The combination of amazing flavors in this recipe for Creamy Lemon Dill Butter Chicken will wow you. The balance of cream, citrus, fresh herbs, and savory chicken thighs is simple to make yet tastes gourmet. After one bite, you will wonder where this 30-minute recipe has been all your life.
Why these chicken cutlets in a lemon cream sauce are amazing: It's a simple one-pan recipe but also fancy enough for a dinner party, birthday, or Sunday supper. Pair it with your favorite Chardonnay for an anniversary or Valentine's Day dinner.
When you have a bunch of fresh dill this is the perfect dinner idea. The balance of citrus, grassy, & savory flavors is fantastic.
This was inspired by my recipe for Coconut Lime Chicken which also has a creamy pan sauce. This pairs well with Roasted Potatoes & Broccoli for a yummy meal. Ok, now we cook!
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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 - this cut cooks up in minutes and stays moist & tender (can use breast meat also)
- All-Purpose Flour - to dredge the chicken & helps thicken the sauce.
- Spices - seasoned salt & black pepper
- Vegetable Oil - to pan fry the thighs in the skillet.
- Salted Butter - for the pan sauce.
- Heavy Cream - base of the cream sauce.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - bright citrus flavor.
- Fresh Dill - the earthy herb pairs well with lemon & chicken.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Creamy Chicken in a Skillet
There are 3 simple steps to this recipe. It comes together quickly so prep all your ingredients and have them ready near the stove & your skillet. Once you start cooking, it goes fast!
Here is how to make Creamy Lemon Dill Chicken:
- Dredge & Brown the Chicken
- Make the Creamy Pan Sauce
- Simmer & Serve
1 - Dredge & Brown the Chicken
Dredging chicken thighs in flour have so many benefits. It not only helps with the browning process but it will help thicken the sauce later when everything comes together. For a keto or gluten-free version, skip the flour.
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. They will be pan-seared but not cooked all the way through.
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.
2 - Make the Creamy Pan Sauce
Next, 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.
3 - Simmer & Serve
Add the chicken pieces back 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 not be cooked 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.
What to Serve with Lemon Dill Chicken
I suggest serving this over pasta, chicken broth 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.
Or try one of these side dishes:
Storing & Reheating
Store in the refrigerator and store for up to 5 days. The cream sauce doesn't stand up well to freezing. For that reason, I do not recommend freezing any leftovers.
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.
FAQ
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.
For dredging the chicken pieces, you can use a gluten-free blend. My favorite is Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour. Use the same amount & it works great - I do this often. Or leave it out & then it is a grain-free, keto-approved, & very low-carb recipe.
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
Raw Chicken Food Safety Tips
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
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.
Maria Gustafsson says
I made this for a friend! Used chicken breast, as that's all I had, it was DELICIOUS!! Seriously fantastic. I served it with rice and asparagus. My suggestion is double the sauce recipe! I have 2 pieces left, now I need to make more sauce! Make this people, you will impress one and all!!
Angela says
Thank you so much for the review. I agree the sauce is amazing and worth having extra.