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Home > Lunch/Dinner > Lemon Pepper Chicken

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Last updated January 15, 2021. Originally posted September 30, 2019 By Jyothi Rajesh 23 Comments

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lemon pepper chicken in skillet with text overlay
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lemon pepper chicken cooked in skillet

This lemon pepper chicken is here to transform chicken into a dish full of flavors, even if you are using chicken breasts! No more bland and boring chicken breasts!

lemon pepper chicken cooked in skillet

Are you a fan of one skillet recipes? Do you love easy and fast dinner recipe ideas? You got a treat for yourself with this easy skillet chicken recipe.  Dinner would be ready in just 20 minutes.  Isn’t that the perfect busy day dinner?

A simple and easy to make homemade lemon pepper seasoning brings this chicken dinner to life with its flavors.  The zest from lemons and peppery taste of peppercorns makes this dish full of flavors.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe

Seasoned with simple but amazing flavors of lemon zest and freshly ground pepper gives flavorful and juicy chicken breasts. With minimum ingredients and minutes of preparation work, you got an easy and delicious dinner that is fit for any day, perfect for busy mid-week dinner!

garlic pepper lemon chicken breasts cookes in skillet

You don’t have to have readymade lemon-pepper-salt bottle. Make fresh homemade spice mix at home with minimum effort and it’s fuss free too. Nothing, I repeat, nothing beats freshness of real lemons as compared to any ready-made seasoning. 

We are taking about fresh lemon zest flavors. Lemon zest is what we use to marinade chicken breasts instead of lemon juice along with freshly ground pepper. You can expect fresh lemon flavors with it are a perfect zing taste without being over powdered with tangy taste.

This recipe promises BRIGHT and VIBRANT flavors! Lemon pepper chicken breasts is first marinated in lemon zest, pepper and salt along with garlic and onion powder (optional) for extra flavors. The longer chicken get marinated, more flavor it would absorb.

lemon pepper chicken with caramelized lemons

Chicken has light breading on it to give it a golden crust when cooked in skillet. If you want to add richness, cook breaded chicken in butter instead of olive oil.

You can serve chicken just that once cooked, or have a lemon pepper chicken sauce that goes on top of the golden crusted chicken which will give it that extra zing flavor.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade

Let’s talk about the marinade used in this chicken recipe. It’s fresh, it’s home and most importantly it’s super simple to make. You need very basic pantry ingredients. Lemons are available all round the year, that makes it easier for your guys to try this chicken for dinner any day of the year.

We highly recommend you to make your own chicken marinade instead of using store bought lemon pepper salt mix. Some of the brands are just salt mixed with citric acid for the tang.

It sure give the chicken the tang flavor, but does it give the real fresh amazing flavor of lemons?! That’s a big question! And according to me, it doesn’t!  So brands even use yellow food coloring!

So nothing like the real fresh lemons!

chicken breasts marinated in lemon zest pepper and salt

To make the simplest lemon pepper chicken marinade, you need freshly peeled (or grated lemon zest) mixed with freshly ground pepper and salt. For extra flavors you can add garlic powder or freshly minced garlic and onion powder.

Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe

Basic pantry ingredients is what you need for this recipe. Chicken first gets marinated in lemon zest-pepper-salt-garlic. Longer chicken fillets sits in the marinade, better flavors it absorbs.

Once chicken is marinaded for longer, it get it’s breading with flour. Then cook it olive oil or butter until it’s golden brown.

Finally make a sauce with fresh lemon juice, butter and seasoning salt and pepper.

Really simple, isn’t it!? This is what you need –

ingredients for lemon pepper chicken

How To Make Lemon Pepper Chicken – Step-By-Step Instructions

Start with fresh organic chicken breasts. Cut chicken breasts horizontally to make 2 fillets.

chicken breasts cut into thin fillets

Zest lemons. You need about 2 tablespoon lemon zest.

To chicken fillets add fresh lemon zest, fresh ground pepper, salt, minced garlic and onion powder (optional).

chicken fillets with lemon pepper marinade

Rub chicken well to allow it to take in all the marinade and coat the marinade evenly.

chicken fillets with lemon pepper marinade

Take plain flour in a wide bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add onion powder is using now.

flour seasoned with salt and pepper

Dip chicken fillets in flour to get even coating on both sides. Shake off excess flour.

chicken coated in flour

Heat olive oil (or butter) in a skillet.

olive oil heated in skillet

Place breaded chicken in the skillet and cook on medium flame. Press the skillets with back of a flat spatula a couple of times to cook and brown evenly.

chicken breaded in flour cooked in skillet

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

Transfer chicken from the skillet onto a plate. Wrap the entire plate in aluminum foil to keep chicken warm.

golden lemon pepper chicken cooked in skillet

Into the same skillet add butter and stir until butter melts. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

lemon butter sauce for lemon pepper chicken

Sprinkle chopped parsley over chicken breasts. Pour lemon pepper chicken sauce over crispy breaded chicken breasts just before serving.

Serve it over bed of rice or mix it up with pasta.

Tips To Make BEST Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe

  1. You can cut chicken breasts horizontally into two fillets or pound a chicken breasts to make it thin.
  2. Use fresh grated lemon zest. Do not grate the white part below the yellow skin. It’s too bitter and will change the taste of chicken.
  3. Use fresh ground pepper. Freshly ground pepper always has much more flavors and peppery taste to it.
  4. If you like to pack in extra flavors, add minced garlic and onion powder. I like to add it to the chicken fillets. But you could add to flour for breading chicken.

MORE CHICKEN DINNER RECIPES THE YOU SHOULD TRY –

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

Spicy Cajun Chicken And Rice

Instant pot Chicken Marsala

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garlic pepper lemon chicken breasts cookes in skillet
5 from 11 votes

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Jyothi Rajesh
This lemon pepper chicken is here to transform chicken into a dish full of flavors, even if you are using chicken breasts! No more bland and boring chicken breasts!
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 276

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts cut horizontally
  • 2 tablespoon lemon zest freshly grated
  • 2 to 3 teaspoon pepper freshly ground (use more if you like peppery heat)
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 cloves garlic minced (can use garlic powder instead)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder optional – I skipped
  • ¾ cup plain flour
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon parsley fresh and finely chopped
  • Few lemon slices for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Start with fresh organic chicken breasts. Cut chicken breasts horizontally to make 2 fillets.
  • Zest lemons. You need about 2 tablespoon lemon zest.
  • To chicken fillets add fresh lemon zest, fresh ground pepper, salt, minced garlic and onion powder (optional).
  • Rub chicken well to allow it to take in all the marinade and coat the marinade evenly.
  • Take plain flour in a wide bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Dip chicken fillets in flour to get even coating on both sides. Shake off excess flour.
  • Heat olive oil (or buttein a skillet. Place breaded chicken in the skillet and cook on medium flame. Press the skillets with back of a flat spatula a couple of times to cook and brown evenly.
  • Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.
  • Transfer chicken from the skillet onto a plate. Wrap the entire plate in aluminum foil to keep chicken warm.
  • Into the same skillet add butter and stir until butter melts. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
  • Sprinkle chopped parsley over chicken breasts. Pour lemon pepper chicken sauce over crispy breaded chicken breasts just before serving.
  • Serve it over bed of rice or mix it up with pasta.

Notes

  1. You can cut chicken breasts horizontally into two fillets or pound a chicken breasts to make it thin.
  2. Use fresh grated lemon zest. Do not grate the white part below the yellow skin. It’s too bitter and will change the taste of chicken.
  3. Use fresh ground pepper. Freshly ground pepper always has much more flavors and peppery taste to it.
  4. If you like to pack in extra flavors, add minced garlic and onion powder. I like to add it to the chicken fillets. But you could add to flour for breading chicken.
 
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 27gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 184mgPotassium: 468mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 293IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg
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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Monica says

    January 17, 2023 at 5:16 am

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      January 17, 2023 at 2:54 pm

      So glad you loved the recipe Monica, thank you

      Reply
  2. Natalie says

    October 08, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely love the flavors in this chicken recipe. I bet my family will be so delighted when I make them this. I saved the recipe to my to try list for next week. Can’t wait to give it a try!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 08, 2019 at 6:30 pm

      Thank you Natalie

      Reply
  3. SHANIKA says

    October 08, 2019 at 10:40 am

    5 stars
    This Chicken recipe looks so amazing! I definitely want to make this, especially for upcoming Holiday season! That Lemon Pepper Marinade looks super easy but super flavorful!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 08, 2019 at 6:29 pm

      Thank you Shanika

      Reply
  4. Aline says

    October 07, 2019 at 10:44 am

    5 stars
    OMG! This chicken recipe looks INCREDIBLE!!! I’m saving it to make it this week – I can’t wait!! Thank you!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 07, 2019 at 1:14 pm

      Glad you liked it Aline

      Reply
  5. GUNJAN C Dudani says

    October 07, 2019 at 7:44 am

    5 stars
    I am sharing this recipe with my brother. He will love it since he is an excellent cook himself.

    Reply
  6. Veronika says

    October 06, 2019 at 11:35 pm

    5 stars
    I love simple yet tasty chicken recipes! They are so good for a busy week or a lazy weekend) Saving this one for later)

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 06, 2019 at 11:55 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  7. Paula Montenegro says

    October 06, 2019 at 3:07 am

    5 stars
    You had me at having flavorful chicken breasts. They look so delicious! And truly easy to make. A perfect recipe to add to my weeknight plan!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 06, 2019 at 2:46 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  8. Leslie says

    October 04, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    Yay for no more boring chicken! You can tell this chicken recipe is packed with flavor just by looking at the pictures! YUM!!!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 06, 2019 at 2:46 pm

      Thanks Leslie

      Reply
  9. Jessica Kirk says

    October 04, 2019 at 8:38 am

    I’ll be adding this quick, light chicken recipe to the weekly menu.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 06, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  10. Kelly Anthony says

    October 04, 2019 at 4:39 am

    5 stars
    I grew up eating bland over cooked chicken breast so I know exactly what you are talking about. Your lemon pepper chicken looks perfectly cooked and seasoned.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 06, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Thank you Kelly

      Reply
  11. Jess says

    October 03, 2019 at 10:49 pm

    5 stars
    Well I definitely know what I want to make for dinner tonight! This looks and sounds so amazing!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 06, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  12. Chef Dennis says

    October 01, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    5 stars
    I love chicken breasts so much. I always use this part of chicken when cooking, Your lemon pepper chicken recipe looks really delicious. I must try making this in the coming days!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 01, 2019 at 6:11 pm

      Hope you like it as much as we do. Thank you Dennis

      Reply

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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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