It’s creamy… it’s buttery… it’s smooth and silky… The Sauce… THE SAUCE IS THE KING HERE… the magical concoction that happens in the end is so delish that my husband once said he can drink it from his wine glass…☺
Creamy lemon chicken. I came across this recipe a few years back and now it lands on our menu quite regularly. If you have some great bread that you can soak up the sauce with, I love some whole garlic infused loaf myself, you’re all set. Some days we have orzo or even pearled couscous instead. But all of the days I have one happy husband!
It’s a great company dish. Why? Cause it’s easy, it’s quick, it looks great and it tastes greater!! That’s what I want when I entertain a bunch of people in my home and not slave all day in the kitchen. By the time they come, it’s already sizzling in the oven and all I have to do is raise my wine glass and entertain. Try out this easy one if you want one happy husband at home or guests asking the secret to the happy husband… Happy cooking!! And show me your love by pinning your recipe photo to GypsyPlate!
What you need for this recipe is chicken, of course, bone-in skin-on chicken thighs to be precise. Well, weight watchers, yes you can do skinless, I promise it would still taste equally yummish. But only thighs please, don’t even think of going chicken breast’s way. It’s not going to even come close with breasts or anything leaner. You can make this recipe a little leaner with less butter and less cream, but the end result might not be the magical potion that I promised in the beginning. It’s up to you, a sinful evening or watchful calculated indulgence. Oh by the way, it has a healthy dose of good old spinach to ease your guilty conscious. I feel that kinda balances the scale… in my own optimistic way!
Then it has loads of garlic. Whenever I use garlic I never ever follow the ingredient measurements that come with a recipe. I follow my heart. And my heart is generous when it comes to garlic. Listen to your heart and be generous with garlic whenever it comes into your life… it elevates your recipe to next level.
And then last but not least… the main culprits for that yumminess are butter, cream, chicken stock and parmesan cheese. Throw in some lemon juice, some spices and herbs here and there and voila, you have some gorgeousness on your table!
For this dish, the good ol’ oven does most of the work for you, all you have to do is brown those chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika to get a little color, 5-8 minutes a side.
The sauce portion is super quick, combining the butter with garlic, chicken stock, cream, lemon juice, parmesan along with loads of spinach of course, how can we forget spinach.
Then marrying the browned chicken with sauce and sticking it in the oven… that’s my favorite part, sticking it in the oven. Timer on for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees… and relax. Now it’s time to sip on that wine that’s been eyeing you for some time.
While you are sipping your wine, let the chicken braise in the sauce. Yes, let the oven do the magical part. That is where that beautiful golden colored glaziness happens, and the chicken becomes fall off the bone tender. So you see, not all those devilishly tasty dishes are that difficult to make. Say cheers to happy husbands..!!
Creamy Lemon Chicken, on my GypsyPlate… Enjoy!
Try these other great Chicken Recipes!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
Alpana’s Chicken Masala
Kung Pao Chicken
Summer Detox Chicken Buddha Bowl
Creamy Lemon Chicken
Easy and delicious! This chicken can make for a relatively easy week night meal, but looks and tastes so good it will impress guests as well. I love it with orzo, pearled couscous or bread! On it's own, great for the keto crowd!
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown, about 5-8 minutes per side, until golden brown. Set chicken aside, remove excess fat.
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in skillet. Add garlic, cook until soft. Add broth, cream, lemon juice, parmesan and thyme. Stir, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Add spinach, simmer until spinach has wilted.
- Return chicken to skillet, bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
- Season with fresh thyme springs, if available. Enjoy!
Notes
- I especially like it with pearled couscous or orzo, but a nice bread is great for soaking up that yummy sauce!
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 452Total Fat 34gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 214mgSodium 713mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 34g
Applies only to main recipe, does not include recommended sides.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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Cool + for the post
Made this last night! It was fabulous!! I added mushrooms and really liked the dish. My husband said it’s a keeper.
This sounds wonderful! I follow a low-carb lifestyle, and it’s rare to find a recipe that fits on a normal recipe blog. Thank you for sharing this one. Now to see what else you have to offer. 💖
Thanks Roberta! Though not all of our recipes are keto, we try to have something for everyone!