One oven-safe skillet is the only pan you need to cook this tender chicken and flavorful creamy lemon herb sauce. Fresh thyme is great, but you can use dried if that's all you have. See recipe note.
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
optional for garnish: lemon slices and fresh thyme
Categories
Dinner
Cuisine
American
Steps
If the chicken breasts are unevenly thick, pound them down so they’re roughly all the same thickness.
Sprinkle both sides of each chicken breasts lightly with the salt and pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning once halfway. You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside, but not fully cooked in the centers because they will finish in the oven. Set chicken on a plate and cover tightly with foil until step 5.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Remove skillet from the stove and add the broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, onion, garlic, and thyme. Return skillet to the stove over medium high heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to around 1/2 cup (120ml). Stir in the cream and butter. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken to the sauce and place the skillet in the preheated oven. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Chicken is considered done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the thickest part as at least 165°F (74°C).)
Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top and any of the listed optional garnishes. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.
Reviews
Aline Libasai on 2025-05-04 (5 stars): I made this last night for a dinner party. Had to adjust the liquid a bit so that the sauce was enough for the amount of chicken. It is a great recipe that I will make again. Thanks Sally for this and all the other wonderful recipes that I have been making over the years.
Kim on 2025-06-30 (5 stars): I happened upon a lemon-thyme plant for the first time and thought I had to find a recipe to use it with. This was the perfect dish! It was the perfect amount of lemon flavor but the lemon thyme gave it a refreshing flavor of that makes any sense. This was a delicious recipe!
Alex on 2026-02-03 (5 stars): Hi Sally!
Your Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken is simply delightful!
The recipe comes together quickly, and the result is moist juicy chicken with a wonderful pan sauce.
I only had 18% cream in the house and can happily report the sauce did not break at all and came out velvety and as promised, creamy.
While I applaud you as a 'Baking Wizard', I now have made two of your non-baking offerings, and I am a fan!
Thank you, Sally, to you and your team for the amazing content you provide to your readers!
Barbara on 2026-04-04 (5 stars): This recipe was relatively simple and made a wonderfully tasty sauce. My mods:
1. Used a minced shallot for the onion
2. Used boneless, skinless thighs
3. Added handfuls of fresh spinach to the sauce before laying the chicken on top (then spooned sauce over the chicken).
This recipe was so good, I sent it to my DIL (also a Sally’s fan), because I think the grandkids would like it, too.
Leah on 2026-04-07 (5 stars): Made this for dinner tonight and my family enjoyed it. This will be added to my rotation of meals. Recipe was easy to follow. I made it exactly the way it was written but I may make a few changes the next time. Thanks for a fantastic recipe.
