This Electric Skillet Lemon Chicken Recipe comes together in a flash for an easy 30 minute meal! With golden brown chicken coated in a lemony pan sauce, this recipe is simple enough for a weeknight dinner and impressive enough to entertain. It’s the perfect meal whenever you have lemons on hand.
If you love this bright citrus fruit as much as we do, check out our all of our lemon recipes!
Welcome to one of our family favorite dinners! Electric skillet chicken recipes are one of my go-to meals all year round, but this recipe is especially great in the spring and summer when lemons are bountiful. We've been making this one for over 20 years, so I'd say it's a real winner.
For more electric skillet recipes that double as one pan dinners, try this yummy Apricot Chicken or this super easy Brown Butter Herb Chicken or this Maple Mustard Chicken.
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Why this recipe is great
- It's done in under 30 minutes!
- The sauce is perfectly flavorful with fresh lemon, garlic, and white wine.
- It uses staple pantry ingredients you probably have on hand.
- Great for adults or kids alike - everyone loves lemon!
- Electric skillet recipes are great for low-heat summer dinners.
Great recipe! Very easy to make but very tasty.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Ryan
Ingredients for electric skillet lemon chicken
- Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless, and cut in half horizontally.
- Flour: This creates the beautiful golden color and gives the sauce something to stick to.
- Kosher salt and pepper: Don’t be too sparse - the chicken gets a lot of flavor from the salt especially.
- Butter: As the chicken cooks, the butter will brown and add an extra layer of flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic: I prefer to use pre-minced garlic for the sake of ease and time.
- Dry white wine: Any dry white wine works well, such as a Vermouth, Chardonnay, or Zinfandel. You can substitute the wine with chicken broth if preferred.
- Lemon juice: Use the fresh lemons for the best flavor.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make electric skillet chicken
My favorite way to make this recipe is in this electric skillet (affiliate), but you can also make it in a large skillet on the stove.
Start by combining the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Coat each piece of chicken lightly, shaking off the extra. Then melt the butter in the skillet on medium heat and cook the first side of the chicken for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
Next, flip the chicken and add the garlic, cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Add the white wine and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through to get it coated in the yummy sauce.
For a crowd
Electric skillet recipes are not ideal for a group larger than 6-10. The reason is that this chicken is best served fresh, and you will have to do several rounds of cooking to make enough for more than 6. However, you could use multiple skillets to make a larger batch if needed.
FAQs
A couple quick tips: 1) Cut the chicken horizontally to make it thinner. This will prevent overcooking. 2) Be sure not to overcook them. Overcooked chicken breasts will be dry every time. You can always use a thermometer to check your chicken. It's done when it reaches 165°F.
Electric skillet recipes requires the chicken to be thawed completely before cooking.
This chicken pairs well with practically any potato or vegetable dish. And you can't go wrong by adding fresh bread or biscuits. Here are some of our favorite combos for inspiration:
• Fluffy Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes (our favorite side for this chicken)
• Green Beans Almondine
• Roasted broccoli or Brussels sprouts
• Green salad (make your own or buy it bagged)
• Buttery Dinner Rolls or Easy Cream Biscuits
Tips and tricks
- Try to slice the breasts as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Coat the chicken very lightly in the flour. Too much flour causes a clumpy, soggy coating.
- Keep your skillet to medium heat. If the pan gets too hot, the butter will burn before the chicken is finished.
- If using a non-stick pan or skillet, be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Metal tongs will scratch up your skillet.
More electric skillet recipes
- Crazy Good Pepper Steak - Tender strips of steak and colorful veggies covered in a thick asian-sauce, all served over rice.
- Skillet Apricot Chicken - 25 minute electric skillet chicken with the most addictive sticky apricot sauce.
- Chicken Romano (Cheesecake Factory Copycat) - Extra crispy chicken served over pasta with red sauce.
- Skillet Chicken with Brown Butter and Herbs - Easy 30 minute electric skillet chicken with tons of flavor.
Recipe
Electric Skillet Lemon Chicken
Equipment
- electric skillet (affiliate)
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup butter or ½ stick
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 4 cloves)
- 1 cup dry white wine may substitute chicken broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat each chicken breast in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.½ cup flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Melt the butter over medium heat in an electric skillet or skillet on the stove. Once melted, cook first side of chicken until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes (may need longer if chicken is very thick).¼ cup butter
- Flip the chicken and add garlic. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.1 tablespoon garlic
- Add wine and lemon juice, stirring well to incorporate the garlic and browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, or until it thickens and coats the chicken. Flip chicken halfway through to coat in sauce, then serve.1 cup dry white wine, ¼ cup lemon juice
Notes
- Try to slice the breasts as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Coat the chicken very lightly in the flour. Too much flour causes a clumpy, soggy coating.
- Keep your skillet to medium heat. If the pan gets too hot, the butter will burn before the chicken is finished.
- If using a non-stick pan or skillet, be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Metal tongs will scratch up your skillet.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Janice says
So I made this with thighs bone in. And it went well. Taste so good. Served with with white rice and green beans.. Thanks
Danielle says
So glad to hear! Thank you for taking time to let us know.
The Dude says
Christened my wifes new electric skillet with this recipe.It was definetly a nice change from the same old same dinner ideas i try.The beauty of this recipe is you can tweak it and make it too your own liking..I doubled the pepper amount.I used a 1/4 cup white wine,3/4 cup chicken broth and added a teaspoon of flour at the end to aid in thickening the sauce.If you stick to the suggested cook time you can’t go wrong on the tenderness of this recipe.Well done ladies and thanks for sharing!
Misty says
Yes, we love how flexible this recipe is! I'm so glad it turned out well. Welcome to electric skillet cooking... you'll be hooked soon!
Adela says
Such a disappointment. It was super easy to make but it was incredibly sour! I don’t know what I did. I doubled the recipe to make enough for 2 dinners. Used a lg pan . I tried to fix it but no luck. Maybe it was because I didn’t use wine. I used chicken stock. I might try it again, but use way less lemon juice.
Any suggestions?
Danielle says
I am so sorry to hear that. Did you use a typical grocery store lemon? Not the yellow limes used in Mexican food. One time a neighbor gave me some overripe lemons that weren't good and ruined this dish, but I assuming it wasn't that. I am hoping that helps. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.
Ciana Smith says
My grandson is under the autism umbrella and really hard to cook for! I have cooked this twice and he loves the recipe! Thank you for making my cooking life easier ♥️
Danielle says
I am sooo happy that this recipe works for you! I have a grandson with intense food allergies and finding recipes he loves makes me thrilled. I totally get it! Sorry that it took so long to respond. We are having difficulties with our email.
Kathy g says
My son is in a very weird stage where food is concerned. The scent of this actually made him want to try it and he likes it. He's been asking for it and I am going to be making it tomorrow. I was hoping to marinate something and wanting your advice on if you thought this was a good thing to marinate the chicken in and how would you do it?
Danielle says
We are so happy to hear that he loves this! It genuinely is a family favorite. To be honest, we have never tried using this as a marinade. If you try, please let us know how it turns out.
Sandra says
Can I use white wine vinegar?
Danielle says
I would use chicken stock. Any type of vinegar won’t be a good substitute in this recipe. Hope that helps.
Donna Molchan says
I would like to make this, I have chicken thighs, bone in w/skin on. What change in cooking time be?
Danielle says
Unfortunately, I don’t think this recipe is a good fit for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. They cook so differently than boneless skinless chicken breasts. I would try looking up recipes that are designed for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. So sorry! Hope you find something that fits the bill.
Ryan says
Great recipe! Very easy to make but very tasty. I paired this with your cilantro lime rice recipe, which made for a great combination. I'll definitely be making this again!
Danielle says
So happy that you liked it!
Martha says
Hi. I am currently without an oven or stovetop. Long story. I have only cooked stovetop with a gas range.
However, have an new electric skillet. You indicated you liked to prepare this with an electric skillet but instructions didn’t mention it. Mine is still in the box. 😂. What temperature qualifies as medium heat, or medium low or medium high? What setting do you recommend?
Thanks.
Danielle says
So sorry to hear you are without an oven or stovetop! I did that for a season during a kitchen renovation. It was slow cooker and electric skillet everyday.
In line 2 in the recipe card it says to melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet on the stove or an electric skillet. It isn't more specific because each electric skillet is a little different. For my electric skillet I usually put it at 350° at first. If that seems a bit hot I will turn it down to in between 300° and 350°. I will add those notes to the recipe card. Hopefully the maiden voyage of your electric skillet goes well!😃 Please feel free to ask any more questions if they come up.
Martha says
Thank you for your kind reply. It’s a long road to replacing appliances with the COVID-19 pandemic. The struggle is real. 😂
Danielle says
Wow! That's an area I didn't think about being affected. Hopefully it will resolve it self soon. Enjoy your weekend!
NaPua Oney says
And the struggle is STILL real!! I too am with out a stove from 02/06/21 to expected delivery date of 03/12/21, so happy to find this recipe;^} it’s what we are trying for dinner tonight!
Misty says
So sorry to hear that! That is a REAL struggle. Electric skillets to the rescue! Hope you enjoy this recipe. If you're looking for other electric skillet recipes, we have Brown Butter Herb chicken and Pepper Steak on the blog. Both are great!
Rachel says
I made this chicken tonight, and let me tell yah, when the wine and lemon juice hit the pan, I smiled from ear to ear. I tend to love big, strong flavors, so next time I would actually up the amount of lemon juice. Over all, delicious, tender, juicy, and beautiful flavors.
Danielle says
Yay! So happy to hear how much you enjoyed it.
Theresa says
My kids and I made this tonight for dinner. It is so good! We served it with brown rice and it was perfect to soak up some sauce. I don't have a large skillet and had to cook the chicken in two batches but it came out perfectly. We will definitely be putting this in our regular rotation of meals. Thank you Misty!
Misty says
Two batches in a skillet is a great option!
Kimberly Jones says
Misty! This looks delightful!
Misty says
Thanks, Kim! One of my favorites 🙂