This Creamy Lemon Basil Chicken is a delightful change-up from those boring old weeknight chicken dinners. Perfectly cooked chicken breast with fresh green beans and a lovely (bacony) cream sauce to go over top. It feels both indulgent and light with the pops of fresh flavor from the lemon and basil. You will love having this dinner in your menu rotation, it is sure to be a hit!
*Originally posted 08/2019
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Let's get it straight here, the sauce is absolutely what puts this meal over the top. It is packed with flavor and really brings the dish together. The base is coconut milk to keep this Whole30 and dairy free, but it pairs well with the bacon, lemon and fresh basil.
I really like the green beans for the veggie in this dish. They soak up all the flavors from that delicious sauce but still have a little crispness to them. But feel free to change it up depending on your preferences or what you have in the fridge.
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Photography by Loren Runion of SweetRusticBakes.com
Whole30 Creamy Lemon Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 strips Bacon
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
- 3 Tbls Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
- 1.5 cups Green Beans
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 2 Tbls Fresh Basil
- ¼ tsp Pepper Flakes
- 1 Tbls Tapioca Starch
- 1 Lemon sliced
Instructions
- Heat your skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook through and remove from pan. Take out all but 2 Tbls of the remaining bacon fat
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and season with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook on each side for 5 minutes and set aside
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute (add a little olive oil to the pan if needed), stirring to make sure it doesn't burnThen add in the broth, coconut milk, lemon juice and pepper flakes to the skillet and bring to a boil
- Add in the chicken and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, add in the green beans and cook for another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and green beans are just tender
- Remove the chicken and green beans with a slotted spoon, leaving the sauce in the pan. Make a slurry with 1 Tbls of tapioca starch and 1 Tbls water and add to the pan with the basil and chopped baconBring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until just thickendServe over the chicken and green beans
Coconut milk - does it need to be canned or can refrigerated work?
So good! And the leftovers taste amazing.
Would this work with almond milk?
Hi! I have not tried the recipe with almond milk, it does not have the same fat content as coconut milk, so I don't think it will thicken the same. But I would think that the flavor would still be delicious. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Unbelievably good! One of my new favorite chicken recipes. I love that it’s in one pan, too.
So glad to hear this Caroline, thank you for sharing with me!
Deeee-lish. Made this almost exactly as written (chicken tenders instead of breasts was the only change) and did go with coconut milk, and glad I did. Very Thai flavors with the coconut milk, lemon and fresh basil. I didn't think the green beans would work as well as they did. Hubby loved it too! Serve it in a bowl so you don't miss a drop of that wonderful sauce.
I am so glad that you both loved it! I love the texture that the green beans add 🙂