Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken

• Chicken thighs: Boneless, skin-on chicken thighs are my top choice for this lemon pepper chicken recipe. They’re juicier, more flavorful and far more forgiving than chicken breasts.
• Lemon pepper seasoning: Use a good-quality blend with real lemon zest and cracked black pepper. You can find the blend I used in most grocery stores or on Amazon. Some brands are saltier than others, so I recommend tasting yours first and adjusting the added salt accordingly.
• Fresh lemon juice: Fresh is non-negotiable here. Bottled lemon juice just doesn’t have the same brightness. We’re reducing it slightly in the pan, which concentrates the flavor and balances the richness of the butter and cream.
• Chicken broth + heavy cream: This is what turns pan drippings into a silky lemon butter sauce. The broth builds flavor, and the cream softens the acidity from the lemon so the sauce isn’t too tart.
• Butter + flour: A quick roux thickens the pan sauce just enough to cling to the chicken and whatever you’re serving it with (pasta, rice, mashed potatoes…).

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

This one-pan dinner comes together in three simple stages:

1. Brown the chicken thighs until the skin is deeply golden and crisp, then transfer them to a plate.
2. Make the lemon butter sauce.
3. Return the chicken to the pan to finish cooking.

That’s it! Now let’s break down each step.

Season the chicken thighs generously with your lemon pepper seasoning and salt. I like to use a cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan here; nonstick won’t give you that same deep golden crust. (If you’re in the market, this is the cast-iron skillet and stainless steel pan I use and love.)

Place the chicken skin-side down. And now? Leave it alone.

You want the fat to render slowly so the skin turns deeply golden and naturally releases from the pan. If you try to flip it too early and it sticks, that’s your cue to give it another minute. This step is everything. Properly rendering the fat is what gives you that ultra-crispy skin instead of soft, rubbery skin.

After about 6 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes. The thighs will continue cooking later in the sauce, so right now we’re focused on color and texture.

If you’ve made my pan-seared chicken breasts, this technique will feel very familiar.

Lemon Butter Sauce

Don’t wipe out the pan. Those golden brown bits, called fond, are flavor gold.

Increase the heat and pour in the fresh lemon juice to deglaze the pan. It’ll bubble aggressively. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the fond from the bottom of the skillet. Let the lemon juice reduce by about half, then reduce the heat and whisk in the butter until melted.

Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste. The mixture will be very thick at this stage, almost paste-like:

Now slowly whisk in the broth and heavy cream. It may look thin at first, but after a few minutes of gentle simmering, the sauce will thicken.

Add the chicken thighs back into the pan, skin-side up so the tops stay crisp. Continue to cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. For thighs, that usually takes 10–15 minutes. If you’re using chicken breasts, start checking earlier since they cook faster.

Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon that lemon butter sauce generously over the top.

Add a few lemon slices or a sprinkle of chopped parsley if you’re feeling fancy, but honestly, this one doesn’t need much.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this over pasta to soak up all that lemon butter pan sauce, with a side of crusty bread or good ol’ no-yeast homemade bread.

Not in a pasta mood? It’s equally delicious with:

• Roasted garlic mashed potatoes or oven-roasted potatoes
• Mediterranean couscous salad
• Bacon wrapped asparagus or roasted green beans
• Steamed white rice

And if you want to keep things lighter, a simple arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon is all you need.