This mouthwatering skillet Lemon Artichoke Chicken is bursting with flavor from simple ingredients. It’s paleo and gluten free, and features some of spring’s best produce: artichokes and lemon!
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I’m really into this one, folks. It’s a gourmet-like dish that’s simple enough for a weeknight meal, but tasty enough to serve at a dinner party. And it takes less than 30 minutes to make. Need I say more?
Quartered artichoke hearts, blistered cherry tomatoes, and tender chicken are coated in a decadent sauce made from olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and oregano. It’s just perfect!
Plus, it features one of the veg I haven’t paid to much attention to on the blog: artichokes! If you weren’t aware, these nutrient-dense vegetables are in season at the moment.
But since they’re pretty challenging to prepare, I opted for canned artichoke hearts instead. That way I’m still technically celebrating artichoke season, but in an easier way.
(One of these days I will share a fun way to use fresh artichokes, I promise. In the meantime, see my Tuscan White Bean Skillet, Baked Crispy Artichoke Hearts, Lighter Spinach Artichoke Dip or Spinach Artichoke Pasta Salad for other ways to use canned artichokes.)
If you’ve never had healthy lemon artichoke chicken before, it tastes pretty similar to chicken piccata, sans the capers. But besides the taste, there are so many reasons to love this recipe, like:
- It’s ready in 30 minutes!
- It uses just one pan!
- It has only 7 ingredients (chicken, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, lemon, olive oil, oregano, garlic)!
- Wow, omg!
How to Make Lemon Artichoke Chicken
Once you prep the ingredients, you’ll start by cooking the chicken breasts in some olive oil in the middle of a skillet over medium heat.
Cook them for 5-6 minutes on one side before flipping them over and cooking for another 5-6 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This may take more or less time depending on your stove.
At the time that you flip the chicken, about halfway into the total cooking time, add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and lemon sauce to the pan. Let these ingredients cook as the chicken finishes.
You may want to lower the heat to a simmer even after the chicken is finished to get the veggies a bit more tender, but that’s up to you! I found they got pretty tender/blistered within 5-10 minutes.
What skillet should I use to cook Lemon Artichoke Chicken?
I’m glad you asked. I cooked and photographed this recipe in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. However, unless you have a well seasoned cast iron skillet, I’d recommend using a stainless steel or nonstick skillet instead.
This is because acidic ingredients (i.e. tomatoes and lemons in this recipe) can strip some cast irons of their seasoning and may react with the skillet, leading to a slight discoloration of the food and/or metallic taste.
But if you regularly season your cast iron, it should be able to withstand the acidic ingredients in this recipe. Here is the cast iron I use for reference.
Skillet lemon chicken with artichokes can stand alone as a complete meal, but if you’re looking to serve it with a side, try cooked brown rice or quinoa. For another skillet chicken meal, see the Creamy Chicken Mushroom Orzo Skillet.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to rate and review it in the comments below or tag me on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
One Pan Lemon Artichoke Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts - boneless and skinless, ~1 pound
- 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts - whole, quartered, or halved; canned in water and drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes - washed
For the lemon sauce:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon - juiced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced or crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano - chopped, sub 2 teaspoon dried
Instructions
- Heat the two tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (nonstick, or cast iron only if it’s well-seasoned and can withstand acidic foods) over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken breasts on one side for 5-6 minutes before flipping.
- While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano.
- Add the lemon sauce, drained artichoke hearts, and cherry tomatoes to the skillet. Flip the chicken over and let everything cook for another 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If you want to get your vegetables more tender/browned, lower heat to a simmer and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Happy Wednesday!
Lizzie
Carrie
Has anyone added mushrooms too?
Becky
Delicious. Added ww spaghetti.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Becky, yay! Thanks for your review. I bet it was delicious with spaghetti.
Whitley Turner
This was sooooo yummy and I loved that it all came together in 1 pan. My chicken breasts were thick boys so I actually sliced them in half lengthwise.
10/10 will make this again and again as this is ingredient I always have on hand.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Whitley, that’s so great to hear! Thanks so much for your 5-star review!
Leslie White
I am planning to try this recipe this weekend. I am cooking for 6 people. I don’t have a skillet big enough. Will the recipe be as good if I cook it in the oven?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Leslie, unfortunately I’ve never tried it in the oven so I’m not sure how it would turn out. However, if you searched the web for a baked lemon artichoke chicken, I bet there would be some great options out there!
Deb
Loved this recipe. I added a couple tablespoons of capers at the end and served over creamy polenta.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Yum! I bet the capers were a wonderful addition, and I love the idea of serving it over polenta! Thanks for your comment, Deb :).
Karen
Made this again tonight! It’s a favorite in our house. Uncle Frank “thinks” he doesn’t like artichokes, but he raves about this every time. This makes such delicious sauce! We have enough for leftovers tomorrow!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
That’s great! I’m so glad you both are enjoying the recipe! Enjoy those leftovers :-).
Nancy
Made this tonight and agreed this recipe is a keeper! Served over brown rice. Used chicken tenderloins. Sautéed them quickly. Removed from heat. Sautéed the vegetables and served with steamed broccoli. Yummm!!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
That’s great! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Thank you for your 5-star review, Nancy!
Mike
Great Mediterranean flavors. Love it but make sure you use organic, hormone free chicken. When I cooked it, the chicken (from a major brand) was so pumped with water that the tomatoes and artichokes ended up steamed instead of carmelized. Once I boiled off the excess water, it was great but it took extra cooking time.
Shelby
Can you use an actual artichoke? How would that work?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Shelby, yes you would be able to use an actual artichoke, but only the heart. Here is one of my favorite posts on how to remove an artichoke heart from a full artichoke: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-prepare-an-artichoke-ho-108587. Once you get the hearts out of the artichoke, you can follow the rest of the recipe as written. Hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear how you like it!
Shannon
I want to make this so bad. We grow cherry tomatoes and have plenty right now. Also artichoke hearts are one of my favorites that I make up recipes for because they aren’t in many. I cook for 5 people though, and can usually figure out how to increase a recipe. This one perplexes me. How can I double it without having to make two batches? Thanks for any advice!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
HI Shannon, I’m glad you are planning to make the recipe! One option is that you could bake the dish. Combine the chicken, cherry tomatoes, and artichokes in a greased baking dish. Whisk together the sauce and pour it over. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400. You should be able to fit more chicken and other ingredients in the baking dish than in the skillet.
Or I’d recommend using the largest skillet you have and using double the amount of chicken, and then close to double the amount of artichokes and cherry tomatoes. And then make 2x the sauce. Basically if you can fit enough chicken in the middle to feed more people, and then fill out the rest of the skillet with as much of the other ingredients as possible without too much overlap, it should still cook evenly and be able to feed a larger crowd.
Hope that helps!! Let me know fi you have any other questions.
Karen
Tomatoes &artichokes! Two of my favorite things! Can’t wait to try this!
Lizzie
Aren’t they both so good?! Hope you love it as much as we did!
Aunt karen
I’ve made this twice – both times with enough for leftover lunch. It’s easy, quick, and delicious.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Isn’t it so simple? Glad you enjoyed it!