The Best Skinny Lemon Glazed Chicken
This spectacular, sweet, and spicy lemon-glazed chicken will make your taste buds sizzle! Studies show eating spicy food is good for you. It’s one of my favorite ways to make chicken! Each serving has 256 calories, and 6 grams of fat. Check out my serving tips below, for a few side dishes to make with this chicken. It’s super fast to make and fabulously delicious!
Why You’ll Love The Best Skinny Lemon Glazed Chicken
The Best Skinny Lemon Glazed Chicken is a perfect option for those seeking a flavorful yet light main course. The key to its appeal lies in the balance of sweet, savory, and tangy. The chicken itself is lean and protein-rich, while the lemon glaze adds a burst of refreshing citrus flavor without excessive sugar or fat. This creates a satisfying meal that's healthy without sacrificing taste. Plus, it's likely to be quick and easy to make, making it a great choice for busy weeknightsIngredients for The Best Skinny Lemon Glazed Chicken
This recipe promises a delicious and healthy take on lemon glazed chicken. Here's a closer look at each ingredient and its role in the dish:Crispy Coating:- ¾ cup Panko bread crumbs: Panko breadcrumbs provide a light and crispy coating for the chicken. The recipe suggests checking shopping tips, which might be helpful for finding lower-fat or whole-wheat options for an even healthier twist.
- 2 garlic cloves, minced: Minced garlic adds a warm, savory flavor to the chicken and the glaze.
- ½ teaspoon salt: Salt enhances the overall flavor of the chicken.
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper: Freshly ground black pepper adds a touch of heat and complexity to the flavor profile.
- 4 (4 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 pound total): These are the main protein source of the dish. Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts keeps the dish lean and lower in fat.
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is the key ingredient in the glaze, adding a bright and tangy citrus flavor that pairs beautifully with the chicken.
- ¼ cup honey: Honey balances the tanginess of the lemon juice and adds a touch of sweetness without being overpowering.
- 1-2 teaspoons Tabasco Sauce: Tabasco sauce provides a kick of spice. You can adjust the amount based on your preference, starting with 1 teaspoon for a milder flavor.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil helps to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan while cooking. Using a high smoke point oil like avocado oil is another option.
- Cooking spray: Cooking spray provides a light coating on the pan to further prevent sticking and creates a crispier crust on the chicken.
How to Make The Best Skinny Lemon Glazed Chicken
Preparing the Coating:- Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a shallow dish, like a pie plate, combine the Panko breadcrumbs, minced garlic, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix everything well to create a flavorful breading mixture.
- Dredge the Chicken: Prepare the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. One at a time, dredge each chicken breast in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to coat both sides evenly. Gently press the crumbs onto the chicken to help them adhere.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the fresh lemon juice, honey, and Tabasco sauce. Start with 1 teaspoon of Tabasco for a milder flavor, but you can add more to taste if you prefer it spicier. Set the glaze aside for now.
- Heat the Pan: Get your pan ready by coating a large non-stick pan with cooking spray. Add the olive oil and heat it over medium heat. The oil helps prevent sticking and creates a crispier crust.
- Sauté the Chicken: Once the oil is hot, carefully place the breaded chicken breasts in the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and sauté the chicken for about 5-6 minutes per side. This ensures even cooking and allows the chicken to brown nicely on both sides.
- Check for Doneness: After cooking for the allotted time, check the chicken for doneness. You can use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), which is the safe minimum for cooked chicken. Alternatively, you can pierce the thickest part of the chicken breast with a knife. If the juices run clear and there's no pink flesh, the chicken is cooked through.
- Transfer the Chicken: Once cooked, remove the chicken breasts from the pan and transfer them to a plate.
- Reduce the Glaze: Increase the heat to medium-high. Carefully pour the lemon-honey glaze into the hot pan where the chicken was cooked. Be careful of any splatters as the hot liquid hits the pan.
- Thicken the Glaze: Using a whisk or spatula, stir and scrape the glaze as it cooks in the pan. This helps loosen any browned bits from the bottom and incorporates them into the glaze for added flavor. Cook the glaze for about 30 seconds, or until it reduces and thickens slightly into a syrupy consistency.
- Glaze the Chicken: Return the cooked chicken breasts to the pan with the reduced glaze. Flip the chicken pieces once to coat them evenly with the delicious sauce.
Helpful Tips About this Recipe
Food Facts
Panko bread crumbs come from Japan. They’re a type of crisp, light, large breadcrumbs. Panko crumbs are typically used to coat foods for frying or sauteing. They’re coarser than most bread crumbs and create a crisper crust.
Healthy Benefits
Most of the healthy benefits of spicy food come from a compound called capsaicin. It’s the ingredient that makes chili peppers hot. One of the most accepted claims is when you eat spicy food, it promotes sweating and opens the sinuses and bronchial. Just one squeeze of a lemon contains a whopping 45% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C. Lemons also contain calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Shopping Tips
Fresh peeled whole garlic cloves can be found at Trader Joe’s and most supermarkets. They’re packed in plastic bags and are very convenient to use when a recipe calls for fresh garlic. You’ll find them in the refrigerator section of the produce department. Panko bread crumbs are available in most supermarkets in the Asian section. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s.
Serving Tips
I love serving this chicken dish with my recipes for Country Fried Potatoes and Garlic Sauteed Spinach. If you’re looking for a simple potato dish try my Dreamy, Dairy Free, Skinny Mashed Potatoes, or just a small baked potato.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 6-Blue
WW SmartPoints 8-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 7
Panko bread crumbs come from Japan. They’re a type of crisp, light, large breadcrumbs. Panko crumbs are typically used to coat foods for frying or sauteing. They’re coarser than most bread crumbs and create a crisper crust.
Healthy Benefits
Most of the healthy benefits of spicy food come from a compound called capsaicin. It’s the ingredient that makes chili peppers hot. One of the most accepted claims is when you eat spicy food, it promotes sweating and opens the sinuses and bronchial. Just one squeeze of a lemon contains a whopping 45% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C. Lemons also contain calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Shopping Tips
Fresh peeled whole garlic cloves can be found at Trader Joe’s and most supermarkets. They’re packed in plastic bags and are very convenient to use when a recipe calls for fresh garlic. You’ll find them in the refrigerator section of the produce department. Panko bread crumbs are available in most supermarkets in the Asian section. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s.
Serving Tips
I love serving this chicken dish with my recipes for Country Fried Potatoes and Garlic Sauteed Spinach. If you’re looking for a simple potato dish try my Dreamy, Dairy Free, Skinny Mashed Potatoes, or just a small baked potato.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 6-BlueWW SmartPoints 8-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 7
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 (4 oz) serving 256 calories, 6g fat, 1.5g sat. fat, 55mg chol, 27g protein, 26g carbs, 0g fiber, 169mg sodium, 18g sugar |
| FACTS: for Freestyle SmartPoints 133 calories, 1g sat. fat, 18g sugar, 1g protein |
The BEST Skinny Lemon Glazed Chicken
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Panko bread crumbs, see shopping tips
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 (4 oz each) chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, (1 pound total)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 1-2 teaspoons Tabasco Sauce (use only 1 teaspoon-if you don’t want it too spicy)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, add bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and blend together. Dredge both sides of chicken in crumb mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, honey, and Tabasco. Set aside.
- Coat a large non-stick pan with cooking spray. Add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add chicken, cover, and sauté until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate.
- Add lemon-honey glaze to pan. Cook for about 30 seconds until syrupy. Return cooked chicken to pan, flipping chicken once to coat with the glaze.
- Remove from pan and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ouncesCalories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 27gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 169mgSugar: 18gBlue Smart Points: 6Green Smart Points: 8Plus Points: 7
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
I am going to try. Looks yummy
Enjoy!
All the best,
Nancy
I love this recipe…my mom made it once a while back and I fell in love with it. I’ve made it several times since. I love lemon and honey, and sweet & spicy are SO good together! This has a perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and the nice tang from the lemon juice
Fantastic feedback Torrey. Thanks so much for sharing it.
My best wishes,
Nancy
This was unbelievably delicious!!! will definitely do it again with different proteins…..
Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken!
All the best,
Nancy
This was outstanding! We were at a loss for lemons and used limes and the results were excellent! Thanks, Nancy for another great recipe!
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback Skip! Now I can’t wait to try this recipe using limes.
All the best,
Nancy
Hi the recipe sounds delicious! Just wanted to let you know I ran the ingredients in the WW recipe builder & I cane up with 8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints. To all who follow the WW program, they may want to adjust the points. Thanks for the recipe.
Linda with the old SmartPoints program, this recipe does have 8 SmartPoints. But, with the new Freestyle program, when you subtract out the chicken, it has 6 Freestyle SmartPoints.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
My best,
Nancy
What’s the point value if your on the purple plan?
Jeanie, I’m so sorry but at this point, I’ll only be including Blue and Green points. For all of these years, I use a different program than WW to input all of my recipes to do the nutrition facts and points.
I have hundreds of recipes and don’t have the time to input them into WW to make the calculations for the purple plan. Maybe in the future.
My best,
Nancy
Made this tonight and it was so delicious – my husband went back for seconds. Left out the Tabasco which was fine especially since we love lemon flavored chicken. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
I love to hear it. so happy you both enjoyed this chicken recipe! Thanks so much for your feedback.
All the best,
Nancy