This tender pan-fried Meyer Lemon Chicken with a light lemon and garlic sauce is the kind of recipe that’s bright, bursting with flavor, and is ready for the table in under 30 minutes.
I have this beautiful little Meyer lemon tree that lives in my office. It was a long ago birthday gift from one of my sisters and has been a lovely addition to the bay window that I gaze out of while I’m working on the computer.
That one little tree has graced us with dozens of lovely Meyer lemons and I have lots of fun using them in the kitchen. I usually think about them for sweet recipes, but more recently I thought I’d try them with something savory. Good idea.
As usual, I just started looking around to see what I had on hand that might work well with lemon. I had some chicken breasts I needed to use so that’s where I started. Added a little oregano and garlic and this Meyer Lemon Chicken recipe was born!
This is a nice blend of flavors and takes just a few minutes to prepare. Hope you enjoy it as much as BeeBop and I did.
In the written recipe, I’ve given measurements but you really don’t need them. Just use the amounts you think you need for the number of chicken breasts you’re cooking. I used three chicken breasts because that’s what I had on hand. You use whatever you have. Okay?
How to Make Meyer Lemon Chicken
To start, give the chicken breasts a light pounding so that they’re an even thickness throughout. You don’t need to pound them out until they’re thin, just even.
Sprinkle both sides generously with salt, pepper and dried oregano. Don’t skimp on the seasonings!
Sprinkle flour over both sides of the chicken breasts, coating them completely but be sure to shake off the excess.
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet. Add the breasts and cook until nicely browned on both sides.
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While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the Meyer lemons. Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into thick slices. Or chop them. Whatever you prefer.
When the chicken is browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Add the lemon and garlic to the pan and stir well to combine them with the butter and oil.
Spread the lemon slices out evenly in the pan. Return the chicken to the pan placing it on top of the lemon slices. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is done throughout.
Serve the chicken breasts with cooked lemon slices and pan sauce.
👉 PRO TIP: The lemon slices will, of course, have a slightly bitter taste from the peel. I love it. BeeBop doesn’t. If you don’t care for that flavor, just push the lemon slices aside and enjoy the pan sauce anyway!
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Meyer Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 Meyer lemons
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Lightly pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.3 chicken breasts
- Sprinkle each side generously with salt, pepper, and oregano.1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 ½ teaspoons pepper, 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Sprinkle the flour over the chicken breasts, coating evenly. Shake to remove any excess flour.½ cup flour
- In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and oil.2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons canola oil
- When the butter melts, add the chicken and cook until nicely browned on both sides.
- While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the Meyer lemons.2 Meyer lemons
- Peel the garlic cloves and slice them into thick pieces.2 large garlic cloves
- When browned, remove the chicken from pan and set aside.
- Add the lemon slices and garlic, stirring to combine them with the butter and oil.
- Spread the lemon slices out evenly in the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan placing it on top of the lemon slices.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the chicken is done throughout.
- Serve chicken breasts with cooked lemon slices and pan sauce. Garnish with parsley.2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
We happen to have a Meyer Lemon tree, a dwarf, and since hubby and I love chicken and cooking with lemons, this dish is a must try. Thank you!
~Virginia
Hope you enjoy it Virginia. We love this recipe.
Hi Lana! This chicken looks delish! I love lemon anything!!! Now that I’m in Houston, I’m going to have to get me a meyer lemon tree for my back patio…it would be fantastic to have fresh lemons!
Oh, yes, you need a Meyer lemon tree! It should grow really well in the Houston area.
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! I love meyer lemons and always try to grab up a few when I see them. Thanks for the new recipe!
Thank you so much for the recipe. Looks great! I will have to look around for Meyer lemons here in Scandinavia. Not sure if I can find any. But I will try the recipe next week and use organic lemons as substitute.
Happy New Year
So delicious. The chicken looks so moist!
Love that you have a lemon tree inside – so much fun and this looks fabulous! Happy New Year!
I hate to say it but I do so little cooking with Meyer Lemon, I need to change that pronto! What a fresh-looking winter dish
I really enjoy using them in lots of recipes. And they make fantastic lemonade :-)
Lemon chicken used to be an almost weekly meal for me becausee once I snagged a great recipe for chicken francese, I couldn’t stop making it. Your lemon chicken looks lovely, especially with the lemon slices on top. Beautiful and it looks to be perfection!
Lana, I am crazy over Meyer lemons, but can only get them now and again. This looks divine!
The trees are easy to grow. They only have to be taken indoors when the temperature drops. Mine’s on a movable platform with casters to make it easy!
How awesome it must be to look at the window and see such beauty! This recipe is now at the top of my to do list!
Looks fabulous! And lucky you with access to fresh off the tree Meyer lemons :)
I am so glad that you posted this recipe. It looks wonderful and I am going to try it tomorrow–tonight is salmon fish tacos. I have a Meyer Lemon tree in our backyard that is approximately 40 years old and right now it looks like a yellow star, it is so full of ripe lemons. This tree gives us lemons all year round and it was really nice to see a recipe using the lemons pop up on your site. Thanks :)
Wow! I’d love to see a 40 year old Meyer lemon. It must be huge!
The tree is about 6 feet tall and about 6 feet wide–it looks like a yellow ball right now. I will post a picture of it–how do I do that?
Debbie
I adore lemon chicken! The first meal I ever made for my love was lemon chicken and I have actually been thinking about telling that story soon. I am going to make sure that I use your recipe when I do :D Simply gorgeous Lana.
Aw, how sweet. Looking forward to hearing that story. Reminds me – I should tell the one about BeeBop proposing to me over a pot of simmering spaghetti sauce :-)
Lana, this looks wonderful. I love the idea of growing a Meyer lemon tree inside. Do you place it in full sun?
Hi Dara – my Meyer lemon stays on the deck for most of the year, but when the temps drop we bring it in for several months. It’s in the sunniest window in the house. Gets probably six hours of sun per day there.
Being a lemon “fiend” I love everything with lemon and this is one of my husband’s favorite dishes – and now that I have some ripe lemons on my tree I think I better get into the kitchen and make this for him!
I’m a lemon lover too, Nancy! A little lemon brightens up almost any dish, doesn’t it?