Tangy sweet lemon chicken served over a bed of rice and fresh leafy green lettuce sounds like a spring/summer dish if I ever heard one!
The tender tasty lemon chicken, crunchy cold lettuce and warm rice all working together to create a wonderful dish full of textures and flavors that work great together! You’re going to love this simple healthy chicken breast recipe with an easy lemon chicken sauce. It’s such a simple dish that packs a lot of flavor.
About This Lemon Chicken
A little sauce goes a long way making it perfect for multiple recipes, although I normally double up and make a larger batch to begin with.
I originally got this recipe from my mother in law, and while I thought it was weird at first, I quickly grew to love it and I’m sure you will too! You can swap out the requested rice for couscous or quinoa and it still turns out great!
Can I Freeze Leftover Lemon Sauce?
Absolutely! I love making a bigger batch of this sauce and freezing it for later. It freezes so great. Just keep it in 1/3rd to 1/2cup size servings and place it in freezer friendly bags until you’re ready to thaw and use.
How Many Lemons Do I Need?
I’ve found through the countless times that I’ve made this recipe that I normally need 1 (maybe 2) lemons to make the lemon sauce depending on their size.
Lemon Chicken Ingredients
-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
-4-6 cups lettuce, broken up into pieces
-2 cups cooked rice, quinoa {what I used in the picture} or couscous
Lemon Chicken Sauce:
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-1/4 cup sugar { I always halve the sugar}
-1/4 tsp salt
-2-3 TBSP grated lemon zest
-3 TBSP lemon juice
-1 1/2 tsp vinegar
-1 1/2 TBSP white cooking wine
-1 clove garlic, diced
-1 TBSP cornstarch, dissolved in
-1 TBSP warm water
How to Make Lemon Chicken
Heat about 1 TBSP oil in a nonstick skillet. Once the pan heats up, saute the chicken until cooked through. Set aside.
Scrub the lemon thoroughly since you’ll be using the lemon zest in the sauce. Using a zester, grate the lemon peel into a small bowl. You’ll need most of the peel get the 2-3 TBSP zest needed.
Once you’ve sufficiently grated the peel, slice the lemon in half and extract the juice using one of these cute little juicer tools. You can get both of these tools at the Dollar store if you don’t have them already.
In a small saucepan, combine the broth, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, wine and garlic. Bring to a boil. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch, whisking thoroughly. Heat for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Serve over chicken bedded on lettuce and rice.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into strips
- 4-6 cups lettuce broken into pieces
- 2 cups cooked rice, quinoa, or couscous
Lemon Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp white cooking wine
- 1 clove garlic diced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp warm water
Instructions
- Heat about 1 TBSP oil in a nonstick skillet. Once the pan heats up, saute the chicken until cooked through. Set aside.
- Scrub the lemon thoroughly since you’ll be using the lemon zest in the sauce. Using a zester, grate the lemon peel into a small bowl. You’ll need most of the peel get the 2-3 TBSP zest needed.
- Once you’ve sufficiently grated the peel, slice the lemon in half and extract the juice using one of these cute little juicer tools. You can get both of these tools at the Dollar store if you don’t have them already.
- In a small saucepan, combine the broth, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, wine and garlic. Bring to a boil. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch, whisking thoroughly. Heat for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve over chicken bedded on lettuce and rice. Enjoy!
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What Do You Serve with Lemon Chicken?
Lemon chicken is a pretty flavorful dish so you’ll want something simple and subtle so that it can pair well without taking away from the star of the plate. Consider serving yours with steamed cauliflower, green beans, mashed potatoes, or a simple butter pasta. If serving your lemon chicken with rice ou may wish to stay away from added carbs and stick with simple veggies.
Can I Bread My Chicken First?
You certainly can use breaded chicken to make this lemon chicken recipe. We choose to not bread ours simply to make the recipe even healthier.
Other Lemon Recipes You’re Going to Love
- Lemon Raspberry Streusel Muffins
- Yogurt Lemon Bread
- Buttermilk Lemon Bread
- Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Greek Chicken With Lemon Rice
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Little Lemon Drop Cupcakes
- Lemon Butter Cookies
- Lemon Cake Truffles
- Lemon Lush Dessert
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread
- Strawberry Lemonade Punch
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