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    Home » MAINS » MEAT & POULTRY

    Chicken Limone (Italian Pollo Al Limone)

    Published: October 22, 2022 · Updated: December 2, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Beautifully zingy chicken dish to awaken your tastebuds! This Italian classic, known as Pollo Al Limone, is an easy and affordable one-pan recipe that comes together within 30 minutes! Perfect dish for weeknight dinner but elegant enough for entertaining, this Chicken Limone is a wonderful way to bring some excitement into a simple chicken dish!

    Take Me To:
    • Italian Cuisine Beyond Pizza and Pasta
    • Why You Will Love This Italian Pollo Al Limone Recipe
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Tips For Best Results
    • Method
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Storing And Reheating Leftovers
    • What To Serve With Chicken Al Limone?
    • Other Easy Chicken Breast Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Italian Cuisine Beyond Pizza and Pasta

    We love Italian! And most frequently, when we eat Italian food it’s either pasta or pizza! But, then other times it is a beautiful risotto… And then the wonderful stews, like Caponata! And fish… Not to mention all the world-renowned Italian desserts, like Panna Cotta, Cannolis and Panettone.

    Ok, let’s just say Italian food is awesome and stretches way beyond pasta and pizza! And some of my favourites are actually Italian Chicken dishes, including Chicken Picatta, Chicken Cacciatore and this absolutely amazing Pollo Al Limone!

    A chicken breast sliced widthways on a white striped plate with red rim.

    Why You Will Love This Italian Pollo Al Limone Recipe

    • Delicious dinner in 30 minutes? Yeah, alright!
    • You will only need 6 everyday ingredients, and you are likely to have some ingredients (like stock cubes, butter and flour) at home already!
    • If you like our Classic Chicken Picatta or Chinese-Style Crispy Lemon Chicken, you are going to love Chicken Limone too!
    • One pan recipe only means one thing – minimal washing up!

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    Can you make a ridiculously flavoursome chicken dinner with just 6 ingredients? Absolutely! Our Chicken Limone recipe is just that! You will need:

    • chicken breasts: skinless and boneless. You will ideally use chicken breasts that aren’t overly thick (that way you can cook them a lot quicker). If your chicken breasts have mini fillets attached, we recommend removing them and cooking them separately.
    • plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour.
    • butter: we used unsalted butter, or you can substitute it with ghee.
    • lemon: because we will use both zest and juice in this pollo al limone recipe, choose fresh and juicy unwaxed lemons.
    • garlic cloves.
    • chicken stock: or chicken broth. You may substitute it with vegetable stock. Make sure it’s hot when you add it to the pan.
    Ingredients for Chicken Limone on a wooden board.

    Tips For Best Results

    This Italian Lemon Chicken Recipe is extremely easy to make, so even beginners can make it. But for best results, here are a few tips and tricks.

    • Try to use thinner smaller chicken breasts, so that they cook quicker. You can always make them thinner by cutting off the mini fillets and even flattening or butterflying larger breasts.
    • Don’t skip the flour coating in this recipe. Whilst it may seem counterintuitive to coat chicken in flour and then cook it in sauce, however, the flour on the chicken will actually act as a sauce thickening agent.
    • Use unwaxed lemons, as you will be adding lots of zest to the sauce.
    • Make sure the chicken breasts are fully cooked through but don’t overcook them. The easiest way to check is to use a kitchen thermometer. The internal temperature in the centre of the thickest part of the chicken breast should read 74°C (165F).
    • Take the chicken out of the pan onto the chicken board and let it rest for 2 minutes. It will make it easier to slice.

    Method

    Place the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper in a large shallow bowl.

    Roll the chicken breasts in flour to ensure they are fully covered.

    Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Shake off excess flour and place the chicken breasts into the pan. Fry on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side, until slightly browned on all sides.

    Chicken breasts rolled in flour on a wooden chopping board.
    browned chicken breasts in a frying pan.

    Transfer the chicken breasts onto a plate.

    To the same pan, add the lemon zest, garlic and butter. Stir on medium heat for about a minute. Squeeze in the lemon juice and pour in the hot stock. Stir and bring to a gentle boil.

    Add the chicken breasts and cover them with a lid. Let the chicken breasts finish cooking in the sauce (it will take 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts). If your chicken breasts are very thin or you’ve flattened them, you may not need to cover the pan with a lid, as they will cook relatively quickly and the sauce will need less time to thicken without the pan covered with a lid. The sauce should reduce by about half and thicken.

    Butter, garlic and lemon zest in a frying pan.
    Browned chicken breasts added to the chicken limone sauce to finish cooking.

    Serve the chicken breasts with a drizzle of lemon sauce on top! Garnish with parsley or chives.

    Recipe FAQs

    How To Know That The Chicken Has Cooked?

    Insert a kitchen thermometer into the thickest part of your chicken. It should read 74°C (165F) when the chicken is safe to eat. Try not to go over 78°C, as the chicken will start drying out and be overcooked.

    Why Dredge Chicken in Flour In This Chicken Limone Recipe?

    The flour coating acts act as a thickening agent to the sauce. Once chicken breasts are added back into the sauce, lemon and stock reduce by evaporating and thicken with the help of flour.

    Storing And Reheating Leftovers

    If you have any leftovers, cool them down to room temperature, then add the Chicken Limone to an airtight container and pour the sauce over it. Store the cooked lemon chicken in the fridge for up to two days.

    The best way to reheat it is in a microwave. However, you can slice the chicken and heat it with the sauce and a splash of water in a small frying pan too.

    What To Serve With Chicken Al Limone?

    Chicken Limone worked equally well with fluffy white rice, a bowlful of spaghetti and creamy mashed potatoes.

    But here, at Somebody Feed Seb, the meal is never complete without a lovely vegetable side dish. We always serve this Italian Lemon Chicken with Lemon & Garlic Tenderstem Broccoli. But it is also good with:

    • Courgette Ribbon Salad
    • Spring Greens With Thyme
    Sliced Chicken Limone with sauce drizzled all over on a white plate with rice, lemon and chopped parsley.

    Other Easy Chicken Breast Recipes

    We love cooking chicken breasts – they are so versatile and loved by everyone! Here are some of our other easy chicken breast recipes to try:

    • Crispy Almond Chicken Breast with Cherry Tomato Basil Sauce
    • Lazy Chicken Karahi | Pakistani Chicken Curry
    • Quick & Easy Honey Chicken
    • Chicken with Grapes in Cream & White Wine Sauce

    Recipe Card

    Sliced Chicken Limone with sauce drizzled all over on a white plate with rice, lemon and chopped parsley.

    Chicken Limone (Pollo Al Limone)

    Beautifully zingy chicken dish to awaken your tastebuds! This Italian classic, known as Pollo Al Limone, is an easy and affordable one-pan recipe that comes together within 30 minutes! Perfect dish for weeknight dinner but elegant enough for entertaining, this Chicken Limone is a wonderful way to bring some excitement into a simple chicken dish!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 2 portions
    Calories 518 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 chicken breasts skinless
    • 3 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
    • 1 tablespoon butter

    For Lemon Sauce:

    • 1 lemon zest and juice
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 50 g butter
    • 60 ml chicken stock hot

    Instructions
     

    • Place the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper in a large shallow bowl.
    • Roll the chicken breasts in flour to ensure they are fully covered.
    • Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Shake off excess flour and place the chicken breasts into the pan. Fry on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side, until slightly browned on all sides.
    • Transfer the chicken breasts onto a plate.
    • To the same pan, add the lemon zest, garlic and butter. Stir on medium heat for about a minute. Squeeze in the lemon juice and pour in the hot stock. Stir and bring to a gentle boil.
    • Add the chicken breasts and cover the pan with a lid. Let the chicken breasts finish cooking in the sauce (it will take 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts). The sauce should reduce by about half and thicken.
    • Serve the chicken breasts sliced with a drizzle of lemon sauce on top! Garnish with parsley or chives.

    Notes

    Serve Chicken Limone with:
    • Boiled long-grain rice OR 
    • Creamy mashed potato AND
    • Tenderstem Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon

    Nutrition

    Calories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 50gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 513mgPotassium: 962mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 881IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Chicken Al Limone, Chicken Limone, Chicken Limone Recipe, Crispy Lemon Chicken, Lemon Chicken Breasts, Pollo Al Limone, Pollo Al Limone Recipe, Pollo Limone
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mahy

      November 11, 2022 at 6:03 pm

      5 stars
      This may be one of my new favorite recipes. That flavor is out of this world!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        November 11, 2022 at 8:51 pm

        Mahy, this is such lovely feedback! Thanks a lot 🙂

        Reply
    2. imsen

      November 25, 2022 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      loved the recipe! def gonna try it next time!

      Reply
    3. Carrie Robinson

      December 29, 2022 at 2:04 pm

      5 stars
      Loving the flavors happening here! 🙂 So perfect for a busy weeknight when you are short on time.

      Reply
    4. Katherine

      January 04, 2023 at 1:39 pm

      5 stars
      Oh wow, that lemon sauce makes this chicken out of this world good!

      Reply
    5. Dannii

      January 25, 2023 at 7:33 pm

      5 stars
      I love anything with lots of lemon flavour and this chicken was amazing.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        January 26, 2023 at 10:50 am

        Thanks 💗

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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