Everybody needs a classic chicken dinner that is simple yet sumptuous, easy yet elegant – this Cast Iron Skillet Chicken recipe is it! Perfect for a weeknight chicken dinner or a small dinner party.
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We can probably all agree: weeknights are a blur of activity. School, work, sports, homework, work events, errands, Netflix binging... All one crazy loop-de-loop until the weekend.
Adding dinner to the mix doesn't have to be stressful. It helps to have a few quick and delicious, easy weeknight dinner tricks up our sleeve. We love making dishes like Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas, Garlic Butter Chicken Bites, and Easy Kung Pao Chicken -- all family-friendly dishes you can make in under 30 minutes!
And, this easy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken recipe is also a family fave!
🍗 Ingredient notes
Chicken is popular for so many reasons, including the fact that it tends to be less expensive compared to its counterpart meat options, and it's versatile and works well in so many different types of cuisines.
My favorite cut: the almighty chicken thigh. All hail meaty thighs! Right? I'm learning to love my own, but that's a different post...
Chicken thighs are tender, and they soak up whatever flavors they are immersed into, making them SO amazing in almost any dish. I always buy chicken thighs in bulk, separate out dinner portions, and then freeze in separate bags.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- Season four chicken thighs with salt, pepper, chopped rosemary. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for one minute, just until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
- Add the chicken to the skillet. Sear each side.
- Pour in the white wine and continue cooking the chicken for about 4 minutes.
- Add a few pieces of lemon quarters or lemon slices to the skillet. Gently stir it in as the chicken finishes cooking.
- Garnish with more lemon and rosemary sprigs.
🍽 Serving ideas
I like to serve this skillet lemon chicken with a side of Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Broccoli, Grilled Asparagus in Foil, and/or Instant Pot Garlic Rice.
Or cake. You can most definitely enjoy this with a side of cake if you so desire. I'm not here to judge.
More chicken dinner recipes
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Easy Skillet Lemon Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 lemon sliced or quartered
- additional rosemary sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Season four chicken thighs with salt, pepper, chopped rosemary. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for one minute, just until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
- Add the chicken to the skillet. Sear each side.
- Pour in the white wine and continue cooking the chicken for about 4 minutes.
- Add a few pieces of lemon quarters or lemon slices to the skillet. Gently stir it in as the chicken finishes cooking.
- Garnish with more lemon and rosemary sprigs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
Sara says
1) This is a delicious recipe. I found it yesterday on Pinterst.
2) A friend's son had an emergency surgery over the weekend (he's good now!) and her husband couldn't take today off - I offered to bring dinner. So I whipped this up for them because I happened to have everything. In a rush, I delivered the meal looking beautiful and smelling divine to their house. It was still raw! I was in such a hurry feeding my family (plain, meatless Monday pasta. Kids got ripped off tonight!), that I didn't even check the temp. Maybe it was my bone in thighs but they needed waaay more than 4-5 minutes per side.
3) After shedding a few tears of failure and embarrassment, I cooked another couple of thighs for me and my husband. I tossed the kids' leftover mini bowtie pasta into the sauce and let it get crunchy...so good!
4) 100% user error. Try this recipe, it's easy, fresh and delicious.
5) I definitely had some of the wine leftover to cheer myself up.
Lana @ The Joy Blog says
Love this recipe, haven't made it but I know I love it. Lemon chicken is one of my favorites.
Amber @ Cupcakes and Coffee Grounds says
This looks absolutely amazing!! My mouth is seriously watering as I'm scrolling through your post. Definitely going to have to give this recipe a try!
Angie says
Yum! I LOVE lemon chicken. I love anything lemon really lol.
Becky @ Project Domestication says
I've been wanting to make more skillet meals. The fresh rosemary sounds so appetizing. Yum!
rachel @ athletic avocado says
i'm all about easy and simple recipes like this! This is a quick dinner that I can make on a weeknight, thanks for sharing!
Les @ The Balanced Berry says
This sounds SO good! The thighs are my favorite part of the chicken too - they're so flavorful and have the best crispy skin when cooked. Thanks for sharing!
Mary @ Vindulge says
Bacon fat? Wine? Lemon? Rosemary? Chicken? How could you go wrong?! Looks so good!
Kathleen says
Just looking at this made me hungry! I am going to make this for my family!
Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman says
We're having some family over soon and I've been trying to come up with something new and easy to serve that doesn't violate anyone's eating preferences, allergies or issues. This looks delicious and I'm pretty sure will meet everyone's needs. Thanks so much, Marlynn - it's all making me very hungry right now.
Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah says
I've been OBSESSED with lemon chicken lately - this will be perfect to curve my cravings! :D
The Southern Thing says
I love lemon chicken! Yours looks so good!