These juicy chicken cutlets take less than 30 minutes to come together and the lemon butter sauce is simply divine!
Serve them with our fluffy mashed potatoes or our warm zucchini salad for a lighter meal.
You can never underestimate the value of a good and reliable chicken recipe collection. Chicken is the meat, that is the most popular and also most affordable. No wonder it’s so loved. That is the reason I will never get tired of creating new recipes with this versatile meat.
Chicken Cutlets
Chicken breasts are not always my favourite part of the bird but they do have their uses and benefits. If cooked properly, they can be tender and juicy.
They are also the quickest to cook, especially when split into cutlets like this Chicken Paillard in Sherry Caper Sauce or Chicken Arrabbiata.
One of the reasons why chicken breasts have a reputation of being dry is because they are very uneven. Thick on one end and thin and tapered on the other. So while we are waiting for the thick part to cook all the way through, the end get overcooked and rubbery.
Chicken cutlets are made to solve this problem! All we have to do is to cut a thick chicken breast in half lengthwise to create two equally thin pieces. Take a look at my Chicken Marsala recipe, where I go into detail on how to cut and pound chicken cutlets thin.
Lemon Butter Sauce
This sauce is definitely in my top 5 sauce recipes when it comes to the taste, ease and versatility. It takes 5 minutes to make and only requires 5 ingredients.
Lemons, butter, chicken stock, garlic and parsley. You can also add a handful of capers if you wish but I wanted to keep it simple and let the lemons shine!
This sauce flavours the chicken breasts beautifully and it works just as well with fish. Like I said it’s so versatile. Take a look at my classic French Sole Meuniere recipe for inspiration.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- This recipe uses very few ingredients, so make sure they are all good quality for best results.
- I use a combination of olive oil and unsalted European style butter. They each flavour the chicken breasts but also add a nice colour when browning.
- Brown the chicken on medium high heat. We want to achieve a beautiful golden colour on the outside. Then bring the heat way down for the sauce.
- Use fresh lemons only. No bottled lemon juice will give you the taste this sauce deserves.
- Feel free to add capers for that briny, salty hit!
Favourite Chicken Cutlet Recipes:
Lemon Butter Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- salt
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter good quality
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 sprigs parsley
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ lemon sliced
- 125ml/1/2 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half, season with salt and dredge in flour on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan, brown the chicken cutlets in the hot oil until golden for 5 minutes on each side. After the chicken has been frying for a couple of minutes add the butter. This will add more flavor and colour to the chicken. You might want to do the frying in batches. Then remove the chicken from the pan and keep it warm in an oven preheated to the lowest temperature while you are making the lemon butter sauce.
- To the same pan add the minced garlic and let it cook over low heat for 30 seconds, then add the parsley, lemon juice, lemon slices and chicken stock, turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the sauce until it’s reduced in volume for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce all over.
Robin says
The chicken was delicious! The only problem is my dish had a bitter after taste, can you tell me why?
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Hi Robin, I am guessing the lemon butter sauce was cooked at high heat, which can make the sauce bitter. If you look at step 3, I specify that you need to lower the heat before you proceed with the sauce.
Steve Mahs says
Looks very good.
Jennifer says
This was a big hit in our home!! My husband LOVED it. The flavor was great!
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Love hearing it!
Kara says
A big hit with the whole family! I’m currently doing keto, so I made my serving without dipping the chicken in flour. Still delicious – the sauce is to die for!
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Thank you for your review, Kara!
Beth says
This chicken cutlet looks so tasty and full of so much flavor! My family is definitely going to love this dinner. Going to be such a yummy dinner!