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5 Ingredient Breaded Lemon Chicken

December 29, 2014 by Morgan 36 Comments

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I hope that you’re enjoying all of these simple recipes while you wind down from the holiday hoopla!  I’m starting to think that 5 Ingredient Recipes need to become regulars around here.  The only thing better than amazing food is amazing food that is cheap and easy to make, after all.

5 Ingredient Breaded Lemon Chicken.  This citrusy, bright chicken takes just minutes to make and only a handful of ingredients.  You're going to love it for busy workweek dinners! | hostthetoast.com

This recipe is actually my mom’s– a recipe my family has been devouring for about 2 decades, and one that my cousins, aunts, and friends have begged for.  With just 5 simple ingredients, this Breaded Lemon Chicken comes together to be crisp, tender, and bright.  Thank you, Mom, for finally relenting and letting me share this with the world.

5 Ingredient Breaded Lemon Chicken.  This citrusy, bright chicken takes just minutes to make and only a handful of ingredients.  You're going to love it for busy workweek dinners! | hostthetoast.com

To make 5 Ingredient Breaded Lemon Chicken, you basically do what you would do for any breaded chicken cutlet– pound it thin, bread it, and fry it, except instead of using egg to get the breadcrumb to stick, you use lemon juice.  Believe it or not, the lemon juice does a great job of keeping the breadcrumb intact, and the acid helps your chicken stay soft and juicy inside when you pan fry it.  Not to mention, the citrus brings a whole new dimension of flavor to the chicken!

5 Ingredient Breaded Lemon Chicken.  This citrusy, bright chicken takes just minutes to make and only a handful of ingredients.  You're going to love it for busy workweek dinners! | hostthetoast.com

Give this recipe a go and it just might become your go-to work week dinner!

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5 Ingredient Breaded Lemon Chicken


★★★★★

4.7 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Morgan
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled is fine, too)
  • 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
  • Vegetable oil, to pan fry
  • Lemon pepper, to taste
  • Parsley and/or lemon, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, so that you get 4 thin chicken breast pieces. Put down about a foot of plastic wrap on the counter top and lay the chicken pieces on it. Cover with an additional piece of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to evenly pound out the chicken breasts until about 1/4″ thick.
  2. Heat 1/4″ of vegetable oil in a large, high-walled pan over medium.
  3. In a shallow bowl, pour or squeeze in the lemon juice. In a separate shallow bowl, add in the breadcrumbs. Dip each chicken breast slice, one at a time, into the lemon juice and let sit for 2 minutes. Turn over and let sit for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to the breadcrumbs and press gently to help the breadcrumbs adhere to each side. Set aside. Continue until all of the chicken is breaded.
  4. Add 2 of the breaded chicken breasts to the oil and sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper. You want to make sure there is ample room between the chicken breasts, because overcrowding the pan results in soggy chicken. Fry until dark golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, carefully turn the chicken. Sprinkle with additional lemon pepper, and continue to pan fry for 4 more minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined sheet and repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
  5. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and slices of lemon, and serve immediately.
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins

Did you make this recipe?

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Filed Under: Food, Main Course, Poultry Tagged With: 5 Ingredient, Breaded, Breaded Chicken, Breaded Lemon Chicken, cheap, Chicken, Dinner, Easy, fried, Lemon, Pan Fried, Recipe

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Comments

  1. Millie l Add A Little says

    December 29, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    Only 5 ingredients?! I’m making this ASAP!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      July 29, 2015 at 8:58 pm

      all of my breading came off in the skillet.

      :(((((

      Reply
      • Morgan says

        July 30, 2015 at 8:02 am

        Oh no!!! If I had to guess, I’d say your oil was likely not hot enough when you added the chicken, which caused the breading to absorb too much of it, and slough off when moved. I’ve made that mistake before (not with this recipe, but with others). Do you think that might have been the issue?

        Reply
        • Megan says

          August 18, 2015 at 6:54 pm

          yeah that’s definitely possible. thank you!! I love your website I use it almost every day

          Reply
      • emily says

        April 29, 2022 at 10:00 am

        this happened to me before. you should always dredge the chicken in egg and flour before tossing in bread crumbs!

        Reply
  2. Jenna says

    December 29, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Never thought of using lemon juice instead of eggs to coat the chicken. Looks good!

    Reply
  3. Keira says

    January 28, 2015 at 10:43 am

    Nutrition information?

    Reply
  4. Britt says

    February 24, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    I made this tonight to a T except with 2 large tilapia filets instead of chicken breast. It was sooooo good!!! My husband said it was the best fish he ever ate! The tip about the lemon juice helping the breadcrumbs stick is right. They didn’t fall off at all. Made for a beautiful presentation. My only critique is this: 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs is far too much for 2 chicken breasts (or in my case 2 large fish filets). I think I threw a cup of bread crumbs away. Next (and there will be a next time) I will only use half a cup.

    Reply
    • Maggie says

      January 19, 2016 at 5:28 pm

      You can save your bread crumbs by freezing them. Just mark what you dipped in them so you do not cross contaminate…..like chicken, fish, etc

      Reply
  5. Courtney says

    September 7, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    I made this tonight- it was delicious, and so easy! Will definitely be making it again soon!

    Reply
  6. Amy says

    September 20, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    Would this work in an airfryer?

    Reply
  7. Kyle says

    November 22, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    I’m making this now, I’ve had the chicken breads fileted and marinated in lemon juice all day. Now to just put in bread crumbs and cook, along with sautéed green beans and buttery mashed potatoes

    Reply
  8. Crystal says

    April 10, 2016 at 10:50 pm

    How much oil has to be in the pan? I have never fried anything before. Does it just have to cover half the chicken?

    Reply
  9. Vicki says

    April 25, 2016 at 8:42 am

    This was delicious and sophisticated. Enjoyed it very much.

    Reply
  10. Elena says

    May 2, 2016 at 8:41 am

    Can it still taste good if I don’t want the breadcrumbs? I don’t have any

    Reply
  11. Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says

    September 19, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    Looks delicious, and I love 5 ingredient recipes! I included this recipe in a massive 5 ingredient round-up on my blog. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  12. Vernon says

    November 13, 2016 at 11:11 pm

    My wife and I try to avoid fried foods when possible, but I do want to try this recipe. It sounds delicious. Is it possible to make this recipe and bake the chicken instead of frying it and have it come out good also?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      November 15, 2016 at 8:37 am

      I’ve never tried baking it, but if you do, please let me know how it goes!

      Reply
      • Sharon says

        February 6, 2020 at 2:02 am

        What is seasoned breadcrumbs and lemon pepper ? Can u please explain coz I want to try out this dish

        Reply
        • Gabriel Pacheco says

          April 30, 2020 at 7:33 am

          Seasoned breadcrumbs are simply breadcrumbs with some salt and pepper. Hence the name seasoned breadcrumbs! Hope it turns out nicely for you.

          Reply
  13. Linda says

    December 14, 2016 at 11:57 am

    I too had about a cup of breadcrumbs left over, did not think to freeze it. This was delicious, hubby said chicken had great flavor and ate two servings. I might try this with fish because the lemon and seasonings would be perfect however for the most part I avoid frying (used a combination of olive oil and coconut oil) due to the fat and the mess! Would love to know how baking instead turned out.
    Thank you for the simple recipes!

    Reply
  14. Cynthia Alaniz says

    January 29, 2017 at 11:52 am

    I want to try this in my air fryer. I make several dishes that call for frying in oil in the air fryer and they turn out delicious.,

    Reply
  15. Kate says

    March 19, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    One more person who would like a baked version of this recipe. Thx.

    Reply
  16. gail shawe says

    March 27, 2017 at 10:53 pm

    can you make this hours ahead and re-warm in an oven? I’d like to serve a large number of guests.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      March 28, 2017 at 2:59 pm

      I’ve never tried to– I’d recommend doing a test batch first just to make sure that the texture is alright!

      Reply
  17. Denise says

    April 27, 2017 at 3:24 am

    Did you put chopped parsley with the seasoned breadcrumb? If not, what are the green bits in the photo before frying?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 27, 2017 at 12:09 pm

      My seasoned breadcrumbs include parsley, but you don’t have to include it!

      Reply
  18. plunge pools says

    October 16, 2018 at 5:38 am

    Amazing!

    Reply
  19. Webexpertdelhi says

    March 15, 2019 at 1:13 am

    I’ve never tried to– I’d recommend doing a test batch first just to make sure that the texture is alright!

    Reply
  20. Darren Stevens says

    April 10, 2019 at 7:06 am

    My mom made this for us all of our lives (50+ years). Only the missing step in the breading here is the flour. So, flour, lemon juice, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Bake. I used Italian seasoned panko and baked in a convection oven for 30 mins at 350°. Skin-on chicken pieces that have been brined for 24 hours and no need for oil, I imagine the flavor from this page’s recipe is very similar and one of the best ways to enjoy a chicken dinner. Brava! Didn’t think I’d ever see this on the internet.

    ★★★★

    Reply
  21. Randy Fritzshall says

    May 21, 2019 at 7:18 pm

    My family eats chicken breasts at least twice a week. I am always looking for new ways to do things. This looks like a dandy and I will use it this weekend.

    Reply
  22. Beverly Delahunty says

    March 15, 2020 at 3:27 pm

    This recipe is delicious. My family loved it.

    Reply
  23. Charlie says

    February 10, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    Love this recipe! It’s delicious and great for weeknights.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  24. Nancy R. says

    February 21, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    Really tasty!…
    Second batch burnt a little though… maybe not enough oil or oil temp too hot or not hot enough?

    Reply
  25. Ilana SY says

    March 25, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    I think that I may not have had the oil warm enough as all of the breadcrumbs fell off. It was still delicious though. Is there a version where it can be baked instead? Do you have a recommendation for temperature and time?

    Reply
  26. Stephanie B says

    April 20, 2022 at 11:44 am

    A new family favorite as well… thank you for sharing it’s so flavorful, juicy, and delicious

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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MEET MORGAN

Morgan is a full-time food blogger, pizza-related sleep talker, and self-described hobby hoarder.
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