Pan-seared chicken in a creamy lemon dill butter sauce is rich, decadent, & fabulous. The balance of cream, citrus, fresh herbs, and juicy chicken thighs is simple to make yet tastes gourmet. After one bite of the succulent chicken in a rich & creamy pan sauce, you will wonder where this recipe has been all your life.
It's an easy one-pan recipe that's done in less than 30 minutes so you can enjoy it any day of the week. Simply dredge some boneless skinless chicken thighs into seasoned flour and brown them for flavor. The lemon dill sauce with heavy cream finishes it off until they are tender. In no time, this chicken recipe is ready and on the table.
This quick chicken recipe is fast enough to make for dinner even on a busy weekday. But it will also please any foodie and can be served for special occasions. Just don't let any of your guests know how crazy easy it is to make.
It is great for dinner parties, birthdays, and Sunday suppers. Pair it with your favorite Chardonnay for an anniversary or Valentine's Day dinner.
This was inspired by my creamy coconut chicken recipe on this site. That recipe has Asian flavors and is dairy-free. Both have an unreal sauce but this new recipe uses real cream & butter for a velvety finish. It pairs wonderfully with crispy broccolini and parmesan.
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Ingredients
This recipe starts out with boneless skinless chicken thighs. I like to use thighs because they cook up quickly and are more flavorful in my opinion. Thigh meat also doesn't dry out as easily as chicken breasts.
For the sauce, butter, cream, lemon juice, fresh dill, and a few other ingredients will come together. Seasoning and dredging the chicken in flour is also important. This is so each piece can brown beautifully and really hold onto the yummy sauce.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- All-Purpose Flour
- Seasoned Salt
- Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil
- Salted Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh Dill
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This one-pan recipe comes together quickly. So get all your ingredients ready before you begin cooking. Once everything is within your reach and near the stove, it's time to get cooking.
There are 3 simple steps to this recipe. You will start by coating and browning the chicken pieces. Then you will remove the chicken and make the pan sauce. Finally, add the chicken to the sauce to all come together. Viola - this creamy lemon dill chicken recipe is so easy!
Dredge & Brown the Boneless Skinless Thighs
Dredging chicken thighs in flour have so many benefits when making a recipe like this. It not only helps with the browning process but it will help thicken the sauce later when everything comes together. To learn more about why dredging is a great step for pan-frying chicken see the FAQ section below.
Here are the steps on how to dredge chicken thighs in seasoned flour. Begin by patting the pieces of chicken dry on both sides. This will help the flour mixture stick to the thigh meat.
In a shallow pan or dish, add the flour & seasoned salt. Mix to combine.
Add one piece at a time to the flour mixture. Flip over a few times to coat all sides evenly. Shake off any excess.
Preheat a medium-large skillet with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. I had my stove on 7. Set the chicken pieces in the hot oil - do not crowd the pan.
Brown chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes on each side.
Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will continue cooking later in the sauce so it is ok if it is not done all the way through. This will keep it from being overcooked when the total cooking time is complete.
Make the Creamy Pan Sauce
Now it is time to make the butter dill pan sauce that adds so much flavor to this chicken dish. Turn the pan down to medium-low. Add chicken broth and scrape up any tiny bits from cooking the chicken.
To the pan add the butter, cream, lemon juice, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Simmer
Add the chicken pieces to the pan with the lemon butter sauce. Continue cooking until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Do not let it boil, it should be on a low simmer at this point. It will take about 8-10 minutes - depending on how thick the chicken thighs are.
Hint: Flip the chicken over every few minutes so that each side gets a chance to soak up the flavors of the sauce.
Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Add fresh dill to the sauce and baste the chicken to coat it with the sauce.
Top Tip -
Don't OVERCOOK the chicken in the earlier steps. Since the chicken goes through a 2-step cooking method it can be easy to overcook it.
Follow the cooking times and remember the chicken will not have an internal reading of 165° after the browning step. It will be done and 165° after simmering in the sauce. Use an instant-read thermometer to guarantee juicy chicken every time.
Substitutions
This easy one-pan recipe can be altered to fit several dietary or lifestyle needs. For a yummy creamy dill chicken recipe that is gluten-free, keto, low-carb, or grain-free try one of these quick substitutions. The easy swap-outs or changes still make a wonderful homemade chicken recipe.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs - if you love crispy skin, you can use boneless chicken thighs with the skin on
- Flour- use gluten-free flour to make this gluten-free or omit it for a grain-free chicken recipe.
Keto & Low-Carb Creamy Dill Chicken
This recipe can easily be made keto-friendly, low-carb, gluten-free, & grain-free. Simply omit the flour that the chicken thighs are dredged in before browning in the pan. With that simple change, this chicken recipe in a creamy butter dill sauce becomes very low-carb and is high in fat, perfect for a ketogenic diet.
It is also a high-protein recipe with less than 2g of net carbs. If you break down this recipe into 3 servings and omit the flour, here is the nutritional information for this recipe. 440 calories, 27g fat, 1.2g net carbs, and 45g protein.
What to Serve with Creamy Chicken
Comforting chicken recipes with a creamy sauce go really well with side dishes that can soak up all those flavors. I suggest serving this over pasta, rice, cauliflower rice, soft polenta, egg noodles, or zucchini noodles. For some crusty bread to dip into that luscious sauce make some fresh-baked ciabatta bread.
For other sides that go well with lemon dill chicken, try these yummy recipes.
Equipment
This simple recipe does not require a bunch of special ingredients or kitchen tools. There are only a few items that I recommend when making this creamy chicken recipe.
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Storage & Reheating
This recipe holds up well for storing and enjoying later. Place sauce and chicken in an air-tight storage container. Place in the refrigerator and store for up to 5 days.
The creamy sauce may separate a bit when reheating. Simply add a splash of cream back to the sauce and stir. This will make the sauce creamy again. This reheats quickly in the microwave.
The cream sauce doesn't stand up well to freezing. For that reason, I do not recommend freezing any leftovers.
FAQ
The cooking times are based on cooking thighs. Thighs tend to be thinner pieces of chicken and cook faster. Therefore, if you wish to substitute the thighs for breasts, it will take longer to cook.
I suggest browning each piece for 5-6 minutes. Then when you cook it in the sauce make sure to check that the internal temperature is 165°. (thin chicken breast cutlets will take the same amount of time as the thighs)
The herbaceous flavor that comes from fresh dill is grassy & bright. Dried dill doesn't hit the same way. However, in a pinch, you can use dill weed as a substitute for the fresh dill in this cream sauce.
Since fresh dill and dill weed packs a different flavor punch, the amounts will vary. Instead of using a tablespoon of fresh dill, use 1 teaspoon of dill weed instead. Substituting dill in recipes is easy if you know how to do it correctly.
There are several reasons why coating chicken in a thin layer of flour before pan-frying is a good idea. To begin with, it helps create a lovely brown crust. That crust helps seal in juices and acts as a bit of a protective layer from the extreme heat of the pan.
That crust also lends a nice texture with a bit of crunch, even when served with a sauce like in this recipe. When you have a chicken recipe with a pan sauce, the dredging step is also important for other reasons. That small bit of flour helps the pan sauce thicken as the chicken simmers in the sauce.
Creamy Lemon Dill Butter Chicken
Equipment
- 9-12" Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- fresh dill sprigs optional garnish
Instructions
- Pat dry the boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- In a shallow pan, like a pie pan, combine flour and seasoned salt.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Dredge chicken thighs in seasoned flour. Shake off any large clumps before gently adding each piece to the hot oil.
- Brown chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will continue cooking later in the sauce so it is ok if it is not done all the way through.
- Turn the pan down to medium-low. Add chicken broth and scrape up any tiny bits from cooking the chicken.
- To the pan add the butter, cream, lemon juice, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pan with the lemon butter sauce. Continue cooking until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°. It should take about 8-10 minutes - depending on how thick the chicken thighs are.
- Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Add fresh dill to the sauce and baste chicken to coat with the sauce. Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over the chicken pieces. Add sprigs of dill for garnish.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 359 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 20.5g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat 8.3g | 42% |
| Cholesterol 129mg | 43% |
| Sodium 602mg | 26% |
| Total Carbohydrate 7g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.3g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 0.2g | |
| Protein 34.8g | |
| Vitamin D 10mcg | 49% |
| Calcium 44mg | 3% |
| Iron 2mg | 12% |
| Potassium 352mg | 7% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Food safety
Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through before plating. Here are some tips when cooking chicken. Remember to use my tips for handling raw chicken plus these additional food handling rules.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
chelsea says
I was looking to see if you can add dill to piccata when I found this recipe. If you like chicken piccata and dill you will love this recipe. I may even add capers next time.
Angela says
That sounds really good.