Creamy Chicken Leek Recipe with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce

By A Full Living

This Creamy Leek Chicken with Dill Cream Sauce is the kind of one-pan dinner that looks and tastes like you really tried, and comes together in about 45 minutes on a weeknight. Golden pan-seared chicken breasts nestle into the silkiest sauce built from buttery leeks, garlic, white wine, lemon, and a big handful of fresh dill, then finished with a cold pat of butter that makes the whole thing glossy and rich. It’s bright, buttery, herby, and deeply savory all at once. The sauce is so good you’ll be tempted to pour it over everything on your plate.

The leeks melt down into something silky and almost sweet, dill keeps everything bright, and together in a buttery cream sauce with garlic, white wine, and lemon? It’s one of those combinations that just really works. One pan, stovetop start to finish, and easy enough for a weeknight. Chamere woke up the next morning wanting it for breakfast, which honestly says everything you need to know. 🤤

Serve it over egg noodles or mashed potatoes and your favorite veggie sides!

Ingredients for This Lemon Dill Chicken with Leeks

Simple ingredients, nothing fussy, good butter, fresh leeks, and a handful of dill bring all the flavor.

How to Make Creamy Leek and Chicken

All you need is one pan and about 45 minutes. Let’s get into it!

Step 1: Pat your chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Rub them all over with oil, then season generously with kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried dill.

Step 2: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Work in batches if needed; crowding the pan means steaming, not searing. Cook without moving it for 4-5 minutes, until a deep golden crust develops.

Step 3: Flip and cook through. During the last couple of minutes of cooking, add Plugrà butter directly to the pan. As it melts and foams, tilt the pan slightly and spoon the butter continuously over the chicken. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.

Step 4: Add the remaining butter to the same pan over medium heat.

Step 5: Once melted, add the sliced leeks and season with salt.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until softened, silky, and just starting to turn golden at the edges.

Step 6: Add the flour and garlic at the same time and stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Step 7: Pour in the white wine and scrape up any golden bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble and reduce by about half, 2-3 minutes.

Step 8: Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the heavy cream and let everything warm through, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 9: Stir in the fresh dill, black pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Step 10: Pull the pan off the heat and add the cold butter one tablespoon at a time, swirling until each pat is fully melted before adding the next.

Step 11: Nestle the chicken back into the sauce.

Slice the chicken, and dig in!

This Creamy Leek Chicken with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce comes together in one pan in about 45 minutes. Chicken breasts get seasoned and seared golden in oil, then basted in Plugrà butter for a rich, golden finish. Buttery leeks, garlic, and white wine build the base of a silky lemon dill cream sauce, stabilized with a quick flour roux and finished with cold butter off the heat for that glossy, restaurant-quality feel. Serve over buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes for a weeknight dinner that tastes like serious effort.

Equipment

• large skillet
• instant read thermometer

Ingredients  

Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons oil any neutral oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon Diamond crystal salt per pound, see notes
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons Plugrà unsalted European-style butter

Creamy leek dill and lemon sauce

• 3 tablespoons Plugrà unsalted European-style butter
• 3 leeks white and light green parts only, sliced into rounds and cleaned
• ½-1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
• 12 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 15g
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1¼ cups chicken stock
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest zest of 1 lemon
• 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice juice from about half a lemon
• ¼ cup fresh dill roughly chopped
• ¼-½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons Plugrà unsalted European-style butter cold and cubed

Instructions 

Sear the chicken

• Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Rub all over with 1 tablespoon oil, reserving the rest for the skillet, then season evenly with kosher salt, dried dill, garlic powder, and onion powder.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts,2 tablespoons oil,2 teaspoons kosher salt,1 teaspoon dried dill,1 teaspoon garlic powder,1 teaspoon onion powder
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil, and the chicken and sear without moving for 4-5 minutes, until a deep golden crust develops.
• Add butter and baste the tops of the chicken as it finishes. Flip and sear for another 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.2 tablespoons Plugrà unsalted European-style butter

Build the sauce

• Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same pan. Add the sliced leeks and season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and silky, about 5-6 minutes.3 tablespoons Plugrà unsalted European-style butter,3 leeks,½-1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Add the garlic and flour at the same time and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.12 cloves garlic ,2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let reduce by half, about 2 minutes.½ cup dry white wine
• Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and lemon zest. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5-6 minutes.1¼ cups chicken stock,¾ cup heavy cream,1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Stir in the fresh dill, black pepper, and lemon juice.1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice,¼ cup fresh dill,¼-½ teaspoon black pepper
• Remove from heat and swirl in the cold butter one tablespoon at a time until melted, and the sauce is glossy. Taste and adjust salt as needed.3 tablespoons Plugrà unsalted European-style butter

Finish and serve

• Nestle the chicken back into the sauce and spoon it generously over the top. Let rest 2-3 minutes to warm through. Slice and serve over buttered egg noodles or buttermilk mashed potatoes, garnished with extra fresh dill.