This French Lemon Chicken with Shallots is a simple and delicious weeknight meal! Chicken is marinated in a lemon and white wine-based marinade, yielding tender and flavorful results.
Dinner, Fancified
Picture this: it’s 5:00 and while you’re hungry, you’re also craving something soul-satisfying and fancy. What to do?!
I’ll tell you what. Reach for that half-finished jar of olives in your refrigerator to nibble on while you prep this pleasantly simple and mouthwateringly tasty French Lemon Chicken with Shallots. This recipe features boneless skinless chicken breast (something that arguably the majority of us have in our freezer at any given time), a herby and lemony white wine marinade, and jammy shallots. It’s perfect served over angel hair pasta, with rice pilaf, or as it is with some lightly dressed greens. Read on to learn more about this wonderfully easy weeknight meal.
How To Make French Lemon Chicken with Shallots
As I mentioned above, this dish is so simple thanks to quick-cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts. Having an unfortunate reputation of being bland and dry, I’m here to prove you wrong with this unbeatable lemon and white wine marinade.
The Marinade
As with most marinades, this one calls for a good balance of flavors, acid, and fat:
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- White wine (the kind you would drink!)
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Spices
One of my absolute favorite spices to use is the Sel de Cuisine from The Golden Fig in St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s packed with wonderful flavors including rosemary, cinnamon, tarragon, garlic, chili pepper, and of course, salt. If you can’t get your hands on this blend, see the recipe notes for a suggestion of which spices to use in its place. You can always use your favorite spice blend too!
This chicken should only need 30 minutes to marinade, but feel free to let it sit for a little longer. Mind the time though, as marinades that are high in acid, like this one, will alter the texture of the meat if left too long.
How To Serve French Chicken with Shallots
After the chicken is cooked, sliced shallots are gently cooked and softened until tender and jammy. I love serving this chicken with angel hair pasta which is thin and delicate: the perfect bed to serve this amazing chicken atop.
Tried this recipe and loved it? Use the hashtag #sohappyyoulikedit and tag @sohappyyoulikedit on social media so I can see your creations!
Let’s be friends! Find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to check out my YouTube Channel!
French Lemon Chicken with Shallots
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine (something you would drink!)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot
- 1 Tbsp Favorite spice blend, see note below
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine olive oil, wine, lemon juice, garlic, half of the shallot minced (reserve the other half), and spice blend. Whisk until combined.
- Add chicken breasts, tossing to completely coat. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Any longer may alter the texture of the chicken since this marinade is pretty acidic.
- Add a large saute pan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook, flipping once, until completely cooked through about 10 minutes total. Once the chicken is done, remove from pan to cool slightly on a plate.
- Slice the remaining half of the shallot and add to the pan. Saute until softened (feel free to add one more small splash of wine, allowing it to reduce completely before removing shallots from the flame). Serve with warm chicken and pasta if you choose.
Notes
- 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
This truly is a delightful lemon-wine chicken and shallots recipe. Just loved it !
I’m thrilled to hear this Maria! 🙂