Lemon Pepper Chicken

Lemon pepper chicken ranks high among the most comforting—and easy—weeknight dinners. For starters, nearly everyone loves chicken. Combine that popularity with a fresh and flavorful seasoning blend of zippy lemon and spicy pepper, and you've got a dish that nobody will turn down. This recipe uses fresh lemon zest for the biggest flavor punch. 

What's in lemon pepper seasoning?

As you might have guessed, lemon and pepper are the main ingredients. This recipe uses fresh lemon zest and pepper, but you can use a store-bought blend if you're in a hurry. Store-bought lemon pepper often contains salt, so start with using 2 teaspoons of lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken and 1 tablespoon in the flour mixture, and leave out all the remaining salt, pepper, and lemon zest that the recipe calls for. Add additional salt after cooking, if needed. 

How do you make chicken cutlets?

These days, most chicken breasts are pretty thick; cutting them into thin cutlets is the secret to help them cook through quickly without browning too much or drying out. While you can sometimes find chicken cutlets at the grocery store, they're fresher and cheaper if you cut them yourself. To cut a chicken breast into a cutlet, lay the chicken breast on a plastic cutting board. Holding a sharp knife in your dominant hand and with your other hand pressing the chicken breast flat, carefully slice the chicken in half horizontally, keeping your knife level, parallel to the cutting board, and away from your top hand! If you're squeamish about touching raw chicken (let's face it: it's kinda icky), wrap your chicken hand with plastic wrap first. Who cares if you look silly? Do what makes you comfortable!

What's lemon pepper used in?

Lemon pepper is good with all kinds of things! Shake it on shrimp, sprinkle it over salmon, toss it with roasted potatoes, or stir it into butter to melt over freshly steamed peas, carrots, or asparagus. If all this talk about lemon pepper has cranked up your cravings, Ree Drummond's got plenty more ideas for you—try her lemon pepper chicken wings and lemon pepper grilled ribeyes.