19 Lemony Chicken Recipes That Taste Like Spring

February 20, 2021

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Credit: Eva Kolenko

Lemon adds a pop of acidity and freshness to these healthy chicken recipes. To maximize the bright flavor of lemon, these recipes use the juice and the zest so nothing goes to waste. Recipes like Lemon Chicken Piccata and Creamy Lemon Chicken Parmesan have a zing of flavor and are on the table in 35 minutes or less.

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Lemon Chicken Pasta

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We love the combination of lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs in this quick and easy pasta recipe for one. This healthy dinner is made with rotisserie chicken and quick-cooking spiralized zucchini and baby zucchini, so you get a complete meal in just 10 minutes.

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Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach

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This simple, ultra-quick chicken dinner--packed with spinach and peppers--is delicious on its own or served over brown rice or your favorite pasta.

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Creamy Lemon Chicken Parmesan

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This riff on classic chicken Parmesan replaces the usual marinara with a luscious lemony cream sauce. We've lightened it up by using half-and-half instead of cream, with just-as-delicious results. Serve this lemony chicken dinner with whole-wheat pasta or brown rice.

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Chicken Cutlets with Artichokes & Lemon-Dill Sauce Chicken Cutlets with Artichokes & Lemon-Dill Sauce

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You won't want to let a drop of this creamy lemon sauce go to waste. Serve with rice pilaf or roasted potatoes to soak it all up.

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Lemon Chicken Piccata

Credit: Eva Kolenko

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This luscious, lemony sauce is an all-around winner in our book. It has a bright, briny flavor, is made from ingredients you likely have on hand, and goes with everything from chicken to tofu to scallops. Bonus: It’s lower in calories than a lot of other pan sauces.

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Baked Lemon-Pepper Chicken

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Looking for a quick, easy dinner? This baked lemon-pepper chicken recipe is it. Chicken breasts are cooked in a skillet, then finished in the oven with lemon slices that soften and become part of the sauce, with a touch of maple syrup and butter to carry the flavor. It's so simple and delicious, you'll be making this healthy dinner again and again.

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Quinoa, Chicken & Broccoli Salad with Roasted Lemon Dressing

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Roasting lemons mellows their tartness and creates a layer of caramelized flavor that pairs well with the raw broccoli and savory quinoa in this healthy chicken dinner salad. Even better, the chicken and lemons roast on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze.

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Lemony Chicken and Green Beans

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Lightly breaded chicken and green beans are flavored with a scrumptious lemon-caper sauce in this quick 20-minute main dish recipe.

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Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken with Fingerlings

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Fingerling potatoes are small, long, knobby spuds that are shaped like fingers. Look for them in the produce department or at farmers' markets.

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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

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This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

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Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

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This easy lemon-garlic chicken recipe calls for cutlets, which cook in less than 10 minutes! Can't find them? Make your own from chicken breasts. Place each breast on a cutting board and, with your knife parallel to the board, slice into the skinny side of the chicken breast in a single smooth motion. The side of green beans is cooked right in the same pan as the chicken, so this 20-minute easy, healthy dinner is not just a snap to prepare--the cleanup is a cinch too.

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Chicken with Lemon-Caper Pan Sauce

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A quick sauce made with leeks, lemon and capers gives this chicken breast recipe bright Italian flavor. Serve with farro or capellini, steamed broccoli and a glass of crisp pinot grigio. Save the unused chicken tenders in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. Once you have enough, thaw them out for another use.

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Lemon & Dill Chicken

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Fresh lemon and dill create a quick Greek-inspired pan sauce for simple sautéed chicken breasts. Make it a meal: Serve with roasted broccoli and whole-wheat orzo.

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Seared Chicken with Lemon-Herb Cream Sauce

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In this healthy chicken recipe, chicken breasts are quickly pan-seared and then topped with a lemon-herb cream sauce. The healthy cream sauce recipe uses yogurt and actually contains no cream at all. The cream sauce also pairs well with seasoned pan-seared cod or salmon. Serve the chicken and sauce with steamed broccoli or green beans for a healthy dinner.

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Hummus-Crusted Chicken

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Hummus goes from appetizer to main dish as a rich, tangy coating on chicken breasts. In the oven, the hummus coating caramelizes slightly and the sprinkle of sesame seeds turns extra-crunchy and nutty. For leftovers, you could slice up the chicken and tuck it into a pita with crisp lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.

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Chicken Piccata

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Tenderized chicken breasts are cooked with lemon slices and served in a mouthwatering sauce of garlic, wine and lemon juice in this chicken piccata dinner.

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Lemon-Lime Chicken, Kale & Mango Salad

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Hazelnuts, blueberries and fresh ginger are welcome additions to this kale and chicken salad.

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Lemon Chicken

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The chicken in this simple recipe is coated in a mixture of bread crumbs and spicy adobo seasoning, cooked in a skillet and drenched in lemon juice. The bread crumbs from the coating on the chicken help to thicken the lemon-garlic sauce.

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Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables

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When you want pasta in no time, couscous is your best friend! The tiny pasta balls cook up in minutes, and absorb all the water so you don't have to fuss with draining. Tossed with sautéed vegetables plus leftover chicken, it's a fast and tasty meal in a bowl that's perfect as an easy dinner recipe.

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