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    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Published: Aug 14, 2022 · Modified: Oct 1, 2022 by Claire · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases · Leave a Comment

    Lemon Balm Chicken

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This lemon balm chicken is delightfully fragrant, with the fresh citrus flavour of herbs and a touch of garlic. It has just a few ingredients, cooks in your skillet in just 20 minutes and makes for a delicious weeknight meal!

    Love lemon balm? Perhaps you would like to see my lemon balm pesto too!

    lemon balm chicken fillets on a white plate with fresh lemon balm leaves.

    With lots of pots of herbs in my back yard, I've been loving to cook with these fresh and fragrant pops of flavour. If you love herby recipes too then you may like to see my rosemary chicken fillets (most popular chicken recipe on the site!), my Italian herb chicken, my air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs and my coriander pesto pasta. Both fragrant and delicious!

    And for a fruity chicken dinner, I think you will love my nectarine basil chicken recipe!

    This lemon balm chicken makes the most of this flavourful herb, with its lemony fresh taste. We make a simple marinade, then simply pan fry in a skillet. Pair with fresh salads such as my mango slaw for a light and tasty dinner.

    Check out my 15 delicious chicken recipes for more dinner ideas!

    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why this recipe is so good
    • 🐓 Ingredients
    • 📖 Swaps and variations
    • 🔪 Step by step instructions
    • 💭 Recipe tips and notes
    • 📋 Frequently asked questions
    • 🍽 What to serve with this skillet chicken
    • 🥬 Lemon balm as an antihistamine
    • 📖 Marinating time
    • 🍽 More tasty chicken recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ⭐ Why this recipe is so good

    Fresh and flavourful. Using fresh herbs along with a hint of garlic gives so much flavour, and the apple juice helps keep the chicken tender.

    Few ingredients. A short list of ingredients and quick cook time makes this perfect for an easy weeknight meal.

    Lemon flavour without lemon. I think my low histamine readers will love the citrus flavours, without actually using citrus!

    🐓 Ingredients

    individually labelled ingredients to make lemon balm chicken including olive oil, garlic and apple juice.

    All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.

    Some pointers on a few of them:

    • Chicken fillets - I suggest that using ready prepared skinless chicken fillets (plain, without any flavouring) is better than whole chicken breasts for this recipe. You can also slice chicken breasts lengthways before use.
    • Lemon balm - the fresh leaves rather than dried for a lighter flavour.
    • Garlic - adjust the quantity to taste preference!

    📖 Swaps and variations

    Dice chicken breasts yourself. If you can't get hold of chicken fillets at the store, simply slice a chicken breast into smaller pieces before use.

    Add a squeeze of lemon juice. If it is suitable for you, then adding a hint of lemon juice will further bring out the citrus flavours.

    Adjust the amount of lemon balm. The recipe gives a nice hum of fragrant flavour, but you can always add a few more leaves for an even punchier taste!

    🔪 Step by step instructions

    Just a few easy steps to make this herby chicken:

    diced lemon balm, garlic and a knife on a wooden board labelled number one.
    chicken, herbs and garlic in a glass bowl labelled number two.

    Step 1

    Prepare the lemon balm marinade. Finely dice or mince the garlic, and dice the lemon balm leaves (image 1).

    Step 2

    Marinate the chicken. Pour the apple juice and olive oil into a bowl or container that can be sealed, then add the lemon balm, garlic, salt and black pepper along with the chicken fillets (image 2). Use your hands or a spoon to coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes up to a few hours.

    My low histamine readers may wish to see the note below on marinating time.

    chicken fillets with herbs and garlic in a skillet labelled number three.
    cooked chicken fillets with herbs in a skillet labelled number four.

    Step 3 & 4

    Pan fry the chicken. Heat the olive oil in your skillet and then use tongs to place the chicken. You will likely need to fry the chicken in two batches to avoid over-crowding the skillet (images 3 and 4). Fry for 3-4 minutes each side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165F at their deepest point.

    💭 Recipe tips and notes

    • If using chicken breasts, slice into a couple of pieces lengthways so you have smaller chicken fillets.
    • Adjust the marinating time to preference.
    • Like a really punchy marinade? Simply add more herbs or garlic!
    • Cook time will vary slightly depending upon the size of the chicken fillets.
    • Always check that you have an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest point of the chicken. Using a meat thermometer takes the guess work out of this process.

    📋 Frequently asked questions

    What does lemon balm taste like?

    Fresh lemon balm leaves have a really lovely citrus aroma, and an equally lemony taste when cooked.

    Can I cook the chicken on the BBQ?

    Yes, this can easily be cooked on the BBQ! As always, make sure it is cooked through and use a meat thermometer to check.

    How do you prepare the lemon balm leaves?

    Simply give them a wash (especially if picking yourself!) then finely dice with a sharp knife.

    Can I add other herbs to the marinade?

    You can easily add other herbs such as fresh mint.

    🍽 What to serve with this skillet chicken

    Having a summer dinner or maybe even a BBQ? Then I suggest fresh and light salads such as my pear fennel salad and kale apple slaw.

    Fancy something a bit more comfort food style? My roasted vegetable pasta salad is always a crowd-pleaser!

    For a hot evening meal, you can pair with my roasted zucchini and potatoes or my creamy potato and cauliflower mash.

    🥬 Lemon balm as an antihistamine

    While lemon balm isn't mentioned on the SIGHI food compatibility list, it is is rated as low histamine on other lists. Interestingly, it has reputed antihistamine effects (Ramanauskiene et al, 2015 - note that was in relation to topical preparations). It is also recommended to drink as a tea for insomnia for those with histamine intolerance to help with histamine and mediator release (SIGHI).

    📖 Marinating time

    In terms of marinating time for the chicken, my low histamine readers may wish to skip this step if they are sensitive to histamine formation. The chicken will still be flavourful if cooked right away!

    lemon balm chicken fillets and fresh lemon balm leaves on a white plate.

    🍽 More tasty chicken recipes

    Find so many ideas on my chicken recipes page, including my rosemary thyme chicken, chicken leek risotto and creamy turmeric chicken thighs. Have a peek at these recent recipes too:

    • baked rosemary thyme chicken on a white plate next to arugula.
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    • air fried pesto chicken thighs on a cream plate garnished with herbs.
      Air Fryer Pesto Chicken
    • creamy tarragon skillet on a white plate next to fresh herbs.
      Creamy Tarragon Chicken
    • ricotta stuffed chicken breast on a cream plate next to herbs, arugula and sweet potato.
      Herb Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast

    I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you have tried the recipe!

    📖 Recipe

    lemon balm chicken and fresh lemon balm leaves on a white plate.

    Lemon Balm Chicken

    Claire
    With a fresh citrus flavour, this lemon balm chicken is equally perfect as a summer or winter meal and is so easy to make in your skillet!
    5 from 3 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Marinating time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
    Course BBQ food, Dinner
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 2 servings
    Calories 420 kcal

    Equipment

    • Large bowl
    • Skillet
    • Tongs
    • Meat thermometer

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 chicken breasts skinless, diced into fillets
    • 3 tablespoon fresh lemon balm leaves diced, more to preference
    • 1 garlic clove minced or finely diced
    • 2 tablespoon apple juice
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
    • pinch salt
    • pinch black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Dice the lemon balm leaves and finely dice or mince the garlic.
    • If using chicken breasts, I suggest slicing lengthways into 2-3 fillets depending upon their size.
    • Pour the apple juice and half the olive oil into a large bowl (or tupperware), then add the lemon balm, garlic, chicken fillets, salt and black pepper. Stir or use your hands to coat the chicken in the marinade. Set aside in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
    • Heat the remaining olive oil in your skillet then use tongs to transfer the chicken fillets. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until they have an internal temperature of 165F. The cook time will vary slightly depending upon the size of the chicken pieces.

    Notes

    • If using chicken breasts then I suggest to slice them lengthways into smaller chicken fillets.
    • Use fresh lemon balm leaves rather than dried lemon balm for this recipe.
    • Adjust the amount of garlic and herbs to preference.
    • Always check the internal temperature of the chicken at its deepest point for a reading of 165F.
    • My low histamine readers may wish to see the note on marinating time in the post above.
    • Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate not a guarantee.
     
    Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) food compatibility list for histamine
    All ingredients score 0 on the SIGHI list, with the exception of:
    • lemon balm isn't rated but is stated to be low histamine on other lists.
    • garlic, which scores 1.
    • black pepper, which scores 2.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 54gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 130mgPotassium: 490mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 249IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @lowhistaminekitchen or tag #lowhistaminekitchen!
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    Hi, I’m Claire. After a diagnosis of MCAS I began to follow a low histamine diet, which has helped me manage my symptoms. Here I hope to show that a restrictive diet can still be full of flavourful meals, and help you enjoy being creative in the kitchen.

    More about me →

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