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Chicken Fillets with Lemon & Herb Butter
Golden, juicy chicken fillets in a lemon and herb butter sauce. Twenty minutes, one pan, zero complaints.
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The exact cuts from our counter, delivered fresh across Essex.
Chicken fillets live or die by two things: even thickness and not overcooking. A light flour dusting gives you golden edges and a sauce that clings. Everything else is lemon, butter and confidence.
Method
If the fillets are thick at one end, bash them gently between two sheets of baking paper to an even 2cm. Pat dry and dust in the seasoned flour.
Heat the oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Cook the fillets for 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden and just cooked through — 72°C internal. Remove to a warm plate.
Lower the heat, add the garlic and lemon zest to the pan, and cook for 30 seconds.
Pour in the stock and lemon juice, scraping up the golden bits. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Swirl in the remaining butter, the capers and the parsley. Return the chicken for 30 seconds to coat.
Serve with the pan sauce spooned over, alongside buttered new potatoes or rice.
Pro tips from the block
- Even thickness, even cooking: two minutes with a rolling pin is the difference between juicy and stringy.
- Golden, not pale: colour is flavour. If the pan isn't hot enough, wait.
- Rest the meat, not the sauce: make the sauce while the chicken rests — it's ready exactly when the chicken is.
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