French-Inspired Lemon Thyme Chicken with Garlic Butter Sauce

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-08-04 · Updated 2026-08-04

How this recipe was made — this recipe was drafted by AislePrompt's AI-assisted pipeline from technique templates and USDA-sourced nutrition data, and published by AislePrompt Editorial — see how AislePrompt recipes are drafted and published.

Pan-seared chicken breasts infused with fresh lemon and thyme, finished with a rich garlic butter pan sauce. This French-inspired chicken recipe, ready in about 30 minutes, pairs boneless skinless chicken breasts, lemon zest, fresh thyme leaves for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 320 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Prep: 10 min Cook: 20 min Serves 4 French cuisine 320 cal/serving

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Ingredients

4 (6 oz each) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3, minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

Step 1: Pat dry 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts and season evenly with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp lemon zest, and 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and sear for 5-6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
Step 3: Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tbsp unsalted butter and 3 minced garlic cloves to the pan. Sauté garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 4: Pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth, scraping up browned bits from the pan. Let sauce simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
Step 5: Return chicken to skillet, spoon sauce over, and cook for another 2 minutes to meld flavors before serving.