This one-pot lemon chicken meal with vegetables is a weekday lifesaver! Healthy chicken, potatoes, and green beans cooked in a delicious pan sauce.
After a long day on the grind, you probably crave a wholesome homemade meal, but you don’t want to slave away in the kitchen all night. I’m obsessed with cooking, but I too just want to unwind after work. This one-pot lemon chicken meal has saved me so much time, yet satisfies our starving appetites in 30 minutes or less.
Once you make this dish a few times, you’ll have dinner down like a boss. Grab the biggest skillet you have and let’s get going! This meal is A+ because it’s got lean protein from the chicken breast, hearty red potatoes, fresh mushrooms, and crispy green beans. I always like to serve a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables to make sure we are getting all of the nutrients we need.
Okay, so I fibbed a teeny tiny bit. You actually need another pot to cook the potatoes while you saute the chicken. The potatoes don’t need a lot of attention, so we’ll just still count it as one pot, agreed?
Sizzling hot olive oil in a saute pan creates that lovely golden brown color and texture. Just fight the urge to move the chicken during the first sear. Simply let it cook and work it’s magic in the pan. The chicken should easily release from the pan after about 6 to 7 minutes. Don’t touch!
Three things elevate the flavor level and happy belly rating on this dish. Fresh thyme adds beautiful aromas and infuses flavor into the chicken and vegetables. Sliced lemon simmers in the sauce, and the tartness mellows out. I like to serve this dish with the cooked lemon slices and squeeze it on top of the chicken.
Lastly but most importantly, the milk, flour, and broth mixture create a creamy sauce right in the pan. Combine that with all of the yummy juices from the chicken, herbs, and lemon together. Boom! Flavor paradise.
The sauce gets poured over everything, licking the plate clean may happen so watch out. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this easy one-pot lemon chicken recipe. Leave a comment so we can chat and send virtual high fives to each other!
How do you create a pan sauce?
By mixing flour, milk, broth, and the olive oil in a pan, you have the makings of a roux-based sauce. A basic roux is equal parts flour and fat and then dispersed in the liquid ingredients. As the flour absorbs the liquid and heats up, it swells and thickens within minutes, creating a rich pan sauce. Just make sure to whisk the sauce to remove any clumps as it’s simmering. Add more liquid if the sauce becomes too thick. Always taste the sauce before you serve and season as needed!
One-Pot Lemon Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby red potatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 24 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, four 6-ounce pieces
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- paprika, ground, for seasoning
- 3 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon chopped
- 4 ounces brown mushrooms, quartered
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 5 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups unsalted chicken stock
- zest of 1 lemon, then cut into 8 very thin lemon slices
- 8 ounces green beans, trimmed, (1 package)
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped fresh
Instructions
- Place cut potatoes in a saucepan. Add water 1-inch above potatoes, and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
- Heat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil.
- Cut chicken breasts in half, about ¾-inch thick then season both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Add chicken and thyme sprigs to the pan and cook for 6 minutes until browned. Flip the pieces over and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 7 minutes or until no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate to rest. Discard thyme sprigs.
- Using the same pan, set over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
- Add potatoes cut-sides down, mushrooms, and 1 tablespoon chopped thyme. Cook 3 minutes or until browned, and then stir.
- Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
- Add flour mixture, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and stock to the pan. Simmer over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, whisking sauce to thicken and remove any lumps that form.
- Add lemon zest, lemon slices, and beans to the pan then let it simmer for 1 minute. Add chicken, cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer 3 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Recipe Video
Notes
- You can substitute cashew, almond, soy or coconut milk for the dairy if you are avoiding cow's milk. Using all chicken broth also works, it will just be less creamy.
- Use gluten-free flour if you are avoiding wheat flour.
- Sweet potatoes are a great substitute for red potatoes.
- You can steam instead of boil the potatoes until form tender.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Marianne says
Oh my – this dish was so easy & delicious! It will definitely be added to my chicken dinner repeats😍
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the lemon chicken recipe.
Valerie C. says
This is the 2nd time we’ve made this dish. I love that it’s pretty much a 1 pot meal and not too difficult to throw together after a long day at work. The flavors are phenomenal, loaded with veggies and best of all stays within the dietary limits of my diabetic diet. Thanks once again Jessica for a delicious meal!
Jessica Gavin says
You’re so welcome, Valerie! Thrilled to hear that you are enjoying this chicken dinner!
Chris Delord says
Thank you @Jessica Gavin! Every recipe I have tried (at least 2/week during Covid and before) has been delicious, easy, and teenager approved ?! I love the sophistication and variety of the ingredients. I also appreciate the cooking lesson/science that accompanies-I learn something new each time: roux-based sauce this time! Thank you!
Jessica Gavin says
You’re welcome, Chris! I love that your family is enjoying your cooking, and you’re learning as you go. Great job!
Beth says
Hi Jessica,
I came across this recipe last night and tried it this evening. It was delicious! Flavorful and healthful 🙂 thank you!
Jessica Gavin says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the chicken dinner Beth!
Holly says
All I can say is, “Wow!” And thank you. We have two VERY picky eaters, and it’s almost impossible to find something that everyone likes. This dish was an absolute hit! I substituted broccoli b/c I didn’t have green beans. Still delicious, and I can’t wait to try it with green beans next time. We’ll definitely add this into our meal rotation.
Mare says
Sounds delicious. Going to make this weekend for my 91 and 89 year old neighbors. I’m hoping they like like the variety of meat and vegetables. For me anything with lemon is wonderful. It brightens up everything! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Richa says
Tried this today. Came out very well. I used fresh mint and some oregano instead of thyme (latter not easily available in my country) and used sweet potatoes and carrots instead if mushroom.. Came out really good. Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback Richa!
Candice says
I made this last night. The chicken was phenomenal but the vegetables and sauce were EXTREMELY lemony to the point that it was hard to eat. I only used one small lemon and sliced it into about 5 slices. I reread the instructions this morning and I added them at the correct time and cooked even a few minutes longer than suggested and still the tartness was too much to handle. Any suggestions?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Candace- Thank you for your feedback! I would perhaps serve the lemon on the side for each person to add if cooking with the vegetables was too strong. You could also add just a few slices to back off on the lemon flavor. You’ll get some aromas of the zest without the acidity if you don’t add any/as many lemon slices. I hope this helps!
Maria says
Made this for dinner tonight. Loved the complete meal aspect of this recipe. The chicken browned beautifully. Had parsley and thyme growing in my garden. The flavors were so bright and clean. The ingredients were diet conscious friendly. The chicken was moist. Will make this again because I got rave reviews from husband. Another winner Jessica.
Jessica Gavin says
Yay Maria! I love that you add your own garden herbs, I’m sure it was amazing! So happy that everyone enjoyed the meal 🙂
Katie says
Loved this recipe. I never would have thought to mix paprika with lemon and it worked SO WELL! My only issue was how long it took those damn potatoes to start boiling lol otherwise it would have taken the half hour you mentioned! Perfect portions for my significant other & me since we always take the leftovers for work. This will be going into our regular rotation, thank you so much!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Katie! Yes, sometimes those stubborn spuds just don’t want to cook fast enough. So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Sgannon says
Made this tonight & it was a hit with everyone. It’s hard to find healthy, good meals. Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
Yay Sgannon! So happy to hear that the meal was a hit!