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Lemon basil chicken is marinated with mouthwatering, flavorful ingredients before being pan seared to perfection! Make this bright and zesty chicken as a standalone for dinner served with your favorite sides or add it on top of a salad or pasta.
Zesty and Aromatic: Lemon Basil Chicken
I love how versatile this lemon basil chicken is. You can easily make a batch of this and slice it up for meal prep to top on salads or grains (quinoa, couscous, rice), or put into a pasta salad. It has loads of flavor from the zesty lemon and fresh basil that reminds you of warm sunshine. But beyond that, this lemon basil chicken features other tasty ingredients that are a key component to keeping it rich in flavor. The garlic and butter create a flavor profile of both creamy and aromatic that will really make you want to go back for more.
This foolproof recipe does require marinating the chicken for 6 hours to maximize the flavor, so just be sure to keep that in mind. After the chicken breasts soak up all of those flavors in that time period, all you have to do is flip the breasts around in a pan until cooked through, and you’re done!
Ingredients for Lemon Basil Chicken
- Chicken breasts – Before marinating the chicken breasts, make sure to pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Basil – Use fresh basil, NOT DRIED! Freshly chopped basil is an experience aromatically and does wonders for the flavor of the chicken.
- Garlic – While pre-minced garlic is sometimes a good hack in the kitchen to save time, I highly recommend chopping up fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor here.
- Olive oil – I like using rich extra virgin olive oil, as it has the most noticeable taste that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients at play.
- Lemon – All you need is about one large lemon, zested and juiced.
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted! It just depends on your preference.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- For juicier chicken, use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I typically go this route but when developing this recipe, I wanted to appeal to the masses as not everyone has converted to the love of dark meat yet.
- If your chicken breasts are really thick, in addition to pounding it as directed, I highly recommend slicing them in half lengthwise so they’re thinner and easier to cook. They will also retain more moisture this way because you aren’t risking overcooking them as you would a really thick chicken breast.
- Add 1 tablespoon of homemade pesto for a boost in basil flavor.
- I love serving this chicken over noodles, especially egg noodles! It’s also delicious when plated with rice or another grain as well, and also as a protein for a salad.
- An alternative to cooking this on the stovetop would be to cook this in the oven. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 20 minutes.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
In an airtight container in the refrigerator, lemon basil chicken will stay fresh for about 4 days. I recommend heating them back up in a pan over medium-high heat, flipping for just a few minutes until they’re heated through again. Splash a bit of chicken stock or water into the pan to add a little more moisture into the chicken if it looks dry.
Lemon Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, damped dry
- ½ cup (12 g) freshly chopped basil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add chicken breasts to a large plastic bag and pound the thick side of the chicken until it reaches the thickness of the thinner side of the breast.
- Add the basil, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice to another large zip lock bag and stir to combine then add in the chicken breasts.
- Push all the air out of the bag, seal it and toss the chicken in the marinade to coat completely.
- Refrigerate for about 6 hours, flipping the bag over every two hours to ensure that all the chicken gets marinated evenly.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes but do not burn the butter, you want to get the pan really hot before adding the chicken.
- Drain the chicken from the marinade and add it to the pan and let it cook for three to four minutes without moving it.
- Flip the chicken over and let it cook undisturbed once again for another 5 minutes, then flip it back over.
- Reduce the heat to low medium and let it cook slowly for 10 to 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 °F (74 °C) when inserted into the center of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Slice and serve over pasta or rice and garnish with fresh basil and lemon wedges, if desired.
Nutrition
Photographs by Eat Love Eat
Having 8 for dinner and I will use thin sliced chicken breasts. Can I cook in advance and heat them up when ready to serve?
you certainly can!
Hi
No other type of seasonings needed, like salt and pepper.
correct! you can season it with salt and pepper if you’d like during the cooking process if you think that it will need it! :)
@Julie Chiou, so odd that it didn’t have salt and pepper on there.