This chicken breast with dill recipe is a quick, creamy dinner with juicy oven-finished chicken, a smooth lemon-garlic sauce, and plenty of fresh dill. It comes together in about 35 minutes for an approachable weeknight meal.
This is the kind of chicken dinner worth keeping in your regular rotation when you want something comforting without spending the whole evening in the kitchen. The chicken gets a quick sear on the stovetop, then finishes gently in the oven while the sauce becomes rich and flavorful.
Lemon, garlic, and fresh dill keep the cream sauce from tasting overly heavy. A small amount of honey in the skillet also helps balance the savory dried herbs while encouraging an appealing browned exterior on the chicken.
Because everything comes together in one oven-safe skillet, you also get the benefit of keeping the browned bits from the chicken right in the sauce. Those little bits add extra savory flavor with very little additional work.
Chicken Breast with Dill Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: The main protein for this dish. Choose pieces that are reasonably similar in size so they finish cooking at roughly the same time.
Olive oil and unsalted butter: Used together for searing the chicken. The oil handles the heat well, while butter contributes richness and helps create a flavorful pan base.
Dried oregano and basil: These dried herbs give the chicken a simple savory seasoning that complements the fresh dill added at the end.
Garlic powder: Seasons the surface of the chicken evenly and provides another layer of garlic flavor before the fresh garlic goes into the sauce.
Honey: Adds a subtle sweetness and encourages the outside of the chicken to develop a nicely browned finish during searing.
Salt and black pepper: Essential seasonings that bring out the flavors of both the chicken and creamy sauce.
Fresh garlic: Briefly sautéed in the skillet before the liquid ingredients are added, giving the sauce a fragrant savory base.
Chicken broth: Loosens the browned bits from the skillet and adds depth without making the cream sauce overly heavy.
Heavy cream: Creates the silky consistency that makes this pan sauce rich enough to coat each chicken breast.
Fresh lemon juice: Provides brightness and a gentle acidity that balances the cream and butter.
Fresh dill: Added at the finish so its distinctive herbal aroma remains fresh and noticeable.
How to Make This Chicken Breast with Dill
STEP 1: Heat your oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken breasts dry if necessary, then season them evenly with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Seasoning all sides gives every bite a more consistent flavor.
STEP 2: Place an oven-safe skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and most of the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the honey so it disperses throughout the pan.
STEP 3: Add the seasoned chicken breasts in a single layer. Let them sear without moving them too frequently, cooking for roughly 2 to 3 minutes on each side. You are only developing color at this stage, so the centers should not yet be completely cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
STEP 4: Reduce the heat slightly and add the remaining butter along with the minced garlic. Stir for about a minute, keeping an eye on the garlic so that it becomes fragrant without browning too deeply.
STEP 5: Pour in the chicken broth and gently scrape across the bottom of the skillet to release the flavorful browned pieces. Add the heavy cream and lemon juice, then stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes until the sauce is smooth and just beginning to thicken.
STEP 6: Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon a little sauce over the top. Transfer the entire skillet to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F. Spoon the warm sauce over each portion and finish with chopped fresh dill and cracked black pepper.
Can I use dried dill instead of fresh dill?
Fresh dill works particularly well here because it is added after cooking, preserving its bright aroma and delicate herb flavor. Dried dill can work when fresh is unavailable, but use a smaller amount because dried herbs are more concentrated. Add it gradually and taste the sauce before serving.
Perfect Pairings
Mashed potatoes: Creamy potatoes are especially good with this chicken because they soak up the lemon-garlic dill sauce instead of letting any of it go to waste.
Steamed or roasted vegetables: Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or roasted carrots can bring color and a lighter element to the plate while still working well with the cream sauce.
Rice: Fluffy white rice makes a simple weeknight option and gives the creamy pan sauce a neutral base. Spoon a little extra sauce over the rice when serving.
How do I keep chicken breasts from drying out?
Avoid relying only on cooking time because chicken breast thickness can vary considerably. The initial skillet step is mainly for browning, while the oven gently finishes the centers. Check the thickest section with an instant-read thermometer and remove the chicken once it reaches 165°F.
Letting the chicken sit in the hot skillet far beyond that temperature can make even a creamy chicken dish feel dry.
Helpful Tips
- Use similarly sized chicken breasts. Pieces with similar thickness cook more evenly, reducing the chance that one breast dries out before another is finished.
- Do not brown the garlic too much. Garlic only needs a brief sauté before the broth goes into the skillet. Burned garlic can give a cream sauce an unpleasant bitter taste.
- Add dill near the end. Fresh dill has its strongest aroma when it is not subjected to prolonged cooking, so scatter it over the finished chicken shortly before serving.
Why did my cream sauce turn out too thin?
The sauce should thicken somewhat as the heavy cream simmers, but it is meant to remain spoonable rather than becoming extremely thick. Let it cook gently for another minute or two before returning the chicken if it appears particularly thin.
Remember that it will continue cooking once the skillet goes into the oven. Avoid aggressively boiling the cream, which can affect the smooth consistency you are trying to create.
How can I tell when the sauce is ready?
Before the chicken goes back into the skillet, the cream sauce should look smooth and lightly coat the back of a spoon. It does not need to resemble a thick gravy.
The final oven cooking time allows the sauce and chicken juices to mingle further, so stopping while the sauce is still slightly loose gives you a creamy consistency that is easier to spoon over the finished chicken.
Storage & Reheating
Allow leftover chicken and sauce to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Refrigerate the chicken with the sauce for up to 3 to 4 days.
For longer storage, you can freeze portions for up to about 2 months. Keep in mind that sauces made with heavy cream can sometimes separate slightly after freezing and thawing. Thaw frozen leftovers overnight in the refrigerator rather than reheating them directly from frozen.
For the smoothest results, reheat the chicken gently in a covered skillet over low heat. Add a small splash of chicken broth if the sauce has thickened too much in the refrigerator, then stir the sauce gently as it warms.
You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave at reduced power in shorter intervals. Avoid overheating the chicken, since it is already fully cooked and only needs to become hot throughout.
Can I prepare this chicken ahead of time?
You can season the chicken several hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. The complete dish can also be prepared ahead and reheated, although the texture of the sauce and chicken is at its best shortly after cooking.
If you are serving it for guests, preparing the seasonings and chopping the dill and garlic ahead of time is usually a better option than fully cooking the dish early. That leaves only the quick searing, sauce preparation, and oven finish to handle before dinner.
Chicken Breast with Dill Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter preferably a rich European-style variety such as Kerrygold
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Fine salt added according to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- Ground black pepper as desired
For the Sauce
- 2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
- ½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ⅔ cup heavy cream for a rich velvety consistency
For the Garnish
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Season the chicken breasts on every side with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil, making sure the seasonings are distributed evenly over the meat.
- Place a large oven-safe skillet over the heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter together with the olive oil.
- After the butter has melted, stir in the honey until incorporated.
- Arrange the seasoned chicken breasts in the skillet and sear for 2–3 minutes per side, allowing the exterior to brown. The chicken should remain partially uncooked at this point.
- Remove the browned chicken from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
- Using the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter along with the freshly minced garlic.
- Sauté the garlic for approximately 1 minute, just until it becomes fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth, followed by the heavy cream and lemon juice. Stir continuously over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the sauce begins to thicken slightly.
- Return the browned chicken breasts to the skillet, nestling them into the prepared cream sauce.
- Transfer the oven-safe skillet to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked and registers an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven once the chicken has reached the proper internal temperature.
- Spoon the creamy lemon-garlic pan sauce generously over each chicken breast.
- Scatter the freshly chopped dill over the chicken and sauce, then finish with cracked black pepper according to taste.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Freshly minced garlic provides the strongest flavor in the sauce, while fresh dill offers the most pronounced aroma for the finished dish.
- Using unsalted butter allows greater control over the overall seasoning, particularly because the chicken broth also contributes salt.
- Heavy cream is essential for creating the rich and creamy texture of the sauce.