This Chicken Beurre Blanc recipe is one of those dishes that feels restaurant-worthy but is surprisingly simple to make at home. Beurre blanc, the classic French butter sauce made with wine, shallots, and butter, turns silky and bright with a splash of lemon. Spoon it over golden seared chicken and suddenly an ordinary weeknight dinner feels a little special.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce (Beurre Blanc)
🕒 Ready In: ~ 50 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: ~ 619 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Chicken, butter, lemon, dill
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Beurre blanc may sound fancy (it is French, after all), but it's essentially a silky butter sauce traditionally made with white wine and vinegar that instantly elevates simple ingredients like chicken or fish.
I've made beurre blanc more times than I can count, both in restaurant kitchens in my twenties and at home for weeknight dinners. The biggest mistake people make is over-reducing the sauce or overheating the butter, which causes it to break. I'll show you exactly how to avoid that.
If you like creamy French chicken dishes, then you can't go wrong with My Super Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu!
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What is Beurre Blanc Sauce?
Beurre blanc (French for "white butter") is a classic French sauce known for its creamy texture and bright, tangy flavor. Traditionally made with white wine, vinegar, shallots, and cold butter, it's gently emulsified to create a silky sauce that's both luxurious and surprisingly easy to pull off at home.
In my version, I skip the vinegar and lean into fresh lemon juice for a lighter, brighter twist that pairs beautifully with chicken.
You'll most often see beurre blanc served with fish, but it's just as delicious spooned over seared chicken, roasted vegetables, or even simple pasta.
Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce (Beurre Blanc)Video
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Restaurant-Quality Meal: This elegant French-style chicken dish tastes like something you'd order at a bistro, but it's simple enough to make at home.
A Classic French Sauce Made Easy: Beurre blanc sounds intimidating, but once you learn the technique, it comes together quickly with just a few ingredients.
Bright Lemon + Silky Butter Sauce: The lemon lightens the richness of the beurre blanc, creating a balanced sauce that's perfect for chicken.
Weeknight-Friendly: The chicken sears quickly and the sauce comes together in minutes, making this an impressive dinner you can pull off on a busy night.
Ingredients
Full ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the end of post
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (halved): cutting them in half helps them cook evenly and faster while staying juicy inside. I tested this recipe both with bone-in and boneless chicken, and boneless produced a more consistent cook time for weeknights.
Butter: Use high-quality European-style butter if possible. It has a higher fat content, which helps stabilize the emulsion. If you use standard butter, the sauce is more likely to break if overheated.
Olive oil: helps prevent the butter from burning and adds depth to the pan sauce.
All-purpose flour: creates a light coating on the chicken that crisps beautifully when pan-seared.
Garlic powder: infuses the crust with mellow, savory flavor.
Onion powder: enhances the seasoning and complements the garlic without overpowering.
Chicken Marinade:
Fresh lemon juice: brightens the dish and helps tenderize the chicken while adding a fresh citrus note that complements the beurre blanc sauce.
Crushed garlic cloves: adds bold, aromatic flavor to the marinade and infuses the chicken as it rests.
Lemon pepper seasoning: a zesty blend of citrus, black pepper, and herbs that adds tang and spice. If you don't have lemon pepper seasoning, see the substitution notes below.
Lemon Beurre Blanc:
Diced shallots: Bring a delicate sweetness that melts into the sauce and forms the traditional flavor base of beurre blanc.
Minced garlic: Adds depth and a subtle savory bite that complements the lemon and wine.
Fresh dill: My personal touch. Dill adds a clean, herbal finish that brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the butter.
Fresh lemon juice: Adds brightness and acidity, which balances the richness of the butter and enhances the flavor of the chicken.
Dry white wine: Builds complexity in the sauce. Choose something crisp like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
Heavy cream: Not traditional in classic beurre blanc, but I add a small amount to help stabilize the sauce and give it an extra smooth texture.
Cold, cubed butter: Slowly whisked in at the end to create the silky, glossy finish that makes beurre blanc so luxurious.
Instructions
Full ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the end of post
Chicken
Step 1: Start by slicing your chicken breasts in half. Gently pound them with a mallet to even out.
Step 2: Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, and lemon pepper seasoning. Add the chicken and toss.
Step 3: Dredge each piece in the seasoned flour mixture.
Step 4: Cook each side for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
Beurre Blanc Sauce
Step 5: Sauté the shallots and garlic in a bit of butter over medium heat.
Step 6: Pour in the wine and lemon juice, then stir in the cream.
Step 7: Lower the heat and slowly whisk in cold butter, one piece at a time.
Step 8: Straining the sauce at this point is optional, depending on how smooth you like it. Finish with chopped dill.
Step 9: Return the chicken to the pan with the sauce or plate it and spoon the warm sauce over the top.
Step 10: Serve with a final drizzle of sauce and a sprinkle of fresh dill.
Tips for Perfect Beurre Blanc
Use Cold Butter: Cold butter helps the sauce emulsify properly. Adding it slowly while whisking keeps the sauce smooth and prevents it from breaking.
Keep the Heat Low: Beurre blanc is a delicate sauce. Too much heat can cause the butter to separate, so maintain gentle heat and remove the pan from the burner if needed.
Whisk Constantly: Continuous whisking helps the butter incorporate into the sauce and creates that silky, glossy texture you expect from restaurant-style beurre blanc.
Don't Let It Boil: Once the butter starts going in, the sauce should never boil. Gentle heat keeps the emulsion stable.
Substitutions
Protein: Swap the chicken breasts for salmon fillets or pork chops for a different variation of this beurre blanc dish.
Wine: If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, substitute chicken broth and add 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice to maintain the acidity needed for the sauce.
Lemon Pepper Seasoning: Make your own by combining 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
What to Serve With
Vegetables: Fresh green beans or my Roasted Vegetables make a perfect side and balance the richness of the beurre blanc sauce.
Starches: Serve the chicken over Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes or alongside rice pilaf to soak up the lemon beurre blanc.
Salad: A simple Green Salad with a light vinaigrette adds brightness and keeps the meal feeling light.
FAQ
Beurre blanc sauce is best made fresh because it's a delicate butter emulsion that can separate if reheated. However, you can prep the ingredients ahead of time, so the sauce comes together quickly when you're ready to cook.
Yes! To make this chicken beurre blanc keto-friendly, simply skip the flour coating on the chicken. You can also substitute the white wine with chicken broth and add 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice to maintain the acidity the sauce needs.
To fix a broken beurre blanc, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in a few ice cubes. This will lower the temperature of the butter and help it solidify.
Hollandaise sauce is made with egg yolks and butter, while beurre blanc is an emulsified butter sauce made from a reduction of shallots, white wine, and vinegar or lemon juice. Beurre blanc is lighter and tangier, while hollandaise is richer and custard-like.
No, milk doesn't contain enough fat to stabilize the sauce. Heavy cream helps keep the beurre blanc smooth and prevents the butter from separating
⭐️ Recipe
Chicken Beurre Blanc (French Lemon Butter Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts halved
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil add more as needed while cooking chicken
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lemon juiced
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
Flour Mix
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Lemon butter sauce
- 2 small shallots diced or one large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1.5 tablespoon minced dill
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 8 tablespoon very cold butter
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- Slice the chicken cutlets in half.2 chicken breasts
- Place in between plastic wrap and thin out with the flat side of a mallet.
- In a bowl, combine the juice of 1 lemon, ⅓ cup olive oil, 4 crushed garlic cloves, and lemon pepper seasoning. Add the chicken breasts, ensuring they are well-coated. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.1 lemon, ⅓ cup olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- In a separate bowl, mix 1.5 cups flour, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder.1.5 cups flour, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Dredge the marinated chicken breasts in the flour mixture, ensuring an even coating.
Cook Chicken
- Heat 2 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoon butter
- I like to remove them when the internal temp is 160F since it will continue cooking. Transfer to a plate, cover with aluminum to keep warm and finish the cooking process.
Lemon Beurre Blanc
- In a small saucepan, sauté the diced shallot and minced garlic with a little butter over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.2 small shallots diced, 2 garlic cloves minced
- Add ½ cup of dry white wine and 2 tablespoon lemon juice to the pan. Add the cream. Bring to a simmer on medium heat and reduce by half, about 4 minutes. Keep the sauce under 135-140°F once butter is added. If it gets hotter than that, the emulsion can split.2 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ cup dry white wine, ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Lower the heat and gradually whisk in the cold butter, two tablespoons at a time, until the sauce is creamy and smooth.8 tablespoon very cold butter
- If desired you can strain the sauce. Stir in the minced dill. Add salt and white pepper to taste.1.5 tablespoon minced dill
Bring It All Together
- Return the chicken breasts to the pan, spooning some of the sauce over the top. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, drizzle with additional sauce, and garnish with fresh dill if desired.
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