Lemon Garlic Chicken |Cooking With Amanda

Chicken breasts need a little makeover these days, am I right? They could use a little dip in powder, a sprinkling of glitter, and a light moisturizer for shine. I'm referring to flour, spices, and gravy, of course. What were you thinking—a chicken pageant princess?

Anytime I see a pack of chicken cutlets at the grocery store, I grab them, even if they're not on my list. Chicken cutlets are essentially chicken breasts that have been fileted for you. They're thin, low-fat and cook in a flash. They work their way into any meal during the week.

To keep them from boring and drab chicken breasts, I have a few tricks. First, my pan is always screaming hot. I love using cast iron for this. I use a mix of oil and butter in the pan to help encourage browning (from the butter) while also preventing burning (the temperature stabilization effects of oil). Next, I always dip my chicken breasts in flour.

The flour helps create a brown crust on the cutlet that is crispy and perfect. The flour also has another secret role: sauce. Pan sauces are your friend. They do not require any additional dishes, and they're absolutely delicious. It's almost a crime to not make one, because they use all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The browned bits are flavor! Don't wash flavor down the drain.

This pan sauce is a quick lemon-garlic gravy. You can use any spices you like and mix up the flavors. I always recommend a quick squeeze of lemon at the end to brighten up the flavors of the dish. Garnish with any fresh herb you have in the house—really, you can't go wrong with this recipe!

A few flavor suggestions:

lemon-garlic-scallion (recipe below)
smoked paprika-cilantro
lemon-thyme
oregano-dried garlic

What flavor combination do you love? Don't forget a salad on the side to make this a complete meal - Julia's shaved Brussels sprout salad is a winner!

Print Save

Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe

Embed

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil, or any neutral oil
2 boneless skinless chicken cutlets
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, sliced

Directions

Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and oil and swirl to coat.
Meanwhile, sprinkle each chicken breast with salt and pepper on each side.
Place 1/3 cup of the flour in a shallow bowl, and dunk each chicken breast in it. Cover each side well with flour, but shake off any excess.
Place the cutlets in the pan and cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, until nice and browned. Don't worry too much about cooking them all the way through, but be sure to brown both sides.
Remove the chicken from the pan, and lower the heat to low.
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk together to create a roux and let it cook for at least 1 minute.
Next, add the chicken broth and juice of the lemon. Whisk to combine it with the butter and flour mixture. Add the chicken back to the pan. Let it simmer and the sauce will thicken in about a minute. Add the garlic and simmer another 30 seconds. Sprinkle the scallions on top, and then serve.