Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice

5 from 5 votes

Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice is an easy recipe that works perfectly for busy weeknights, yet is impressive enough for entertaining guests as well!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Chicken, Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 369kcal

Prepare the rice according to the directions on the package.
While the rice is cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Place the chicken into the hot skillet and cook on one side until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook about 2-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
Add the chicken stock, garlic and thyme to the skillet and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the rice, heavy cream and lemon juice.
Add chicken back to the pan, garnish with slices of lemon and additional fresh thyme.

If you can’t find thin cut chicken breasts, you can pound out regular chicken breasts to about 1/2-inch thickness before cooking.
If you need to substitute dried thyme for fresh thyme, use only 1/2 tablespoon.
You can turn this into a one pan Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice recipe, however, I have found that it saves time to prepare the rice while prepping the other ingredients and cooking the chicken.
Store any leftover Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days.

Can you use milk in place of the heavy cream? Yes, you can substitute milk for the heavy cream. The sauce may not be quite as creamy but should still taste just as delicious.
Do you have to use fresh lemon juice? No, you can use bottled lemon juice. I find that fresh lemon juice tastes better in recipes, but you can use whatever you have on hand.