’ll need to make One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken
- Chicken Breasts – boneless, skinless chicken breasts are what we use. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used instead.
- Spices & Staples – sea salt or regular iodized salt and ground black pepper. Paprika and thyme leaves. Cornstarch. Just pantry staples.
- Butter – regular salted butter. Unsalted may be substituted.
- Fresh Garlic – chopped or minced.
- Chicken Broth – can use chicken stock instead or vegetable broth may be substituted in a pinch.
- Heavy Cream – half and half, milk or evaporated milk can be substituted.
- Parmesan Cheese – shredded is preferred.
- Fresh Lemon – the juice of one medium ripe lemon or 3 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.
- Baby Spinach – baby spinach leaves or chopped regular spinach.
What is a Dutch Oven, Anyway ?
According to Food Network, a Dutch oven is a heavy, wide, fairly shallow pot with a tight-fitting lid. For the home cook, it is a valuable multi tasking kitchen tool!
The most important thing about a Dutch oven is that it is heavy because it needs to maintain a constant temperature either in the oven or on the stove for a long time, and that it has a tight-fitting lid to ensure heat remains in the pot.
Anything you can cook in a pot you can cook in a Dutch oven. Typically made out of cast iron, they can get scorching hot and retain that heat well, meaning they’re great for searing, stove top cooking, and can also be placed into the oven. Perfect for One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken!
How to Make One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken
We love one pot meals! Especially when it starts on the stove top and finishes in the oven. This is why a dutch oven is necessary for One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken.
Cast iron is an excellent conductor of heat and allows for even cooking, making this meal tender and delicious!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise.
Generously season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and paprika.
Cutting the chicken into thinner cutlets lets the flavors get all the way through into every single bite.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken pieces in two batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Remove to a plate, cover and set aside. Repeat with the second batch.
To the same pot, add remaining tablespoon of butter and chopped garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds) then add chicken broth.
Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and thyme leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and add the baby spinach leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add 1 tablespoon of water to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until combined. Stir into the sauce mixture. This will thicken the mixture within a minute or two.
Return chicken pieces and any accumulated juices to the pot and stir to coat.
Place the pot into the preheated oven and cook, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbling. This is where the flavor really develops.
Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve over rice, pasta or potatoes. The sauce is delicious and will soak right in. Enjoy!
Other Easy Dinner Ideas You May Like
One Pan Sausage & Peppers – an easy weeknight meal. Baked Italian sausages on a bed of seasoned peppers and onions, all cooked together with only one pan to wash!
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs – does double duty as either a meal or as an appetizer!
Easy Crockpot Taco Chili – dump, stir and walk away – super easy with just the right amount of spice!
Weeknight Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bake – easy and delicious family weeknight meal!
Spinach and Sausage Spaghetti Pie – With Italian sausage and spinach hidden inside this is an unexpectedly good (and super easy!) weeknight creation that the entire family will love.
One Pot Lemon Butter Chicken
Equipment
- dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half, crosswise
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp butter divided
- 3 tsp chopped garlic about 3 cloves
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium lemon juiced, about 3 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp thyme leaves
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise then generously season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add half of the chicken pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Remove to a plate, cover and set aside. Repeat with second batch of chicken.
- To the same pot, add remaining tablespoon of butter and minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and thyme leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and add the baby spinach leaves. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until combined. Stir into the sauce mixture. This will thicken the mixture within a minute or two.
- Return chicken pieces and any accumulated juices to the pot and stir to coat. Place the pot into the preheated oven and cook, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition *
MJ says
unbelievable! I gave to a friend as well and her daughter went crazy over it and asked her to make it all the time!
Tim says
This was good. Due to time constraints I cooked it at 3:50 for 45 minutes and we like gravy, so I would suggest doubling the cream doubling the chicken stock and tripling the corn starch
The Bandit says
The sauce is so good that the additions to it to make it thicker and more gravy like are something I am definitely going to try! Great tip Tim!