Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

skillet chicken with creamy sauce

Recipe by
Reviewed by Arturs Arnicans
Prep Time: 10m
Cook Time: 20m
Total Time: 30m
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
5.0 (10 Reviews)
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Ingredients

Adjust servings:

Nutritional Information

455
calories
22.9g
fat
3.1g
carbohydrates
56g
protein
198mg
cholesterol
631mg
sodium
Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

Recipe Description

This easy Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken recipe is full of flavor and has a lovely presentation for a special occasion. The chicken breasts are pan-seared until nice and browned on the outside first and then finished in the oven with rich and creamy lemon thyme sauce. This garlicky and herb-infused creamy lemon sauce makes chicken plate-licking delicious, but the best part is that it is so easy to prepare in just 15 minutes.  

To make this recipe, start with the chicken. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook evenly. Season with salt and black pepper. Briefly pan-sear in a hot ovenproof skillet, then remove and keep warm while proceeding with the recipe. To the same skillet, add chicken broth, lemon juice and zest, chopped onion, minced garlic, and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until reduced and thickened. Now, stir in the cream and butter and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the chicken to the skillet and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Garnish the chicken with lemon slices and fresh thyme and serve with rice for slurping up the sauce and a green vegetable for a balanced chicken dinner that’s ready in less than 1 hour.

To make the Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

Steps to make

  1. 1

    Pond chicken

    2 min
    Step 1 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    Pound 4 chicken breasts to an even thickness.

  2. 2

    Season chicken

    1 min
    Step 2 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    Season both sides of the chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

  3. 3

    Cook chicken

    7 min
    Step 3 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof skillet. Add the chicken and cook for about 7-8 minutes, flipping once halfway, until browned on the outside but not fully cooked in the center. Remove the chicken from the skillet, cover with foil and set aside while you proceed with the recipe.

  4. 4

    Preheat oven

    5 min

    Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

  5. 5

    Make sauce

    10 min
    Step 5 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    To the same skillet, add 1 ½ cups chicken broth, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ⅓ cup finely chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to about ½ a cup.

  6. 6

    Add heavy cream and butter

    3 min
    Step 6 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    Stir in ⅓ cup heavy cream (at room temperature) and 3 tablespoons softened butter. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 3-4 minutes.

  7. 7

    Add chicken and bake

    10 min
    Step 7 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    Add the chicken to the sauce and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

  8. 8

    Serve

    Step 8 - Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken

    Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve topped with lemon slices and fresh thyme leaves. Enjoy!

About the author

Lilly Mathuse

Lilly is an enthusiastic and cheerful young mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Lilly's going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.

Recipe Reviews

Have you made this recipe? Share your experience and help other cooks!

★★★★★
★★★★★
5.0 out of 5 (10 reviews)
Kenny
February 5, 2025
Verified

Legendary!

Evelyn
December 16, 2024
Verified

Yummy! I made this dish for a family dinner and everyone loved it. The creamy sauce was perfect with rice. Even my picky eater asked for seconds. Will be making it again for sure.

Diana
October 3, 2024
Verified

¡Este pollo es una locura! Lo hice para la cena familiar y todos se chuparon los dedos. La salsa cremosa de limón y tomillo es un super hit. Menos de 15 minutos, y listo, ¡genial! La próxima vez lo haré con puré de patatas. ¡Totalmente recomendable, lo amé!

Clara
February 5, 2024
Verified

I made the Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken for a family dinner last week. It was superb. The flavours were so rich and comforting. I surprised myself at how easy it was to prep in just 15 minutes. Definitely a recipe I’ll be proud to show off again on special occasions.

Nancy91
October 31, 2023
Verified

This Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken recipe was so easy! I made it for our anniversary dinner and it truly impressed. The sauce was rich and flavorful, perfect for a special night.

Daisy
August 17, 2023
Verified

OMG, this Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken blew my mind! 😍 Made it for date night and my hubby couldn’t stop raving! It was super easy, and tasted fancy too! The sauce? Pure magic! Definitely adding this to our regulars! 🍽️✨

Laura Smith
May 31, 2023
Verified

Superb dinner! I made this for my friends and they loved it. The creamy sauce was really delicious and made the chicken taste just wonderful. It’s so simple to follow, I’ll definitely be making it again soon!

Alex Johnson
February 15, 2023
Verified

I made the Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken last weekend for my family. It was super easy and tasted amazing! The kids loved it, and it was nice to impress my wife too. Will definetly make it again soon!

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