Pan-Seared Chicken with Fresh Thyme and Garlic Butter Sauce
Seared to golden perfection, finished with a fragrant garlic butter and fresh thyme sauce. This chicken recipe, ready in about 25 minutes, pairs chicken breasts, salt, black pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 350 calories and feeds 2, 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.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces (about 6 oz each) chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves, minced garlic cloves
- 2 tsp, chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
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Equipment for this recipe
Tools this recipe's steps call for, with a link to each on Amazon.
Instructions
- Step 1: Pat dry 2 chicken breasts and season both sides with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet and sear for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 165°F).
- Step 3: Reduce heat to medium, add 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 4 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme to the skillet. Stir and spoon the melted butter and garlic over the chicken for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Step 4: Remove skillet from heat and drizzle 1 tbsp lemon juice over the chicken and sauce. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving.







