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Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken – crazy delicious skillet chicken with creamy lemon garlic sauce. S0 easy and dinner is ready in 20 mins.
Creamy garlic chicken is one of the most popular chicken recipes on my blog. The reason is simple; it’s a one-pan (one-skillet) dish, and everyone loves chicken with a creamy garlicky sauce.
It’s also one of my son’s favorite dishes. He loves the creamy garlic chicken with Parmesan garlic noodles.
This creamy lemon garlic chicken is quickly becoming his new favorite because it’s even better and more delicious.
The perfect balance of the different flavors: lemon, garlic, chicken broth, white wine and whipping cream make it an utterly mouthwatering dish that goes well with pasta, rice, or noodles. It’s no wonder little G always asks me for the dish.
For the chicken, you can use chicken breasts (boneless and skinless for healthier result) or chicken thighs. You know me, little G loves chicken skin but dislikes chicken breasts.
So I always buy skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs, but I debone the chicken thighs at home (learn and watch the video on how to debone chicken thighs). It’s just easier for little G to eat. Removing the bones also allow me to pan-fry the meat part of the chicken thighs to golden brown and crispy perfection.
All these small things really make a huge difference to the end result of this recipe.
For flavorings, I like to mix Asian ingredients with western cooking. I used Japanese cooking sake and mirin to flavor the creamy lemon garlic sauce.
However, if you don’t have them, it’s totally fine. You can use white wine and sugar to balance the flavors. If you can’t consume alcohol, skip entirely and it will be equally flavorful.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 612 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs(750g) chicken thighs, deboned but skin-on
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 small lemon, cut into slices
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup white wine , or Japanese cooking sake
- 2 tablespoons mirin, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian parsley leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Debone the chicken thighs, keeping the skin on. Click here to see the video on how to debone chicken thighs. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper on both surfaces.
- Heat a skillet (cast-iron preferred) over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pan-fry the chicken until both sides are crispy and nicely browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil and sauté the garlic until slightly browned, then add the chicken broth, whipping cream, lemon slices, cayenne pepper, white wine, mirin (if using), salt, and sugar. Lower the heat and let simmer.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet and reduce the sauce a bit more. Stir in the parsley, then remove from heat and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
looks delicious-can you do this ahead of time?
Yes.
Your recipes are ALL finger licking! congratulations for your vlog and all your tips
Thinking about making this recipe but don’t have whipping cream on hand. Can I substitute with milk or coconut milk or what else would you suggest?
You can use milk but not coconut milk.
Hi there :) This looks delicious! Is there another way of making this without the cream? Thanks!
Yes you can just leave the cream out or use yoghurt.
Made this tonight with chicken breasts and it was just delicious!!! Everyone loved it and can’t wait to make again! Thanks!!!
Hi Lisa, yay, so glad you love this creamy lemon garlic chicken. :)
Tried the recipe tonight loved the flavor.
I used 900g chicken thigh with skin, already debone ( in sydney many asian butchery will sell it like this), which was 3 big thigh pieces which I cut into total 9 smaller pieces ( each piece is about 4 bite sized)- good size because it cooked faster and had more sauce coverage. Would not recommend too large pieces because it can taste bland.
I used 15 cloves of garlic , bought pre peeled ones from local asian grocery , unfortunately it was still surprisingly ungarlicy! I might need to peel my own and maybe squash them a little bit and hopefully it will have more garlic aroma and taste.
I used japanese cooking sake and mirin and tasted good . Used whipping cream ( for those in sydney these have minimum 35% milk fat content ) which worked great. Not too creamy or runny.
Used half of a regular sized Aussie lemon , initially I tried the sauce and thought it was slightly too sour – but once I paired it with angel pasta it was perfect ! However for those unsure maybe start with 1/3 lemon then add more .
Used those partially dried parsley and do think fresh would be even nicer.
Don’t skip the cayenne pepper – I used only a few sprinkles because I don’t like chilli, but it added great dimension almost like a non spicy kick.
Great recipe and the proportions worked. I only added a little bit more liquid ( 1 cup chicken stock and a splash more whipping cream), since the recipe is 1.5 lb which is only 700g and I had 900g chicken.
It was enough for 2 meals for 2 people. I think I might add some oyster or shimeji mushroom ( think it goes better than button mushroom) so I can skip vegie sides separately. Also if you blanch some baby spinach also easy to complete the meal.
Can’t wait to use this recipe base again, funnily I want to add pumpkin pieces to it because it just seems it will go!
Many thanks Rasa :)
Hi S, love your detailed descriptions about how you made your dish. I am glad you liked it. Another one of my favorite is the creamy garlic chicken, similar but slightly different. Try it: https://rasamalaysia.com/creamy-garlic-chicken/
I tried this last night for my family of four. My husband and girls (4 and 5 years old) loved it and practically licked their plates! I used 1 lb of sliced chicken breast and paired it with angel hair pasta, I also omitted the wine. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again! Thanks!
Sheena – thanks for loving my creamy lemon garlic chicken recipe. You should try the creamy garlic chicken, too!
Made this tonight, it was so yummy! Didn’t have wine, so subbed with apple juice. And for fun, added 1/2 T of butter at the end. Thanks for a great recipe!
Apple juice…yummy. Thanks for trying the creamy lemon garlic chicken recipe. :)
Sounds absolutely scrumptious!