Creamy, rich, decadent and luxurious, this lemon cream chicken feels like something you could only get at a high end restaurant. It is really special and I am so excited to share it with you.
Crispy pan seared chicken thighs smothered with a rich lemon cream sauce that is so good that I literally cannot bring myself to leave any in the pan. Some of my bites are actually like 80% sauce with a little bit of chicken or pasta.
Ok I feel like I am admitting too much.
Let’s get started…
Start by trimming off any excess fat from 4 large chicken thighs. Pat the skin dry with paper towels and season with onion powder, garlic salt and black pepper.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium to medium high heat. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, place the seasoned chicken thighs skin side down into the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the skin is deeply browned and crisp. Flip the chicken over and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Once your chicken thighs are all brown and crispy and cooked though, transfer them onto a plate and set them aside.
Carefully remove most of the excess liquids from the skillet, but be sure to leave all of the brown bits inside. It is now time for the main attraction… the lemon cream sauce.
Lower the heat to medium (if you had it higher) and take a deep breathe…
To create the masterpiece that is lemon cream sauce, you will need 3/4 cup of chicken stock, 3/4 cup of heavy cream, 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold whole milk.
Once the chicken has been transferred out of the skillet, add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes into the skillet and cook for about 60 seconds stirring constantly. Once the garlic and red pepper flakes are super fragrant, add 1/3 cup of lemon juice, 3/4 cup of chicken stock and 3/4 cup of heavy cream into the skillet. Stir, raise the heat to medium high and bring it up to a slow boil.
While the sauce is coming to a boil, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold whole milk. Once the sauce has reached a slow boil, add the cornstarch mixture along with 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley and stir to combine.
Continue to boil, stirring consistently, for another 60-90 seconds as the sauce thickens. As you are stirring, be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to work up any brown bits that should not be left behind.
Lower the heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer slowly for another minute or so just to be sure that everything is perfect and then grab your favorite plate.
It is time.
Place a piece of crispy chicken thigh on your plate and smother it generously with your lemon cream sauce. I recommend adding a big scoop of my creamy mashed potatoes, cole slaw or this delicious toasted parmesan orzo.
This lemon cream chicken is really something else. The texture of the sauce is so rich and creamy and the flavor is salty and tangy with a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes. This is one of my absolute favorite meals and I am positive that you will love it too.
Enjoy!!
Lemon Cream Chicken
Ingredients
Pan Seared Chicken Thighs
- 4 large chicken thighs, skin on
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Lemon Cream Sauce
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and place it over medium high heat
- Trim excess fat from 4 large chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels
- Season with onion powder, garlic salt and black pepper
- Once the skillet is hot, place the seasoned chicken thighs skin side down into the butter and olive oil and cook for 5-7 minutes
- Once the skin is deeply browned and crisp, flip the chicken to the other side (lower the temperature, if necessary) and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees
- Transfer the chicken thighs onto a plate and set aside
- Carefully remove most of the excess liquid from the skillet, but be sure to leave the brown bits inside
- Lower the temperature to medium (if you had it higher) and add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes into the skillet
- Cook for 60 seconds stirring consistently
- Add 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3/4 cup of chicken stock and 3/4 cup of heavy cream into the skillet and bring it to a simmer
- While the sauce is coming to a simmer, combine 1 tablespoon on cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold whole milk until smooth
- Once the sauce is simmering, add the cornstarch mixture, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and stir until well combined
- Continue to simmer for another 60-90 seconds, stirring constantly while the sauce thickens
- Lower the temperature and cook for an additional 60-90 seconds
- Ladle some of the lemon cream sauce over the crispy chicken thighs
- Serve warm and enjoy!
