This easy Lemon Chicken with Curry all comes together in a smooth, buttery lemon sauce for a delicious, family-pleasing meal. Ready to serve in 30 minutes.
This easy lemon chicken recipe has been a regular at our dinner table for decades - since my early years as a young mom. It passed the most important test back then: my kids all loved it! It's simple, reliable, and budget-friendly. The fact that it takes only 30 minutes from stove to table is a big plus, too.
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Lemon Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken: We recommend using breast meat for this recipe.
- Mushrooms: We prefer to use a mildly-flavored mushroom for this recipe, so white button mushrooms work best for us. Cremini mushrooms, also known as “Baby Bellas,” make a good substitute for button mushrooms. If you have a favorite variety of mushroom, give it a go!
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour; however, we recommend using Wondra. Wondra, or instant flour, dissolves more quickly than all-purpose flour, and mixes into both hot and cold liquids easily. This makes it particularly useful for making smooth, creamy, lump-free sauces.
- Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon juice has a fresher, brighter flavor, and is ultimately a lot more healthy for you, too. (Bottled lemon juice contains preservatives and additives, and has a stronger, more acrid flavor. It makes a big difference in a recipe like this one.)
- Lemon zest: Use fresh lemon zest.
- Curry powder: We have so many spices. So. Many. And so many varieties of curry. That said, we usually use plain old yellow curry powder for this lemon chicken recipe.
- Wine: White wine imparts a different kind of sweetness to this dish.
- Chili flakes: Use chili flakes to add a little heat and color to the mix. Totally optional.
- Green onions: Green onions add a nice fresh bite to the finished dish. You can sub in spring chives.
- Sesame seeds: We like to add sesame seeds for a little extra flavor and crunch. Chopped cashews or pistachios are both good alternatives.
How to Make Curried Lemon Chicken
In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth. Do this at the start of prep so that it is ready to go when you need it later.
Dredge & Fry Chicken
To make the dredging mix, combine the flour, curry powder, salt, chili flakes, and garlic powder in a resealable plastic bag or study brown paper bag.
Pat chicken breasts dry. You don't want a lot of extra moisture on them when they are tossed in the dredging mix.
Slice the chicken into strips - ¾-inch wide by 2-inch long, give or take.
Toss the cut chicken strips into the bag one at a time, and then shake a few times to coat everything evenly. Avoid adding the chicken all at once, because it will stick together when it hits the flour mixture.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of butter and melt just until it begins to bubble. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.
Brown half of the chicken pieces in the melted butter, turning with tongs as needed so they brown on two sides; 3-4 minutes total. (The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this time.)
Remove the chicken from the pan as it browns, and set aside. Repeat, browning the remaining chicken in the remaining butter.
Make Lemon Sauce
When the chicken is done cooking, immediately add the sliced mushrooms to the empty skillet. Add a little more butter if necessary.
Sauté until the mushrooms soften and begin to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the wine and stir frequently until it has evaporated, deglazing the pan as you do.
Simmer & Serve
Whisk up the chicken broth mixture and add it to the pan with the mushrooms. Add the browned chicken strips, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chili flakes. Stir once to evenly combine.
Bring the mixture to a low simmer and then reduce heat to low-low. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes; until the the chicken is no longer pink and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Stir in the green onions and sesame seeds, reserving some for garnish if desired.
Serve over hot rice or noodles.
Substitutions
Chicken: Turkey breast meat, boneless chicken thighs, and chicken tenders also work.
Wine: If alcohol isn't in your kitchen, just leave it out and use white grape juice, a little chicken broth, or even water for the wine step.
Sesame seeds: Chopped cashews or pistachios are both good alternatives.
Variations
One of the things you will love most about this recipe is how forgiving and adaptable it is.
No Mushrooms: I've probably made this lemon chicken without mushrooms more times that I've made it with them. I love mushrooms, but my kids haven't always been fans, and there was a time when it was just easier to leave them out. On the other hand, if you love mushrooms, double the amount; you will not be disappointed.
Sweet/Spicy/Zesty: This easy lemon chicken recipe gives you ample latitude to adjust the flavors to you own tastes: add more curry powder, add less, add a spicier curry - it's all good. You can turn up the lemon level with extra zest, or turn it down with less. If you like your lemon chicken sweet, add a little more sugar. If you want it more tart, add less. See what I mean? It really is that easy.
As long as you follow the basic recipe, everything will turn out fine.
Top Tip
Always zest your citrus before juicing it, and then put zest in the freezer if you don't need to use it immediately. That way, you will always have fresh zest whenever you need it.
FAQ
Lemon juice infuses chicken with flavor, raises its level of acidity, and helps tenderize the meat.
Dredging is done by lightly coating food in a dry ingredient mixture, such as flour, cornmeal, or breadcrumbs. This helps to prevent sticking when fried in a pan, and also promotes browning.
More 30-Minute Meals
If you enjoy adding the flavor of lemon in your cooking, check out our quick and easy Preserved Lemon Substitute.
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken
Lemon chicken can be plated simply over fluffy rice or noodles for an easy meal. Sides that pair well with lemon chicken include rosemary-lemon roast potatoes, air-fried broccoli, carrot salad, or couscous.
Easy Lemon Chicken with Curry
Equipment
- 1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet or Dutch oven
- 1 resealable plastic bag
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed; 1-inch
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour Wondra
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes or more; optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4-6 tablespoons butter
- ½ pound mushrooms thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup white wine optional
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 whole green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds plain or toasted
- Cooked rice or noodles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth. Do this at the start of prep so that it is ready to go when you need it later.
Dredge & Fry Chicken
- To make the dredging mix, combine the flour, curry powder, salt, chili flakes, and garlic powder in a resealable plastic bag or study brown paper bag.
- Pat chicken breasts dry. You don't want a lot of extra moisture on them when they are tossed in the dredging mix.Slice the chicken into strips - ¾-inch wide by 2-inch long, give or take.
- Toss the cut chicken strips into the bag one at a time, and then shake a few times to coat everything evenly. Avoid adding the chicken all at once, because it will stick together when it hits the flour mixture.
- Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of butter and melt just until it begins to bubble. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.
- Brown half of the chicken pieces in the melted butter, turning with tongs as needed so they brown on two sides; 3-4 minutes total. (The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this time.)Remove the chicken from the pan as it browns, and set it aside. Repeat, browning the remaining chicken in the remaining butter.
Make Lemon Sauce
- When the chicken is done cooking, immediately add the sliced mushrooms to the empty skillet. Add a little more butter if necessary.Sauté until the mushrooms soften and begin to brown.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the wine and stir frequently until it has evaporated, deglazing the pan as you do.
Simmer & Serve
- Whisk up the chicken broth mixture and add it to the pan with the mushrooms. Add the browned chicken strips, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chili flakes. Stir once to evenly combine.
- Bring the mixture to a low simmer and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2-4 minutes; until the the chicken is no longer pink and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Stir in the green onions and sesame seeds, reserving some for garnish if desired. Serve over hot rice or noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Kim says
This was such an easy recipe to make for something with so much flavor. My entire family loved it.
Stephanie says
I really enjoy the flavors of chicken and citrus together, but I've never had curry. Looking forward to trying this!
Liza says
What a wonderful, flavorful new recipe! Lemon and curry and an inspired pairing in this chicken dish, and the sauce has the tastiest flavor. This will be on permanent dinner rotation at our house.
Sisley White - Sew White says
The lemon is such a refreshing zing in this recipe. I loved it as did the whole family.
Tayler says
I made this chicken for dinner last night and it was incredible! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Aimee Mars says
There's nothing better than a delicious 30-minute meal on a weeknight and this is one I know my kids will love too. I can't wait to try it.