This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
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. I love tossing mushrooms into meals like this—they’re great at soaking up flavor and bringing that cozy, savory depth. 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 it with zoodles, while my kids and husband preferred rice. For a simple side, you could pair it with Oven Roasted Potatoes, or keep things light and fresh with an Easy House Salad
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!
Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms
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
- Begin by heating up a large skillet to medium-medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 tbsp coconut oil.
- Place chicken in pan, heat about 3 minutes per side, and set aside (chicken will not be cooked through).
- Add remaining coconut oil if needed. Toss in crushed garlic, asparagus, and mushrooms.
- Saute until asparagus is crispy, and mushrooms are soft and fragrant (about 10 minutes)
- Return the chicken to the pan. Add in coconut milk, lemon juice, and lemon rind.
- 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.
- Salt to taste and serve with rice, pasta, or zoodles.
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.
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?
Is there a substitute for mushrooms.or would it be ok to just omit them?
I would just omit all together!
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!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. It has the perfect balance of flavors.
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!!
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! ๐
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 ๐
Hi there,
Tried this dish tonight and it came out really bland for me ๐ 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!
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!