Creamy Lemon Chicken

5 from 1 vote

In 30 minutes or less, you can have this creamy lemon chicken recipe on the table. Pan-seared chicken is tossed in a decadent, lemony white wine sauce with fresh spinach. It's a delicious one-skillet dinner that will be a weeknight go-to and a family favorite.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 535kcal

Author: Rebecca Warfield

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 lb. chicken thighs or thin-cut chicken breasts
2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
6 oz white wine divided
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 lemon zested and juiced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
5 oz baby spinach
Lemon slices for garnish optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the flour in shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Allow the chicken to rest on a plate while you prepare the skillet.
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, Salt and pepper to taste, 1 lb. chicken thighs or thin-cut chicken breasts
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip the chicken, and cook for another 4-5 minutes. When the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (165° F), move the chicken to a plate, and set aside. Sprinkle the hot chicken with a little salt to taste.
2 tablespoons avocado oil
Deglaze the pan with a little of the white wine. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all of that flavor unstuck.
6 oz white wine
Add the garlic, and cook until aromatic. About 1 minute. Avoid burning the garlic.
2-3 cloves garlic
In the skillet, add the cream, remaining wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce is heated through and begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
1 cup heavy cream, 1 lemon, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Add in the spinach, and stir. Cook just until the spinach begins to wilt. You want the spinach to remain bright green.
5 oz baby spinach
Return the cooked chicken to the skillet.
Garnish with lemon slices if you are feeling fancy! (lemon slices are optional, but feeling fancy is mandatory!).
Lemon slices for garnish

Notes

If you don’t keep wine on hand or won’t get through the bottle, use a wine split instead. One split is ideal for this recipe.
Deglaze the pan before adding the garlic. Not only does deglazing add flavor to your dish, but it can also cool off the pan a little so you can add the garlic without burning it.
The chicken should be cooked through before removing it from the pan and making the sauce. If not, you would have to finish cooking it in the sauce and spinach, which will make the spinach mushy.
Don’t overcook the spinach. The residual heat will finish cooking the spinach without overdoing it.

Nutrition