Honey Lemon Pan-Fried Chicken

5.0 from 11 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories: Main Dish

Cuisines: American

Ingredients: Chicken

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Pan-fried chicken
• a pair of chicken breasts, cut each into two halves
• salt and pepper, generous amount
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Honey lemon sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 cloves of garlic)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup honey
• juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup), reserve the zest
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• corn starch slurry (1/2 tablespoon corn starch + 2 tablespoon water)
• Garnish
• lemon zest reserves
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Pan-fried chicken breasts. Sprinkle each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. LIGHTLY dust the chicken with all-purpose flour. Trust me, the “lightly” part is super important if you want a crispy crust.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add chicken breasts to the hot pan. Cook each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a plate.
3. Honey lemon sauce. Using the same frying pan (super important!), and again on medium-high heat, add minced garlic and cook until golden brown for about 30 seconds.
4. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Remember to scrape the stuck chicken bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula. This is the trick to make the sauce extremely flavorful.
5. Add honey, lemon juice, and lemon slices. Continue cooking until the sauce simmers, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Thicken the sauce by adding cornstarch slurry, and keep cooking for another 3 minutes until the sauce is thick.
7. Return the golden pan-fried chicken breasts into the frying pan to coat with the sauce. It really shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds, or you may risk overcooking the chicken.
8. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and reserved grated lemon zest. Serve immediately with steamed white rice, boiled pasta, mashed potatoes, or crusty breads.