Let’s talk about the pan. You know the one. It’s Wednesday, you’re staring into the abyss of your fridge, and that pile of dishes from breakfast is still taunting you from the sink. That’s when you need a dinner that feels like a little victory. This is it. My Lemon Butter Chicken recipe is the kind of meal that gets applause from hungry people but demands very little from you. Honestly, I love sheet pan dinners for exactly this reason. You chop a few things, toss them with some serious flavor (hello, lemon, garlic, and that glorious butter), and then the oven does the heavy lifting. Twenty minutes later, your kitchen smells incredible and dinner is ready. I swear, the way the butter, lemon juice, and herbs mingle in the bottom of the pan to create a sauce is a minor kitchen miracle. It’s so good you’ll want to drink it. This recipe is my go-to. It’s a healthy lemon chicken dinner that feels fancy but is truly easy. Clean-up is a breeze, which is the real win in my book. Whether you’re after easy lemon chicken recipes for a quick weeknight or just want something reliably delicious, this sheet pan dinner has your back. Plus, that lemon dill salmon I made last week? This uses the same ‘set it and forget it’ principle. Works every time.

1) Key Takeaways
2) Easy One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe
3) Ingredients for One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken
4) How to Make One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken
5) Tips for Making One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken
6) Making One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Ahead of Time
7) Storing Leftover One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken
8) Try these Main Course dishes next!
9) One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe
10) Nutrition

1) Key Takeaways

This is a one-pan dinner, meaning you get flavor without the mountain of dishes.
The magic is in the compound butter you make yourself; it’s what makes this lemon butter chicken sing.
It’s a perfectly healthy lemon chicken dinner that feels like a restaurant meal.
You can adapt it with chicken thighs or swap the veggies based on what’s in your fridge.

2) Easy One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe

Let me tell you about the night this recipe saved my sanity. It was a Tuesday, maybe a Wednesday. The kind of day that evaporates and leaves you standing in the kitchen at 6 PM with no plan and zero energy to create one. My fridge held a lonely chicken breast, a bag of those cute baby potatoes, and a lemon rolling around in the crisper drawer. The situation looked bleak.

But then I remembered my golden rule: when in doubt, roast it all together. I smushed some butter with garlic and lemon zest, tossed the potatoes with oil, and threw everything on a sheet pan. Twenty-five minutes later, my kitchen smelled like a fancy bistro and I had a complete dinner ready. No frantic stirring, no multiple pots boiling over. Just one pan, a few minutes of prep, and the oven doing all the real work. That’s the beauty of this easy lemon chicken recipe.

This lemon butter chicken recipe is my secret weapon for those “what’s for dinner?” nights. It’s not just easy, it’s reliably delicious. The chicken gets juicy, the potatoes crisp up in the chicken drippings, and the lemon garlic butter melts into a sauce right there in the pan. You get a healthy lemon herb chicken dinner that looks and tastes like you spent hours, but your sink tells a different (and much happier) story. If you’re looking for easy sheet pan dinners that actually deliver on flavor, you’ve found your new best friend.

3) Ingredients for One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken

Gathering the ingredients for this dish is half the fun, because you might already have most of them. I love a recipe that doesn’t send me on a wild goose chase through the grocery store.

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs: I typically use breasts because they’re quick, but let me tell you a secret – thighs are even more forgiving and stay incredibly juicy. They’re my go-to if I’m not in a rush to time things perfectly.

Baby Potatoes: The little ones are key here. Just slice them in half so they cook at the same rate as the chicken. Their skins get wonderfully crisp in the oven. You could use chopped Yukon golds in a pinch, but baby potatoes are the champions of this dish.

Asparagus: Look for a bunch with firm, bright green stalks. That snap at the bottom when you bend them? That’s the sound of freshness. They roast quickly and soak up all the lemony butter beautifully.

One Large, Juicy Lemon: You’ll use this guy three ways: zest for the butter, slices for roasting, and a squeeze of juice at the end if you’re feeling fancy. It’s the star of the show in this lemon butter chicken.

Unsalted Butter: Use the good stuff. You’ll want it softened so you can mix it into a glorious paste. This butter becomes the flavor vehicle for everything else.

Fresh Garlic: Don’t even think about the jarred stuff for this. Mince a few cloves fresh. The flavor difference when it roasts is everything.

Fresh Herbs: Dill and parsley are my favorite combo here. Dill has a bright, almost grassy note that loves lemon, and parsley adds a fresh finish. If all you have is dried, that works too—just use about a third of the amount.

4) How to Make One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken

Ready to make your kitchen smell amazing? Here’s the step-by-step. I promise it’s simpler than it looks.

Step 1: Heat the Oven and Start the Potatoes. First things first. Crank that oven to 400°F. While it heats, grab your biggest sheet pan. Toss your halved baby potatoes with a good glug of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out in a single layer. We’re going to give these a 15-minute head start in the hot oven. This jump-starts their cooking so they finish perfectly tender when the chicken is done.

Step 2: Make the Flavor-Packed Butter. While the potatoes get a tan, make the magic. In a small bowl, grab your softened butter. Add the minced garlic, lemon zest, chopped herbs, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like a tiny kick. Now, mush it all together with a fork until it’s completely combined and fragrant. Seriously, smell it. That’s the scent of your dinner. Set this glorious paste aside.

Step 3: Assemble and Roast. Okay, oven mitts on. Pull the hot sheet pan with the potatoes out. Carefully nestle your seasoned chicken breasts right in there among the potatoes. Drizzle a little more oil on the chicken, season it well. Now, take big dollops of your lemon garlic butter and smear it all over the top of each chicken breast. Be generous. Tuck the lemon slices and asparagus spears around everything. The whole thing goes back into the oven for 18-22 minutes. You’re looking for the chicken to hit 165°F inside and the asparagus to be tender-crisp.

Step 4: Rest and Sauce. This is the most important, most-often-skipped step. When it comes out of the oven, just leave it on the pan for 5 minutes. Don’t touch it. Let the chicken relax and reabsorb its juices. All that melted butter, lemon juice, and chicken goodness in the bottom of the pan? That’s your instant, no-effort sauce. Just spoon it over everything on the plates.

5) Tips for Making One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken

I’ve made this lemon butter chicken more times than I can count, and I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. These little tips are what take it from good to “can I have this every week?” great.

Don’t crowd the pan. This is the golden rule of roasting. If you try to cram too much onto one sheet, the vegetables will steam instead of roast, and nothing will get those lovely caramelized edges. If your pan looks full, just use two. It’s worth the extra washing (which is still only one extra pan!).

Let the chicken come to room temperature. If you have a spare 15-20 minutes while the oven heats and the potatoes start, take your chicken out of the fridge. Letting it sit out just a bit helps it cook more evenly, so you don’t end up with a dry outside and a cold center.

Don’t fear the browned butter. When you pull the pan out, you might see some dark, toasty bits in the buttery sauce. That’s not burned, that’s flavor. Those are the roasted garlic and herb bits mixed with the caramelized lemon. They add a wonderful depth. Just stir them right into the sauce.

6) Making One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Ahead of Time

You’re a meal prep genius, I can tell. And yes, this recipe is totally friendly for that. With a tiny bit of planning, you can have dinner ready to rock on your busiest night.

The best thing to prep ahead is the lemon garlic butter. You can make that a full two or three days in advance. Just mix it up, roll it into a log on some plastic wrap, twist the ends, and pop it in the fridge. When it’s time to cook, just slice off a disc and smear it on your chicken. It might even have more flavor after the ingredients hang out together for a day.

You can also do your veggie prep. Halve the potatoes and snap the ends off the asparagus. Keep them in separate containers or bags in the fridge. The night you want to cook, just toss the potatoes with oil and get them started. It shaves a good five minutes off your active time, which on a Wednesday feels like a lifetime.

7) Storing Leftover One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken

Leftovers? With this lemon butter chicken, it’s a possibility, but not a guarantee in my house. If you do manage to save some, here’s how to keep it tasty.

Let everything cool completely on the counter before you pack it away. Then, transfer the chicken, potatoes, and asparagus to an airtight container. They’ll keep happily in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheating is key. To avoid dry chicken, I like to reheat mine gently. The microwave works in a pinch, but cover it with a damp paper towel. My favorite method is in a covered skillet over low heat with a tiny splash of water or broth to create steam. It revives the chicken and veggies beautifully. The potatoes might lose a bit of their crispness, but they’ll still be delicious.

8) Try these Main Course dishes next!

9) One-Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe