Panko Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce (So Easy!) – Oh Sweet Basil

This panko chicken with lemon cream sauce is one of our favorite recipes to make when guests come to dinner. It’s super easy to make the panko breaded chicken and the lemon sauce for the chicken is only a few ingredients.

I love that golden brown breaded chicken with hints of parmesan cheese and lemon zest. The outside of the panko chicken is perfectly crunchy (the kids think it’s chicken nuggets!), while the inside is juicy, moist chicken.

The sauce is to die for, with its hint of butter and garlic, and that final note of lemon at the very end is what really makes it special.

The creamy lemon sauce tastes amazing over the panko chicken cutlets and it’s even better if you add some mashed potatoes to your plate as well. Trust me. It’s incredibly delicious and tastes very similar to the Chicken Costoletta served at The Cheesecake Factory.

Panko Chicken Recipe Ingredients

This easy breaded chicken recipe comes together quickly and doesn’t use any special ingredients. Here’s what we used to make the panko chicken and the lemon cream sauce:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Panko Breadcrumbs
• Grated Parmesan
• Lemons
• All-Purpose Flour
• Egg
• Unsalted Butter
• Olive Oil
• Better Than Bouillon
• White Wine
• Heavy Cream

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. This is just meant to be an overview of the ingredients you’ll need.

What is Panko?

Panko is a special type of Japanese breadcrumb that’s made from loaves of crustless white bread. Panko is typically much lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs, which results in homemade breaded chicken that doesn’t taste as heavy but still has that crispy texture you crave.

How to Make Breaded Chicken and Lemon Cream Sauce

First thing’s first, you want to get your chicken breaded. It’s really quite simple, but it makes the perfectly crunchy chicken. Flour, egg and panko bread crumbs mixed with lemon zest and parmesan cheese are all you need.

First dredge your chicken in the flour. We add salt and pepper to this step so that the chicken is well seasoned. Cover each side and lightly shake off the excess.

Next up is the egg. You need to create a “glue” in order to get the panko bread crumb mixture to stick on the chicken. Since you already dipped in the flour you just need something to moisten and create the glue. Egg is perfect.

Last is the panko. Gosh, I love panko. It’s seriously the best bread crumb around. For real. Plus this one has all of the cheese and lemon zest in it to add a burst of flavor to the panko mixture.

Now just fry up the chicken in a skillet. This post on how to perfectly cook a chicken is all you need. It’s an awesome and easy method that will have your chicken perfectly white through the whole middle without ever cutting into the chicken. Juicy flavorful chicken in crunchy golden panko bread crumbs that you dip in that creamy lemon sauce is the perfect bite!

Can I Bake this Chicken in the Oven?

Yes, this chicken recipe works great baked in the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the breaded chicken on the sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Crispy baked panko chicken is now ready for that delicious cream sauce!

How to Make Lemon Cream Sauce

The lemon sauce is actually quite easy as well. All you have to do is cook the butter and garlic, add the flour, which will act as a thickener.

The most important step at this point is to now cook that flour flavor out for about 30 seconds by continuing to whisk it in the pan. Flour is the best thickener for a cream sauce as it will blend will and works the best.

Quickly add the white wine, we use cooking white wine since we don’t drink alcohol, and although a white grape juice is a normal substitute for white wine, in this cream sauce it ends up a little too sweet and flowery for my taste. If you don’t want to use cooking wine, I’d go with chicken stock as a substitute for this sauce.

Next, add the cream and cook until thick. Bringing the sauce back to a boil and then allowing it to stay at a gentle boil, around medium, maybe medium high heat for a few minutes will thicken it. Now just season to taste and don’t be afraid to add a little more salt as a flavorless sauce is merely under-seasoned. Lastly, add the zest, juice and seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges!

Tips for Making Panko Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce

You technically don’t have to pound the chicken flat before cooking it, but it actually makes the cooking process easier in the long-run. Pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness ensures that they cook at the same rate throughout.

A lemon cream sauce is different than just making a regular cream sauce. Have you ever noticed that your sauce can separate or clump up? Acid will break up your sauce so it’s absolutely essential that you add that the very last (white wine does actually count, but it’s not as bad as lemon juice).

Also note that there are really no substitutions that can be made when prepping the cream sauce. Heavy cream is essential, as is real butter. Without them, your cream sauce may not thicken up properly.

What to Serve with Panko Chicken

Panko chicken pairs well with any number of sides! The panko crusted chicken and lemon cream sauce are both nice and bright in flavor, which is why we enjoy pairing it with a heavier tasting side like creamy mashed potatoes.

Here are a few of our favorite sides we serve with this easy breaded chicken:

Can I Prep Panko Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce in Advance?

I don’t recommend prepping the panko chicken ahead of time since it’s best fresh from the skillet. However, you technically can make the lemon cream sauce in advance but you may want to consider a couple of things.

A cream sauce thickens as it cools, so you can add a couple extra tablespoons of liquid to reduce how much thickening occurs. You should always cool your sauce, which can be done by placing it in a clean, cool bowl or also putting that bowl over an ice bath as you don’t want a cream sauce to sit out for very long.

Finally, press plastic wrap directly onto the cream sauce in the bowl and use a sharp knife to puncture a hole or two. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. We also like to just use a ziploc bag and press the air out.

Note that the lemon cream sauce sadly doesn’t keep very well, so by the third day it’s time to let it go. We like to use it in a new way for leftovers like a casserole the next night.

Can You Freeze Lemon Cream Sauce?

Cream sauce can be frozen though it tends to curdle a bit upon reheating. That’s why we are obsessed with our Food Saver as it allows the air to be sucked out and we can usually get a few weeks out of a cream sauce in the freezer.

How to Reheat Lemon Cream Sauce

To reheat the lemon sauce for the chicken, heat water in the base of a double boiler, then place the sauce in the top of the double boiler in a glass bowl. It’s very important to heat slowly, stirring occasionally to help counteract the tendency to curdle. If your lemon cream sauce is a little too thick, merely add a little milk or cream back in.

This easy and delicious Panko Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Crispy chicken is topped with a creamy lemon sauce for a dish that will have your taste buds dancing.

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