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5.0 from 78 votes

Lemon Pepper Chicken

A homemade version of lemon pepper chicken made without store-bought lemon pepper seasoning. It tastes incredible - fresh, fragrant with lovely pops of heat from the pepper. No marinating time required. Great for pork and seafood too! RECIPE VIDEO BELOW.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 291 kcal
Course: Dinner

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts (~250 - 300g / 8 - 10oz each)
  • 2 lemons (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper (adjust to taste) (Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or sub with onion powder) (Note 3)
Cooking
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • fresh parsley , for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut the chicken in half horizontally to make 2 steaks. Optional: pound to make them even thickness around 1cm / 2/5" thick (I do this).
  2. Zest the lemons to make 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp lemon zest. Avoid grating too much of the white part - it's bitter.
  3. Place zest into bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and mix to combine. Add chicken and use your hands to slather oil mixture onto chicken.
  4. Mix flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow bowl.
  5. Dip chicken into flour mixture, shaking to remove excess.
  6. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden.
  7. Optional: Slice zested lemon and cook the slices, like pictured.
  8. Serve chicken, garnished with fresh parsley if using.

Notes

  • You need enough lemons to make around 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp of lemon zest. 2 medium size lemons is usually enough.
  • I make cracked pepper using my mortar and pestle to roughly crack whole peppercorns because I like large pops of black pepper. You can just use a coarse pepper grinder. If you only have fine ground pepper (like the pepper that comes pre-ground), only use around 3/4 tsp.
  • Option to mix minced garlic into lemon zest slather instead of using powder. I prefer powder because it has a smoother flavour finish, more akin to store bought seasoning.
  • This recipe also works great with pork and seafood. It's a little too delicate for lamb and beef, in my opinion.
  • Homemade Lemon Pepper Chicken nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition Information

Serving 141g Calories 291cal (15%) Carbohydrates 5.6g (2%) Protein 41g (82%) Fat 11.6g (18%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10.6g Cholesterol 107mg (36%) Sodium 436mg (18%) Fiber 0.5g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 291

% Daily Value*

Serving 141g
Calories 291cal 15%
Carbohydrates 5.6g 2%
Protein 41g 82%
Fat 11.6g 18%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 10.6g 62%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 436mg 18%
Fiber 0.5g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.