This one-pan Honey Lemon Chicken Skillet is a lifesaver on busy weeknights! With just a handful of ingredients and in less than 20 minutes, the chicken cooks up beautifully in a delicious honey lemon sauce.
Serve this Honey Lemon Chicken with Green Beans Almondine and a simple Spinach Salad for a healthy, easy family dinner!

When I am looking for quick and healthy dinner options, this recipe for Honey Lemon Chicken is one of my favorite go-to recipes for many reasons!
- Fast. This chicken skillet is ready in less than 20 minutes. In fact, I would argue that it is easier than driving through any drive-thru and certainly easier than running into a store to grab a frozen meal that you have to come home and cook.
- Minimal Ingredients. This recipe is made with only a few ingredients that pack in a ton of flavor.
- Healthy. Honey Lemon Chicken is low in fat, low sodium, gluten-free, and full of protein.
- Delicious. The chicken is melt-in-your-mouth tender and glazed with a sauce that is both sweet and savory.
I am telling you, between the tender chicken cutlets and the sweet and tangy honey glaze, this is one chicken recipe you will be putting on your meal plan on repeat! And with one dish to clean up after dinner--there is NO excuse not to try this easy chicken recipe.
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken Cutlets: I recommend using thin chicken breast cutlets for this chicken skillet recipe. Because the chicken is thinly sliced it will cook quickly, remain tender, and have more sauce to chicken ratio, which translates to more flavor.
- Lemon: Do not use jarred lemon juice--fresh lemon juice is a must for the sauce. It makes for a beautiful presentation to add sliced lemon to the chicken skillet as well, but it is not crucial to this recipe.
How to Make Honey Lemon Chicken
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet.
- Season the chicken evenly with salt and pepper and then sear the chicken on each side until just browned on both sides.

- Once seared, remove the chicken from the skillet and place it on a plate.
- Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, chicken stock, and Dijon together in a large bowl.

- Pour the sauce into the skillet and whisk until boiling.
- Turn the heat to a simmer and add the chicken back into the skillet and top with lemon slices if desired.

- Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove from heat and serve with a garnish of fresh parsley if desired.

Recipe Tips and Notes
- Money-Saving Tip: Chicken breasts are much more affordable than purchasing chicken cutlets. You can prepare your own chicken cutlets using chicken breasts by using a sharp fillet knife to slice the chicken breast horizontally into two even pieces. Place the sliced chicken breast between two slices of plastic wrap and then pound with a meat mallet. For more help, watch the video on how to make chicken breast cutlets out of chicken breasts here.
- Leftovers: Leftover Honey Lemon Chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the chicken in the sauce for up to 6 weeks in the freezer.
- Saute Pan: I do recommend using a nonstick skillet for easier cleanup and less risk of burning the sauce. The honey in the sauce is a bit sticky and high in sugar and can burn quickly if not watched carefully--I never have an issue in a non-stick pan.
More Simple Chicken Recipes
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- Skillet Chicken with Green Beans
- Simple Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Baked Pesto Chicken
If you try this simple recipe for Honey Lemon Chicken, I would love for you to leave a review below.

Honey Lemon Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon sliced
- ¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Sear chicken on both sides in skillet, for about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
- Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, chicken stock, and Dijon together. Pour into skillet and whisk until boiling.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer and add the chicken back in the pan. Lay the lemon slices over the chicken, cover the skillet and let simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Make you own chicken cutlets by using a sharp fillet knife to slice the chicken breast horizontally into two even pieces. Place the sliced chicken breast between two slices of plastic wrap and then pound with a meat mallet.
- Do not use jarred lemon juice--fresh lemon juice is a must for this chicken.
- The Dijon mustard adds a bit of rich depth to the honey lemon sauce, but if you don't like mustard, feel free to leave it out.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days. This leftover chicken is great used to top a salad.
Debbie
Made this tonight and loved it. I used whole grain Dijon since my husband doesn’t like much mustard and it won his seal of approval too. I love how quickly it came together and it will definitely go into rotation..thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Debbie! I love hearing you and your husband enjoyed the chicken.
Jess
We really enjoyed this, and it’s so easy. Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Jess!
Mary
This was absolutely delicious!! I added a thickening agent to the sauce to really coat the chicken so with every bite you got a good flavor of the mustard and lemon. Great recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Mary!
Patti
This was a big hit. We will definety be making this again. I was looking for a recipe that didn't have butter and frying in oil. One tablespoon of olive oil was fine for searing. Thanks again great recipe.
Kelly
Wow! Thank you for this recipe. It looks very similar to my favorite chicken piccata recipe so the steps were easy to remember. I left out the Dijon and added 2 tbsps of butter to the sauce after the chicken simmered in it. I also threw some baby spinach into the pan for the last 30 seconds of simmering! Thank you, great recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Kelly! Thanks for sharing!
TF82
I made this tonight and my husband LOVED it! We bought some very thin chicken cutlets and I had to wiggle the cooking time considerably, so after browning I didn't let them poach in the sauce very long. Next time I will use regular boneless skinless chicken breasts because I think the 10 min. poaching in the sauce would be good.
But my husband loved it. I cook all the time, but he won't stop telling me how much he loved this. So many thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed so much!
Jesse T
This has become a household favorite as is for two adults and two teens. We serve over rice or couscous with the sauce.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this is a staple Jesse! Thanks for taking the time to share.