This lemon chicken parmesan with lemon garlic cream sauce is absolutely divine. Perfectly tender chicken with a lovely crunchy lemon parmesan crust. And that creamy lemon garlic sauce is the perfect topping for the chicken and pasta or mashed potatoes it’s served with.
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Hello my friends!
It’s been snowing here today. I guess the weather doesn’t know that we switched months a few days ago. And I’m pretty sure that March is supposed to mean spring. But I’m still okay with snow I guess.
I’m snuggled up inside with delicious smells coming from my oven. Warm and cozy, watching the beautiful snow outside fall all day. It’s been actually a very lovely day.
I love doing things I love, don’t you? Being with the people I love. That really is contentment, isn’t it?
And I’m super excited to drop in here to share this recipe with you because it’s one of our favorites. It’s fancy enough for company, but simple enough for a weeknight meal.
I created this recipe from another family favorite —this chicken parmesan. One of the first recipes I posted on this blog, when I was still figuring out my camera settings…oh wait, I’m still figuring out those! Haha.
We still make that chicken parmesan dish on a regular basis (always with great cheers from the eating crew). I decided to use a few of my lemons to make a delicious lemon twist on the favorite and it turned out so good I just had to share it with you.
The twist involves adding a little lemon zest to the breading (which gives just a hint of lemon flavor to the chicken). And that easy but delicious lemon garlic cream sauce ties the dish all together. Oh yum it is good.
How to make this Lemon Chicken Parmesan
It’s really not hard to whip this dish together. Just cut up some chicken breasts, throw them in some flour, then egg wash, then the bread crumbs (with parmesan cheese and lemon zest thrown in there too). Brown in hot oil on both sides and then bake to perfection in the oven.
Then top everything with that lemon garlic cream sauce I’ve been raving about and a little mozzarella cheese (you can never go wrong with cheese, right?). Give in a little broil and it’s ready to serve.
What to serve it with it
Since my kids are pasta lovers I usually serve this lemon chicken parmesan over a bed of cooked noodles (flat pasta like fettuccine or farfalle would be my first choice). I normally mix in half the sauce into the noodles and use the other half to top the chicken. But I think our favorite mashed potatoes would be equally delicious.
Don’t forget to squeeze a little fresh lemon over the whole thing before digging in. It give it that perfect lemon twang right as you bite into it. Yum.
This recipe makes a lot, but don’t worry. It will get gobbled up like nobody’s business. And just a little heads up that you might actually want to strategically make sure there is a bit leftover. Especially when I tell you that the leftovers atop this Caesar salad for lunch is absolutely out of this world good.
Lemon Chicken Parmesan with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
This lemon chicken parmesan with lemon garlic cream sauce is absolutely divine. Perfectly tender chicken with a lovely crunchy lemon parmesan crust. And that creamy lemon garlic sauce is the perfect topping for the chicken and pasta or mashed potatoes it's served with.
Ingredients
Lemon Chicken Parmesan:
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3 to 3 ½ pounds
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¾ cup oil see note
- ½ cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 ¼ cups bread crumbs see note
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest from 1 small lemon
- ⅔ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Garlic Cream Sauce:
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth see note
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh lemon slices for serving, optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a rimmed sheet pan (I use a stone baking pan, but a casserole dish or half sheet pan would also work) with cooking spray.
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Carefully slice chicken breasts in half through the thickness to make 8 thinner chicken pieces. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of dry chicken as desired.
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Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
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Meanwhile prepare the ingredients for breading. Sprinkle flour on a large plate. In a shallow dish or pie plate whisk together eggs and water. In another shallow dish or pie plate combine bread crumbs, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese.
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When oil sizzles with a drop of water, it is ready to cook the chicken. Take each seasoned chicken piece and coat both sides with the flour, dip both sides into egg mixture, and coat both sides with bread crumb/zest/cheese mixture. Then carefully place in hot oil.
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Repeat step 5 with 1 or 2 remaining chicken pieces until the sauté pan is full. Cook chicken in hot oil 2-4 minutes on each side just until the outside is golden brown (chicken will still be raw in the middle at this point). Place chicken in prepared baking pan, trying not to overlap chicken as much as possible.
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Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the chicken pieces are browned. Bake chicken in preheat 350 oven for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Watch carefully and check with a baking thermometer so chicken does not get overcooked.
Lemon Cream Sauce:
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Meanwhile, prepare lemon cream sauce by melting butter in large saucepan. Add 1 cup onion and saute until onion is translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
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Add flour and whisk, cooking about 1 minute. Then whisk in chicken broth. Cook until thick. Add cream, Italian seasoning, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Simmer on low until chicken is ready.
For Serving:
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Once cooked to temperature, remove chicken from oven and preheat the broiler. You can serve this dish individually on oven-safe plates or family style in the pan. Add sauce and grated mozzarella cheese, as desired. We usually add about 1/2 the sauce over the cooked chicken and sprinkle cheese on top. Place plates or pan under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until cheese starts to melt and becomes bubbly and golden brown.
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Serve immediately with lemon slices, if desired. A little squeeze of lemon over everything is very tasty. We usually serve it over cooked bow tie pasta (topped with extra sauce) with a salad or steamed vegetables. Mashed potatoes would also be delicious.
Recipe Notes
1. You can use smaller chicken breasts as well, just keep in mind you may need less cooking time, depending on the thickness of the breasts. For super thin breasts, you may want to skip slicing them in half.
2. I usually use either avocado oil, olive oil, or canola oil.
3. Panko bread crumbs are my favorite in this dish, but you really can use whatever bread crumbs you like.
4. In place of the chicken broth, I normally use 2 cups of water + 1 teaspoon homemade chicken bouillon substitute.
5. Sometimes I puree the sauce using an immersion or stand blender for a smoother texture. It makes no difference to the flavor, but a bit more family friendly because the onion pieces disappear.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
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