Italian Lemon
Chicken Skillet
Bright, herby, and ready in 20 minutes once the marinade is done. Lemon-marinated chicken chunks sautéed with sweet onion in a hot skillet until golden and fragrant — finished with fresh parsley and served over zucchini noodles. Simple Italian flavors that never get old.
- Chicken & Marinade
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Skillet
- 1 small sweet onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- — cooking spray
- To Serve
- 2–3 zucchini, spiralized or peeled into noodles (recommended)
- — lemon wedges (optional)
- — extra fresh parsley (optional)
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1
Marinate the chicken
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a zip-lock bag. Add the cubed chicken, seal, and shake well to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour — overnight is even better and produces noticeably more flavorful, tender chicken.
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2
Prep the zucchini noodles
If serving over zucchini noodles, spiralize or peel the zucchini into thin noodles and set aside. You can serve them raw for the freshest texture, or sauté briefly in a lightly sprayed pan for 1–2 minutes for a softer result. Don't overcook — they go mushy quickly.
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3
Sauté the onion
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat lightly coated with cooking spray. Add the sliced onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to caramelize. Cooking the onion first gives it time to soften and sweeten without the chicken drying out.
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4
Cook the chicken
Add the marinated chicken to the skillet with the onions. Cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is golden on the outside and cooked through to 165°F. The lemon marinade will reduce slightly in the pan and create a light, tangy sauce — don't discard it.
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5
Finish & serve
Remove from heat and scatter the fresh parsley over the top. Serve immediately over a bed of zucchini noodles — spoon the pan juices over the noodles for extra flavor. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and extra parsley if desired.
- Overnight marinade: One hour is the minimum but overnight is where this recipe really shines — the lemon and olive oil have time to fully tenderize the chicken and the Italian herbs permeate all the way through.
- Zucchini noodles are the perfect base: The bright, lemon-herb pan juices soak beautifully into zucchini noodles — serve them raw for a fresh, crisp texture or barely sautéed for something softer. Either way, spoon every drop of those pan juices over the top.
- Cook the onion first: Adding the onion before the chicken gives it time to soften and caramelize — if you add both at the same time the chicken will be done before the onion has had a chance to cook through properly.
- Don't discard the pan juices: The lemon marinade reduces in the pan into a light, flavorful sauce — scrape up any browned bits and spoon it all over the zucchini noodles before serving.
- Scale up easily: Double everything for 4 servings — use a larger skillet so the chicken has room to sear rather than steam.