Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus is an easy one-skillet spring dinner with juicy chicken, tender asparagus, and a bright lemon cream sauce.
Creamy Lemon Chicken
I don’t know about you, but I’m always excited when spring produce starts showing up. This Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus is an easy, high-protein dinner that feels elegant yet totally weeknight-friendly. Juicy chicken and tender asparagus simmer in a lemon cream sauce, all made in one skillet. Serve it as is, or pair it with orzo or roasted baby potatoes to soak up every bit of the sauce. If you love skillet chicken dinners, also try my Chicken Florentine, Marry Me Chicken, or my collection of healthy chicken breast recipes.
Why This Recipe Works
As the weather slowly warms, I begin craving lighter dishes that are still satisfying. My husband, Tommy, and I loved this creamy lemon chicken when I served it for dinner recently. Like many Skinnytaste recipes, this creamy chicken dish keeps things lighter while still delivering big flavor and plenty of protein.
- Juicy Chicken: Chicken breasts cook quickly and stay juicy when simmered in the sauce.
- One-pan convenience: Asparagus cooks right in the skillet for a true one-pan dinner.
- Highlights spring produce with fresh asparagus and lemon
- Quick: High protein and ready in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Keep reading for more on what you’ll need to make this easy creamy lemon chicken recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Asparagus: Rinse the asparagus under running water and snap off the tough ends of the spears.
- Chicken Breasts: Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make thin, wide pieces. Using sharp kitchen scissors is the easiest way to do this.
- Dijon Mustard for tanginess
- Seasoning: Garlic and onion powders, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper
- Flour: Coating the chicken in flour gives it a nice golden-brown crust when you sear it. You can use all-purpose flour or a gluten-free mix, like Cup4Cup.
- Butter: Cook the chicken in butter for added richness and flavor.
- Chicken Bone Broth adds protein and flavor to the sauce. For best results, use a high-quality broth, such as Kettle & Fire, Butcher’s by Roli Roti, or Epic. You could also use homemade chicken broth.
- Half-and-Half is a lighter option than heavy cream, yet it still makes the lemon sauce creamy.
- Lemon: Zest and juice a lemon for maximum citrus flavor.
How to Make Lemon Chicken
Before adding the half-and-half, make sure the stove is set to medium-low. If the heat’s too high, the sauce may curdle. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Prep the chicken: Place the halved chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, then pound them until about ¼ inch thick. Season with Dijon and all the spices on both sides, then coat in flour.
- Steam the asparagus in water in a large, covered skillet. After a couple of minutes, when they’re crisp-tender, remove them from the pan.
- Cook the chicken: Melt the butter in the same skillet, then cook the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.
- Make the creamy sauce: Add the bone broth, half-and-half, and remaining seasoning to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, reducing the sauce (i.e., cooking it down until it thickens and only about half remains. To check that it’s done, dip a spoon into it. If the sauce coats the back of the spoon, it’s ready. If it’s too thin, keep simmering; if it’s too thick, add another tablespoon or two of broth.
- Add the lemon: Zest the lemon before cutting it in half. Squeeze the juice into the sauce, then nestle the chicken into the sauce. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the zest. Serve the chicken with asparagus, and drizzle the sauce over it.
Variations
- Asparagus alternatives: Try it with broccoli, broccolini, or green beans.
- Chicken: Replace breasts with boneless, skinless thighs or pork chops.
- No Italian seasoning? Use a mix of any dried herbs you have, such as parsley, thyme, and oregano.
- Broth options: Use regular chicken broth or vegetable broth. Just make sure it’s a good one, since it’s the main ingredient in the sauce.
What to Serve with Creamy Lemon Chicken
Serve this creamy lemon chicken on it’s own, but if you want a side dishes for lemon chicken, try it with mashed potatoes, rice, crusty bread or pasta to soak up the sauce. Here’s a few more ideas:
Spring Salads
Below are some salad recipes if you’d like one to round out your meal.
Storage
I don’t recommend freezing this dish because the cream sauce could separate after thawing.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: You can microwave the chicken and asparagus or reheat them on the stove over medium heat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of broth or water to thin it.
More Chicken Breast Recipes You’ll Love
For more healthy dinner ideas, check out these five delicious chicken breast recipes to inspire your next meal!
- Chicken Piccata
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Baked Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Chicken Milanese
- Chicken Parmesan
Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed (1 bunch)
- 2 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour mix*
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
Instructions
- Between two pieces of plastic wrap, pound the halved chicken breasts to an even thickness (about ¼ inch). Season all over with Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper, to taste. Make sure the chicken is fully coated on both sides.
- Dredge each piece of chicken in flour and shake off any excess.
- In a large skillet, add the asparagus with ¼ water, cover and cook over medium heat to steam 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp tender. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until each piece is cooked through and has a golden-brown crust. Remove and set aside.
- Add chicken bone broth, half-and-half, remaining Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, garlic powder and onion powder to the pan. Reduce by half over medium-low heat, until it thickens, thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the lemon juice and nestle the cooked chicken into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes, until heated through. Finish with lemon zest.
- Serve with asparagus, drizzling the sauce over the chicken.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
Yes, just let it thaw before cooking.
Yes, boneless skinless thighs work great here and stay very juicy.
Searing the chicken first and finishing it in the sauce without overcooking helps keep it moist.
This was the most delicious chicken dish I’ve ever prepared. My family loved it. I will be making this again and again!
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of the half and half?
Did you end up trying it with greek yogurt? I was curious about trying that or blended cottage cheese instead.
Very tasty
I have made this several times now, it is so easy and delicious! I usually have all the ingredients on hand. The grand kids even like it.
This is so good! We all rated it 10/10! I’m definitely planning to make this one again very soon! Reminds me of a dish I enjoy at one of my favorite restaurants.
Great taste, easy, a big hit. Will be on repeat. I used thighs because it’s what I had. I had not used bone broth much in the past and it was a great addition. Thank you for all you ideas and incentive!
Taste great and fairly easy to make. Love the mustard/lemon combination. My sauce didn’t thicken like it should have but it didn’t impact the flavor. Served with green beans.
DELICIOUS – loved the chicken lemony rich flavor – and the asparagus was lovely side.
Thanks Carol!
I used heavy cream instead of half and half…this was amazing! Only thing is I had to use way more butter than one tablespoon. I added two more tablespoons and a dab of olive oil. One tablespoon was definitely not enough as the chicken just popped it up real fast
This recipe was easy to follow and it was so worth it. I love the lemon sauce. The chicken was delicious by itself and the sauce took it over the top. The entire dish felt like I ordered from a fine restaurant. I was thinking I would like some Hollandaise sauce on the asparagus but it wasn’t needed because of the lemon sauce. Truly a keeper.
This is easy, light, and delicious! Thank you, Gina for another great meal!
Chicken was super tasty!
I used chicken thighs no other changes to the recipe; my family loved it. This is a keeper which I will make again. I would certainly recommend using bone broth its worth the couple extra dollars.
I made this last night. It was delicious! I added capers on top after plating.
This was easy to make. My husband liked it too. I’d make it again for company. I didn’t have any half and half so used low fat milk and broth and flour and the lemon zest. Tasted good. Followed the rest of the recipe.
We made this last night and LOVED IT!!! I did add a little bit of wondra flour to thicken it. We were camping and didn’t have a way to pound the chicken but it was fine just cut lengthwise. I didn’t change cooking time – 4 minutes each side. . I loved the sauce so much, I will make it as a stand alone moving forward.
We just made this last night and it was amazing! I had a small piece today for lunch and it tasted just as good as last night. Another winner Gina!
I really enjoyed this!! Delicious!
Thanks Maddie!
I can’t do butter or half*half. Subbed olive oil for the butter and fat free yogurt for the half and half. Added the warmed, seasoned chicken broth to the yogurt off heat in a bowl and whisked – no separation. It was quite tasty!
We loved this recipe. Tender chicken with mild but very flavorful sauce and spring asparagus.
I forgot the half and half. Can I sub light sour cream or nf plain Greek yogurt?
Can this be made the day before and reheated?
I would do the chicken the day before and leave the rest for the day of.
This was super easy and made in one pan- everyone enjoyed it. I served with jasmine rice for my hungry teenagers and it was rated five stars by even my picky eater.
Yay!!
This was delicious! Yes, you do have to be patient with the sauce. You do have to let it reduce and then I put the chicken breast in the sauce and I just drizzled the lemon juice onto the chicken breast so I wouldn’t have to worry about any curdling , served it with rice and broccoli. My husband said this was a keeper. Thank you.
This is a very rare dislike. I probably have a 99% success rate with Skinnytaste over many years and knew eventually I’d find one I didn’t love. I’m totally fine with that. The flavors just didn’t work for me. I didn’t get the curdling like some mentioned, probably because I reduced and then turned the heat down so it wouldn’t likely curdle. And so the texture was fine. I just didn’t like the flavor.
Fantastic! My husband loved it
Delicious! I had all ingredients on hand, used a gluten free flour. Don’t let the sauce boil, reduce then add the lemon When chicken is added back in the sauce will thicken even more. Quick easy weeknight dinner.
This is great
Very tasty! I did not allow enough time because the prep time was a lot longer than indicated as was the cooking time. It took the sauce a long time to reduce to thickening.
Tried to make the sauce twice. The first time I followed directions and it curdled. The second time I let sauce cool completely before adding lemon juice and it curdled again
I ALMOST gave up on this recipe because I thought I messed up the sauce. It turns out, I just didn’t give it enough time to thicken. The dish was full of flavor, and I loved it!
Can you use something lighter than half and half, such as 2% milk or evaporated milk or is that half and half really the best?
Very delicious! Loved it!!
Made with long brain rice and green beans. Ready recipe and tasted great!
Just made this and the taste was wonderful. My husband kept going mmmm, mmmm as he was taking each bite.
Delicious! No leftovers tonight.
How much asparagus is included in one serving? The mention of 1/4 cup sauce + veg is vague to me.
1/4 of the veggie, its hard to measure in cups.
When I’ve made other recipes that have dairy in the sauce and then add lemon, my sauce always curdles. How can I prevent that from happening? This recipe looks amazing but I’m hesitant to make it based on my past experiences.
Instead of adding lemon to the sauce you can squeeze it over the plated dish.
This chicken was simply YUM. Loved the sauce and the simplicity of making this delicious meal. The only thing I did differently was to oven roast the asparagus. YUM.
This us one of the best recipes I’ve ever made in my many decades of life! I used thighs and my husband loved it. And only one pan is used!
Delicious! The sauce was wonderful over roasted baby potatoes and green beans as well.
My sauce curdled a little when I added the lemon.
I have some left over heavy cream, would that be okay to use instead of half and half?
Sure, it will just increase the calories but will be yummy
Can I substitute coconut milk for the half and half?
It will change the taste, so yes it will work I am just not sure how it will taste.
Would onion & mushrooms affect the taste of the sauce or do recommend the sauce as is?
Just what I was looking for! I would serve with rice pilaf. I can tell by the ingredient list that this is a good one. I bet the leftover chicken would be good over a Caesar salad. Love your recipes, Gina. I make several on rotation.
How many servings does this recipe make? I assume four, because the two chicken breasts are halved, lengthwise, but it doesn’t say so anywhere. Also, I miss the ability to change the number of servings to adjust the recipe.
Yes 4. Sorry, fixed now! You are still able to change the serving when you click print it will give you the option to increase of decrease.