Once upon a time, I used to enjoy spending lots of time experimenting in the kitchen. I had fabulous cookbooks in which I found interesting and challenging recipes to make for dinner. On a weekday. And then it was over. My kids started playing team sports. Do you know this new life? Are you driving to some field at exactly the same time you should be soaking and sauteeing or poaching and shredding? And then back an hour later to pick-up, unless of course there’s a GAME. Then you’re sitting on bleachers for two hours trying to figure out how dinner will be ready the second you walk in the door with starving children.
“Baked Lemon Chicken” from The Union Square Cafe Cookbook was one of my favorite chicken entrees before sports. Bone-in chicken pieces baked with lots of sauteed onions, lemon and thyme. It was even good enough to serve to company. But there would be no more basting every 15 minutes for me on a Tuesday at 5:00. So what’s a girl to do? Adjust the recipe to cutlets, of course!
Even though I generally prefer bone-in chicken to boneless, this dish is not lacking for flavor or moistness. The onions get soft and saucy with lemon and infused with fresh thyme and the chicken takes it all in. The best part about this is that it’s super easy and can be done in stages, if necessary. You can flour and saute the chicken and then take the kids to practice. Come back and saute the onions, add the thyme, lemon and stock. Pick up the kids from practice and when you get home add the chicken to the onions and let everything cook together while you saute some spinach with garlic. Hopefully you made a vinaigrette and washed some lettuce a few days ago, so assembling a salad will take you no time at all. Can you say, “Home run!”
Lemon-Thyme Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken cutlets, I show a photo of how I cut a boneless, skinless breast half into cutlets, but you can ask your butcher to do this
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Flour for dredging, whole wheat pastry flour or brown rice flour (gluten-free are the two I use)
- Unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced thinly (I use a candle when I am cutting onions to prevent crying -- it works!)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Dredge them with flour and shake off the excess.
- Warm about ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken cutlets and sauté on both sides until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and season with sea salt and pepper. Sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Pour the lemon juice into the pan and scrape any brown bits on the bottom. Add the chicken stock and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer. Transfer the chicken back to the pan with any accumulated juices. Simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Remove thyme sprigs and serve immediately.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Made this last week.. and my whole family loved it.. even my picky daughter.. She said .. “mom, this chicken is so yummy!!” thanks Pamela.. 🙂
Favorite dish in our home! I LOVE the flavor and simplicity. The onions are a great additive.
Just made this dish and it is easy and delicious goes great with the kale salad
Just made this for dinner! I LOVED IT!!!!!!! It disappeared very quickly!!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe with everyone. It is awesome! 😀
My husband and I really liked this. Great lemon flavor!
Glad you liked it! It might be my favorite quick chicken dish.
I made this for my dad’s birthday and it was a huge hit. Though what was an even bigger hit was giving my dad the gift of one of pamela’s classes. My dad has now been to several classes and he is eating much healthier and now we have a common understanding of what is healthy. ( he used to think eating green beans out of a can was healthy). Thanks Pamela for transforming not only my eating habits though my whole family’s habits!!! You are the best.
Thank you, Lisa. Your family is lucky to have you!
This is a wonderfully easy and delicious recipe. I enhanced the lemon flavor somewhat by sprinkling the zest of one lemon over the dish before serving.
I hadn’t thought of adding zest to the dish. I must try that. Thanks!
I just made this for dinner and it was hit will my entire family.
I really enjoy reading your website. In fact, I have made it my homepage! I find the recipes easy to follow and I particularly enjoy the anecdotes about your family.
I look forward to your future posts.
I’m so glad the chicken was a hit! More family-pleasing recipes to come!
A new family favorite!
My kids love lemon and this recipe is so easy to make! I prepped the chicken and onions ahead of time and just quickly sauteed them together after arriving home late from their tennis lessons. Thanks!
This is an incredibly moist and flavorful chicken dish made even more so with the onions. It’s elegant enough to serve at a fancy dinner! Yum!