Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken
with Parmesan Zucchini Rounds & Scallion Couscous
- Milk
- Wheat
Lemon is our go-to ingredient for brightening up any meal, and this dish is positively bursting with citrusy goodness! Seared chicken is drizzled with a creamy, lemon-spiked pan sauce that would taste good on pretty much anything. On the side, there’s roasted zucchini topped with a crispy Parmesan topping—plus scallion-studded Israeli couscous tossed with both lemon juice and zest. When life gives you lemons, you know what to do.
Ingredients
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
¾ cup
Israeli Couscous
(Contains: Wheat)
1 unit
Zucchini
2 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
½ unit
Lemon
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
12 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 unit
Scallions
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce.
Trim and slice zucchini crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Zest and halve lemon.
In a small bowl, combine panko and Parmesan with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper.
Toss zucchini on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, half the Tuscan Heat Spice (you’ll use the rest in the next step), salt, and pepper.
Arrange zucchini in a single layer so they are touching but not overlapping. Top with panko mixture.
Roast on top rack until zucchini is tender and panko is golden brown and crispy, 15-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season with remaining Tuscan Heat Spice, salt, and pepper.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.
Turn off heat; transfer chicken to a plate. Wipe out pan.
While chicken cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites; cook until softened, 1 minute.
Add couscous; stir until toasted, 30 seconds.
Stir in 1 cup water (2 cups for 4 servings), half the stock concentrates (you’ll use the rest in the next step), and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook until couscous is tender, 6-8 minutes.
Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
Heat pan used for chicken over medium-high heat. Add remaining stock concentrate, ¼ cup water (⅓ cup for 4 servings), and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Simmer until slightly reduced, 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat.
Stir in sour cream and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted and combined. Season with salt and pepper.
To pot with couscous, add juice from half the lemon, half the lemon zest, half the scallion greens, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. TIP: If couscous seems dry, add a splash of water. For extra richness, stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings).
Divide couscous, chicken, and zucchini between plates. Spoon sauce over chicken. Top with remaining scallion greens and lemon zest. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the lemon butter sauce and Tuscan heat spice blend, calling it "bursting with citrusy goodness" 🍋.
- Ease of prep: Some found it quick and easy, while others felt it had too many steps or pans to manage.
- Suggestions: Consider starting the couscous earlier; some found it undercooked or gummy following the recipe timing.
- Portions: Several wished for more zucchini; one small zucchini wasn't enough for two servings.
- Texture: The zucchini topping was praised for its crunch, but some found the zucchini itself mushy or soggy.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was so good. We've been getting Hello Fresh boxes sporadically for several years now and my son announced that this was his favorite meal from HF ever. We loved the Parmesan panko crusted zucchini so much. The couscous was fantastic with the scallions and the chicken with that creamy lemon sauce was amazing!
WOW! Incredibly delicious Lemon Butter chicken, complimented by equally tasty Scallion Couscous and Zucchini rounds! I admitedly was blown away by how good this dinner came out in under 40 minutes... I've had my share of chicken and couscous, but this chicken was phenomenal and the couscous almost stole the show! MORE... PLEASE?! 🔥🔥🔥
It tasted good. I liked the panko and Parmesan on the zucchini and the lemon and scallion in the couscous. I cooked the sauce too long and it dried up. I cooked the chicken a little too long, but it still tasted good.
I recently had the pleasure of trying Hello Fresh's Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken with Couscous recipe, and it was truly amazing. This dish has undoubtedly earned its place as one of our favorite recipes. We decided to cook the chicken on a cast iron, and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. The cast iron provided the perfect sear, creating a lovely golden crust on the chicken while keeping it juicy and tender on the inside. The flavors that infused the chicken were nothing short of remarkable. The combination of creamy lemon butter sauce and succulent chicken breasts created a symphony of taste. The lemon added a refreshing zing, perfectly balancing the richness of the buttery sauce. Every bite was a burst of creamy, tangy goodness that left us wanting more. The couscous and the zucchini served alongside the chicken, was a delightful accompaniment. It soaked up the flavors of the dish, providing a satisfying texture and a subtle taste. It was the perfect complement to the main star of the plate.
I didn't get really crispy zucchini, but that was my fault really. The lemon and scallion couscous may be my favorite thing I have ever had from hello fresh. The lemon butter sauce on the chicken was on point. My only complaint is that I wasn't a huge fan of the spices on the chicken but other than that it was amazing!
The chicken - with the Tuscan heat spices and lemon pan sauce - was absolutely wonderful. The zucchini had a nice flavor but would have been better if I'd salted it and pressed out the extra moisture for 30min before the rest of the prep. The couscous was good, although a little too lemony for me - although I didn't add the optional butter into the couscous, so maybe that would have toned it down enough to match the awesomeness of the chicken. I'd make some modifications to the couscous and zucchini next time but would absolutely do again!
Loved the lemony scallion couscous and the sauce for the chicken, but we weren't a fan of the spice mix in this recipe. It clashed and wasn't flavorful. This recipe would have been better without the spice blend (just salt & pepper on the chicken) and with carrots instead of zucchini.
I really liked the flavor of the lemon butter sauce and I liked that this was a healthy dish. The chicken came out very tender and juicy and the couscous had good flavor. The zucchini was okay. I love zucchini, but this was a bit dry.
It was extremely delicious and was relieved that it was worth all the steps than I expected. Sure was not an easy recipe for me because it had so many steps & took so long for my first Hello Fresh recipe: baking/roasting zucchini to make a topping (lived the Parmesan in it, toasting couscous, blending liquids until reduced, & braising chicken.
The parm crusted zucchini was very yummy! We really liked the seasoning packet that came with this meal. The scallion couscous was a perfect pairing. It is becoming one of our favorite sides. The chicken was moist. We are always pleased with the quality of the meats we receive.
