This quick and easy One Pan Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Garlic Butter Veggies dish comes together in just one pot. Although simple, this meal really packs a flavor punch and also packs well as lunch the next day. Want some carbs with that dinner? Chop up the chicken and toss it and the veggies through some cooked pasta. Hey presto, the carb lovers are happy too.
This Parmesan Garlic Butter Chicken dish has everything going for it: so much protein, lower in carbs, high taste, and cheese…you have to have all the cheese. Plus it all comes together in just 20 minutes in one saucepan. I say all that combines to make this a pretty perfect meal during a busy week.
How To Butterfly A Chicken Breast
Here in Australia, we can get a schnitzel cut of chicken, and this is what I use to make this meal quick and easy to cook with no chance of dry overcooked chicken, because who wants that? I don’t recall ever seeing that particular cut in the US so instead, we are going to butterfly a whole chicken breast. Don’t worry, this is easy. You basically just cut the breast down the middle to make two thin strips of breast. See the photo below for some guidance.
Put your chicken breast on a chopping board and, with your hand flat on top of it, use a sharp knife to slice into one side of the breast, starting at the thicker end and ending at the thin point. For a normal butterflied chicken breast you want to be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. For this one though we are going to cut right through.
What Other Veg Can We Use?
After butterflying, we season the chicken well, cook it for about 2-3 minutes on each side before removing it from the pan and cooking the veg. I have used broccolini and zucchini here because I love that combination, but it would work well with some:
- asparagus;
- cherry tomatoes;
- pre-cooked pumpkin squares;
- pre-cooked sweet potato squares;
- whatever other vegetables you have on hand that will cook up well with a quick sauté in the saucepan.
In terms of the seasoning, we keep it pretty simple. Lots of garlic and a good sprinkle of parmesan cheese and fresh basil once everything is cooked works just perfectly. Plus most people have these ingredients on hand on a daily basis, making this Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Garlic Butter Veggies dish a great choice for a last minute meal.
More One-Pot Inspiration
Looking for more one-pot inspiration? My Instant Pot Turkey and Sweet Potato Chilli is not only a reader favorite but is also lightened up and boasts some robust flavors. It comes together in one pot in the pressure cooker and is ready to serve in just 30 minutes.
Likewise, this Slow Cooker Garlicky Herbed Cauliflower Mash comes together all in the slow cooker and acts as a great side to meals like this lemon parmesan chicken if you need something a bit more substantial.
How Can I Make This Low Carb Compliant?
Every household is different, I get that.
In this house, my hubby likes to eat low carb. The kids and I…not so much. I point blank refuse to make separate meals for people in the same house so we make one dish work for all tastes. For the low carb lover, I would serve this without the peas and crushed nuts and with extra parmesan. For the carb lover: go to town….I add pasta!
Now What About Those Leftovers?
Heck throw some pasta in there.
No kidding.
I had some leftover mushroom and potato soup which I thinned out with cream to make a pasta sauce. Mixed it through some penne and served as creamy mushroom pasta.
The next night I tossed through leftover my leftover lemon parmesan chicken and veg chopped into smaller pieces and it was all kinds of delicious. Waste not want not I say.
Happy eating
- 2 large chicken breast fillets butterflied
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 bunch broccolini trimmed and halved
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 zucchini sliced
- 2 tbsp basil leaves torn
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- 4 tbsp chopped nuts (I used walnuts and cashews)
- lemon wedges to serve
- salt and pepper to serve
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Season the butterflied chicken breasts well on both sides with salt and pepper.
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Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove from the saucepan, transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
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Place the rest of the butter in the same saucepan and melt. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add in the broccolini, peas and zucchini and cook for about 3 minutes until tender but still crispy. Return the chicken to the pan and heat everything through.
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Remove the chicken from the pan, slice, and place onto serving plates with the vegetables. Scatter over the fresh basil leaves and parmesan and give everything a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts and enjoy.
Butterflying a chicken breast is easy. Put your chicken breast on a chopping board and, with your hand flat on top of it, use a sharp knife to slice into one side of the breast, starting at the thicker end and ending at the thin point. Usually, we keep the two halves attached by not cutting the whole way through, but for this recipe, we will cut the whole way through.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it.
I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @wholefoodbellies so I can share it <3
Try some other weeknight meals:
- 6 Ingredient Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl with Avocado and Pickled Radish;
- 4 Ingredient Teriyaki Salmon;
- 15 Minute Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce and Pasta.
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