Chicken Limone (Lemon Chicken)
Savory and lemony with a touch of delicate sauce, Chicken Limone (Lemon Chicken) is an easy and tasty entree.
A few months ago, I saw a picture of Chicken Limone (Lemon Chicken). Browned, glossy and topped with lemon slices, I knew I had to make it.
When I finally got around to checking it out, the recipes looked surprisingly familiar. Turns out, it was it was almost identical to my Sole/Trout Meuniere. I had made this a few years prior to entertain some friends on a vacation. It was a perfect party recipe—both delicious and easy!
Today I made one change from the seafood version and that was to use a little wine or stock to make slightly more sauce. Even though I never felt the fish was dry, I felt the extra sauce, though still very light, seemed perfect for the chicken.
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. Savory and lemony, this is a rich and flavorful entrée.
Easy. Ready in minutes! You can even make it on a weeknight when you want to feel indulged.
Company-ready. Perfect for entertaining. Yes, Chicken Limone is special enough for company but so easy, you won’t miss any party conversation!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Chicken breast cutlets, cut thin. The thin part is important for tenderness and prep time. See tips below for more on this. I have done this with turkey cutlets as well.
- Flour. This helps the chicken brown and will ultimately thicken the sauce at the end.
- Salt, pepper. These enhance flavor.
- Butter or olive oil. For frying (and richness)
- Lemon juice and zest. Add lemon flavor and liquid for the sauce.
- Chicken stock or white wine. For the sauce.
- Chopped parsley, lemon slices (optional). For a garnish.
Special Tools
- No special tools are needed
Step by Step Overview
Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate or pie pan. Pat chicken dry then dip in flour mixture to coat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan. Add the cutlets and fry until golden, about 3 minutes, then turn over.
Add remaining butter and the lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook until cooked through and golden on the second side too.
Add the stock or wine to the pan and stir making sure to pull up any browned bits. Simmer until just thickened, being careful not to reduce the sauce too much (if that happens stir in some water to reconstitute it)
Sprinkle with parsley and re-salt lightly before serving. Garnish with a lemon slice if desired. Top with a spoonful of pan juices as you serve.
Tips & FAQs
If you start with boneless skinless chicken breasts, they are may be a bit thick. In that case, you can cut them in half horizontally, then pound them if needed to create perfect cutlets.
I did this the first time I made this, then I spotted thin-sliced chicken breast in the store. I used these for my second try, and it worked beautifully. So see if your store carries this—it’s genius!
Try to get your chicken nicely browned. This provides a lot of additional flavor for the sauce.
For the best lemon zest, use a microplane, which will take off just the yellow part of the peel. This will help you keep the bitter white pith out of your dishes.
More Brunch Recipes:
- Easy Banana Snack Cake from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Lemon Basil Chicken Salad from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- BLT Eggs Benny from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Muffin Tin Omelets from Blogghetti
- Rhubarb Crumble Muffins from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail from A Little Fish in the Kitchen
- Crown Royal Blackberry Sangria from Our Crafty Mom
- Easy Mini Cakes from Easy Recipes for One
- Baklava Cinnamon Rolls from The Spiffy Cookie
- Cheese Danish Cups from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Chicken Limone (Lemon Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into 4 thin cutlets
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 3 Tablespoons parsley chopped
- ¼ cup chicken stock or white wine
- Additional salt at serving
Instructions
- Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate or pie pan. Pat chicken dry then dip in flour mixture to coat.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan. Add the cutlets and fry until golden, about 3 minutes, then turn over. Add remaining butter and the lemon and lemon juice. Cook until cooked through and golden on the second side too.
- Add the stock or wine to the pan and stir making sure to pull up any browned bits. Simmer until just thickened, being careful not to reduce the sauce too much (if that happens stir in some water to reconstitute it)
- Sprinkle with parsley and re-salt lightly before serving (the re-salting was surprisingly important to the final flavor). Add a slice of lemon if desired. Top with a spoonful of pan juices as you serve.
Delicious recipe and makes a perfect brunch dish, too. I love the presentation.
I’m always looking for good chicken recipes and this looks great!
I know–never enough chicken recipes!
The bright flavors make this perfect for a spring brunch. I’m all for lemon chicken recipes. The hubs makes a mean piccata, too!
This dish sounds like the perfect combo of elegance and ease, love how you turned a classic meunière-style prep into something that works just as well with chicken.
Looks delicious! I’m hopeless with wine, do you have a variety you like in particular for these kinds of dishes?
This is a perfect dish for us to make when traveling — saving it for dinner next week!
This is a gorgeous recipe for spring and summer. So light, but so flavorful! It’s very pretty in the skillet too, I have to make this soon 🙂
Super pretty and such an inviting presentation! I’d come for brunch any time!
You’d be welcome!
This is the perfect spring chicken recipe! Love the brightness!
One of my favorite chicken preparations. So bright and cheerful. Your recipe sounds perfect.