This delicious Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms is prepared in a skillet and ready in less than 30 minutes. Full of flavor, but also dairy free using coconut milk as the cream base. Serve with rice, pasta, or zoodles for a complete healthy dinner that the whole family will enjoy! Paleo, Whole30, and Keto.
Reasons you will love this Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken!
Easy, healthy, and delicious dinners are exactly what I love making on a busy weeknight. As a nutritionist who is super busy with kids in various activities, I need to be able to hit all of three of these on any given weeknight. This particular recipe is the perfect springtime recipe in every single way. Here are all the reasons why I love it:
- Loaded with asparagus; my favorite spring time vegetable!
- So decadent delicious with a lemon creamy sauce
- Made without dairy and a much healthier way of enjoying a comfort food recipe!
- One pan meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes
A light and hearty meal full of nutrients!
As mentioned above, this is a creamy dish. But instead of butter and cream, I used coconut milk and coconut oil. Coconut oil and milk are better alternatives to heavy cream and butter. Although they have high saturated fat content, they are much healthier source of fat than most saturated fat because they contain medium-chain triglycerides (also called MCT’s).
I don’t want to get too scienc-y on you, but let me just share with you the difference between MCT saturated fats and other common saturated fats (such as vegetable oils, animal fats, etc.) MCTs are sent directly to your liver and are quickly converted into energy as opposed to being stored as fat. This also creates less stress on the digestive system and does not require special enzymes to break down.
How to make Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms:
- Start off by heating up some coconut oil in a skillet. Sauté each chicken breast for a few minutes on each side (they will not be cooked through), set aside.
- You may need to add a bit more coconut oil, and add your mushrooms, garlic, and asparagus to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the asparagus is nice and crispy, and the mushrooms are fragrant and soft.
- Now add the chicken back to the skillet. Place coconut milk, lemon juice, and lemon rind with the chicken. Heat up the pan to medium high heat, cover.
- After the mixture begins to bubble, turn the heat down to medium low. Simmer altogether until the chicken is cooked through (about 5-8 minutes).
Serving and Storing:
Serve immediately with zoodles, rice, or pasta. I loved zoodles with this recipe, both my kids and husband enjoyed with rice. You can also serve with the following side dishes:
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Easy House Salad
- Roasted Brussels sprouts Salad with Mustard Basil Vinaigrette
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Be sure to rate the recipe below and comment if you make it! Also, tag me on Instagram @wholesomelicious with your creations. I love to see them!
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Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms is a healthy, easy, and delicious dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes! Recipe is also dairy-free, Paleo, Keto, and Whole30.
Ingredients
- 3-4 large chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 8 medium sized asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 3/4 cup coconut milk the canned stuff, you can use light or full fat
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
Instructions
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Begin by heating up a large skillet to medium-medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 tbsp coconut oil.
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Place chicken in pan, heat about 3 minutes per side, and set aside (chicken will not be cooked through).
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Add remaining coconut oil if needed. Toss in crushed garlic, asparagus, and mushrooms.
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Saute until asparagus is crispy, and mushrooms are soft and fragrant (about 10 minutes)
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Return the chicken to the pan. Add in coconut milk, lemon juice, and lemon rind.
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With the skillet on medium high heat, cover. Wait until the mixture bubbles, then lower to medium low. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
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Salt to taste and serve with rice, pasta, or zoodles.
Do you use canned coconut milk?
Never mind. I see the recipe states “canned” coconut milk 🙂
The recipe says lemon rind. Does that mean the zest of the lemon?
Yes! Sorry, I use the two interchangeably. But you are correct in that it’s only the zest of the lemon! I’ll change the recipe too 🙂
Thank you for clarifying 🙂 I ways confused as well
This was excellent. I just used olive oil instead of coconut oil because that’s what I had. Still very good! I didn’t even eat it with noodles; I used extra mushrooms and asparagus. It was so good!! Thanks!! I’m keeping this recipe!
Great! Glad you loved it Amy!
Looks delicious! Do you think I could substitute Greek yogurt with stock to think out if needed instead of the coconut milk?
Hi Jess, Greek yogurt might be a little tricky because it has a tendency to clump. I would try half and half or a greek yogurt cream cheese if you don’t mind the dairy.
What are these “zoodles” that you mentioned in you post? I would think they might be some kind of zucchini pasta but I am not sure.
Hi there, zoodles are zucchini noodles made in a spiralizer. You can also serve this over spaghetti squash too! Any pasta would also work if you don’t follow a gluten-free diet.
Hey I’m trying this with chicken legs. Thanks for this wonderful recipe it’s my first time cooking with coconut oil and coconut milk.
Hey would this freeze well?
I am thinking probably not. Coconut milk is tricky to freeze and doesn’t work well for me.
Hi, I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but I planned on trying It tonight. I am wondering if I can substitute anything for the coconut milk since I don’t have some handy at home. Would evaporated milk work? I also have coconut water…I wanted to avoid a trip to the store if possible!
Thanks!
Hi Raquel! Yes, you can absolutely substitute for the coconut milk. If you are not following a dairy-free diet, feel free to try heavy cream, half and half, or even evaporated milk. I would not recommend the coconut water, and if I had to pick I would choose the cream or half and half over evaporated milk.
Looks like I am off to the store because I don’t have anything but the evaporated milk! I’ll stick with the coconut milk. 🙂
OMG!!! I just made this and it was amazing!!! I was scared of the coconut milk and oil but I didn’t taste it at all!!! My dad loved it and he has not been impressed with my paleo or Whole30 meals. I had sweet potatoes and served that on the side. I will make this again!!
So glad you enjoyed it Valerie! If you are happy with the coconut milk recipes, you really need to try this one that’s similar and sooooo good: https://www.wholesomelicious.com/creamy-maple-dijon-chicken-with-bacon/
Can I use carton coconut milk instead of canned? And would green beans be a good idea to replace asparagus? Husband doesn’t like asparagus 🙂
Hi Alexandra! You can absolutely replace with green beans, or even broccoli. I would not use regular carton coconut milk because it does not have the fat content and is not as thick as canned coconut milk. It would come out very watery and I don’t think it would taste as good. However, if it was all you had, use some sort of thickening agent like arrowroot starch to thicken the sauce.
We are doing an ms walk on April 9th and the team is coming back for a celebration.
Could I make this the day before and just heat it up after walk, I really feel I could but wanted to get your thoughts. I’d make jasmine rice the day before and just heat it all up together in a 200 degree oven.
Yes!! I still tastes great the next day! Enjoy your walk!
This recipe was beyond amazing! Been trying to find quick and easy recipes to cook and this one quickly became our favorite! We added a bit of crushed red peppers to add for spice. Thank you for sharing!
Great Dani! So glad you enjoyed it!!
OMGoodness! This was amazing! I am so excited to have a clean food dinner recipe that the entire family loves! So stinkin’ good! I have to share this on Facebook. Thank you!!!
Love it!! So glad to hear Tammie, thank you!!!
I would love to try this meal, but hubby is allergic to coconut and I have to be dairy free for my daughter’s health. What would you advise substituting for the coconut milk? I will either use earths balance butter as a substitute for the oil, but wasn’t sure what would be best for the milk. I usually cook with almond milk but wouldn’t mind getting cashew if needed. Thanks!
Hi Trish! Almond or cashew would be fine, especially if you have experience using it. It won’t be very thick, so you may want to use a thickening agent such as arrowroot powder. You can use olive oil or ghee in place of coconut oil without any problems. Let me know how it turns out!
I made this tonight since I’m new to a no-dairy diet thanks to my new baby. It was great. I forgot to buy canned coconut but I did have some “coconut creamer” in the carton already on hand and used that. It was watery but still flavorful. I will make this again but I think I will add red pepper flakes to turn up the heat. Thank you!
You’re welcome Bekky!! You can always use a thickening agent like arrowroot starch to thicken it up next time 🙂 Congratulations on your new baby!
I made this last night but with turkey cutlets & used olive oil (could not find my coconut oil) and it was so good. I have some leftover for dinner. Yippie! Will use less coconut milk next time though. Thanks for this receipe, my new go to dinner..quick, easy & delicious!
Awesome Dana! So glad you loved it!
Made this vegan with Quorn Chik’n Cutlets and got a fist bump from my meat eating husband! We love it!
I LOVE this Stephanie! Great idea. I am always trying to veganize things around here; as I also cook for meat lovers 🙂 I’m trying it your way next time!
Do you use the sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
Hi Amanda, I use the canned full fat coconut milk which is not sweetened. Don’t use the carton coconut milk; it will turn out watery!
My hubby moaned in pleasure through the whole meal… Special note: This can be eaten as a soup. Cut the chicken into chunks and use a whole pound of asparagus and 8 oz of fresh mushrooms (I used Baby Bellas). We had broth leftover, and I’ll have it as part of my lunch tomorrow. Five stars and a standing ovation!
This is great!! So glad you loved it, and yes, makes a perfect soup!!
I’m really in the minority here, I didn’t like this at all. The only thing I changed was sautéing in olive oil. But I think it’s the coconut milk that didn’t go well. I use coconut milk a lot for other recipes but this didn’t do it for me. And no one else liked it either but they all said it smelled good!
Sorry you didn’t like it! I think the dish is also delicious without the addition of coconut milk.
I’m usually wary of recipes that haven’t been extensively reviewed but I was so intrigued by this one, I had to to try it. This was a hit! 10 year old daughter and very finicky boyfriend loved it. Thank you for sharing!
So good!! Really impressed with this one and so is my boyfriend! I added my random leftover veggies too – cabbage and onions. Cabbage thinly sliced added a second noodle like texture. You could even make this vegetarian by adding extra mushrooms instead of chicken. Zoodles rule the world!
Hi there,
Tried this dish tonight and it came out really bland for me 🙁 I did everything according to the recipe except maybe my lemon produced too little juice? Any ideas where I could have gone wrong?
Hi Nikki, sorry it didn’t turn out. Sometimes vegetables that are used can be lacking with flavor (just depends on the region and time of year). Otherwise I would suggest adding some chicken stock (add some arrowroot starch to thicken) more lemon juice, sea salt and cracked pepper (maybe crushed red pepper) and even some herbs you like. Fresh basil would well of even Rosemary or thyme. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this!! Always looking for non-dairy recipes! Where do you get the arrow root starch? Can you tell us more about it? Does it need to be mixed with a liquid before adding it to the dish like other thickening agents?
Also, I bought a jar of coconut oil, but it just looks like white paste…is this right? Do I need to mix it, or how do I use it? Like a dollop of paste in the pan, and it liquidizes?
Thanks again!!
Hi Leebie! You can find arrowroot starch in most grocery stores, but in particular it will be at any health food grocery store. I also order mine online at Thrive Market or amazon. It works just like cornstarch by dissolving in water first. And the coconut oil is supposed to be a white paste. It will become liquid once you put a spoonful in a hot pan. Hope this helps 🙂
DELICIOUS!!! I made a few very slight changes- seasoned chicken with salt/pepper/garlic, added a little more lemon, and then used corn starch to thicken the sauce up a bit more. Myself and the kids had it over zoodles, and my husband had his over rice. EVERYONE loved it, even the 6 & 7 year olds! This one will be made again here SOON! 🙂
I just made this for lunch! So so yummy!!! I had to leave out the mushrooms, because I didn’t have any. I did however add in zucchini , doubled the lemon(I love lemon) and a touch of creole seasoning. The flavor was great and the coconut milk was creamy and yummy!! Thank you for posting your recipe!! We eat Paleo in our house so it is great to see all of these wonderful recipes posted online!
So glad you liked it Kira!!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. It has the perfect balance of flavors.
Hello!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was so delicious! It has the right balance of flavors. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bev! So glad you enjoyed it!
Is there a substitute for mushrooms.or would it be ok to just omit them?
I would just omit all together!
Everyone at the dinner table loved it. But it didn’t turn out “creamy” at all. The sauce had the consistency of a broth. Was this supposed to happen?
My grocery store has lemons of variou size so I’m wondering what size lemon? Small or the size of your palm? Or better yet 1 tablespoon or 3 tablespoons? Measurements sure help in duplicating your yummy recipes! Looking forward to making this asap!
Hi Karen, it should be right around 3 tbsp. For me, it’s a larger size Lemon.
This was a really easy dish to make and very good!
Full of Flavor! Thank you for posting, we will make this again!
You are welcome! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this exactly per the recipe and both my hub and I thought it was very blahhhh. No spices no salt called for — will try again but chef it up.
Made last night. Used light coconut milk and added mini sweet bell peppers. Turned out so yummy!!!
Thanks Britt! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this recipe (we’re doing the AIP paleo diet) a couple of times. This is amazing, love it!!
Thanks so much!!
Yay! Thank you, so glad you love it!
I’m going to try this with tofu or just more veggies. I love lemon
Great idea!
I was really disappointed. It was not creamy at all (I did use cocoanut milk out of a bottle). but even so, It could have used twice as many asparagus and mushrooms. And the chicken was not tender. Not cooked long enough. Disappointed.
You have to use the full fat coconut milk from the can to get that creamy texture and taste. Sorry it didn’t work out!
Made this tonight and it’s amazing!!!
INITIAL REVIEW: 1/5.
This rating is based solely on the recipe with dairy substituted for the coconut milk (per the cook Amy’s suggestion in the comments), everything else as-is.
I’m seriously kicking myself because I KNOW lemon curdles dairy, but I figured if it was suggested by the person who made the recipe… maybe they had tried the substitution and gotten it to work.
Unfortunately it did indeed curdle, badly. Completely ruined dinner and I had to toss everything.
SECOND ATTEMPT, SANS LEMON: 3.5/5
I substituted evaporated milk for coconut milk, 1:1, and left out all lemon (juice and slices/zest). Sauce was a little too thin for my taste, so heavy cream would have done better. Overall taste is good, although chicken was also a little bland.
THIRD ATTEMPT, STILL SANS LEMON BUT +SPICES: 5/5
I melted 3 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan together, then added 1.5 tsp white wine, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp dried oregano. Cut chicken up into 1-2 inch cubes and cooked for 3 min each side. Removed from pan then cooked asparagus and mushrooms for ~10 min, added chicken back, and added 1 cup of heavy cream. Brought to simmer, reduced heat, and then cooked for approx. 5 min covered.
Served over rice or cauliflower rice and it was a hit in our house. I would have loved to try the original recipe with coconut oil & milk, but my husband cannot have either.
I absolutely love this recipe! I have made it several times. I used light coconut milk and added a tsp of salt free lemon pepper seasoning in place of the salt and pepper. Followed the recipe and it was delicious! Definitely our dinner go to! Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome!! Thanks, Carey!
Healthy and delicious. We enjoyed it. Thank you
This was really good, and easy to make! I put it over cauliflower rice. Definitely going on my make again list. Thank you!