Spinach Lemon Butter Chicken (Printable Version)

Golden chicken cutlets in silky lemon-butter sauce served over wilted spinach. Fresh and elegant for any occasion.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5.3 oz each), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
02 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1/2 cup (2.1 oz) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend for dredging

→ Spinach

05 - 14 oz fresh baby spinach
06 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
07 - 1 clove garlic, minced
08 - Pinch of salt

→ Lemon Butter Sauce

09 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
12 - Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
13 - 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
14 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
15 - 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained, optional
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
17 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish
18 - Lemon slices for serving, optional

# Steps:

01 - Pat chicken cutlets dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge each piece in flour, shaking off excess.
02 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
03 - Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth, lemon juice, and zest while scraping up browned bits from the pan. Stir in Dijon mustard and capers if using. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced.
04 - Return chicken to the skillet, turning to coat in the sauce. Simmer gently for 2 minutes until heated through.
05 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach and a pinch of salt; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes just until wilted. Remove from heat.
06 - Arrange wilted spinach on plates. Top with chicken cutlets and spoon lemon butter sauce over. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks and tastes like restaurant cooking but uses one skillet and pantry staples you probably already own.
  • The lemon butter sauce is bright enough to wake up your weeknight routine without feeling fussy or heavy.
  • Spinach wilts in minutes and soaks up all that garlicky, tangy goodness, so you get vegetables and elegance in one step.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully and taste even better the next day when the flavors have melded together.
02 -
  • If your chicken breasts are thicker than half an inch, pound them out with a meat mallet or rolling pin, uneven thickness means some parts will be rubbery while others are still raw.
  • Don't skip the step of scraping up the browned bits when you add the broth, that fond is pure flavor and it makes the sauce taste like you simmered it for hours.
  • Wilt the spinach in a separate pan so you can control its texture, if you add it to the sauce pan it can get soggy and release too much water.
  • Taste the sauce before you add the chicken back in, you might want a pinch more salt or an extra squeeze of lemon depending on your broth and personal preference.
03 -
  • Let the chicken rest for a minute after searing before you slice into it, this keeps the juices inside instead of all over your cutting board.
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly over the pan so the oils spray into the sauce, it makes the whole dish smell incredible.
  • If the sauce breaks or looks greasy, whisk in a teaspoon of cold butter off the heat to bring it back together into a smooth emulsion.
  • Always cook with a lemon you'd be happy to eat raw, the flavor is front and center here so quality matters.
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