Rosemary Lemon Butter Sauce

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Updated on 05/26/22
Spread Butter on Seasoned Grilled, Roasted Spring Chicken Meat
Ivan / Getty Images
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1/2 cup
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
205 Calories
23g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 205
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 14g 72%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 103mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 8mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 14mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A flavorful butter sauce is an easy way to add interest to roasted poultry of all kinds, as well as many other dishes. This recipe for rosemary lemon butter sauce is easy to make and calls for just butter, freshly squeezed lemon juice, fresh rosemary, and garlic salt. Once the butter is melted, the remaining ingredients are added—then this tangy, herbal sauce is ready to be brushed over broiled chicken breast, basted onto a whole turkey while it's roasting, or drizzled over crispy chicken cutlets for a rich, flavorful finish.

Fresh rosemary is best for this recipe as it is much more fragrant than dried. Rosemary is a bold marriage of tastes, including citrus, pine, lavender, evergreen, and mint; some people also experience a bit of licorice. To use fresh rosemary, the whole leaves are removed from the woody stems by simply running your fingers down the stem, then the leaves can be used whole, or chopped as in this recipe. Because of the herb's strong flavor, it should be used sparingly.

This rosemary lemon butter sauce is not only delicious on chicken and turkey, but also pairs perfectly with grilled steak, roast leg of lamb, pork loin, and fish such as salmon, swordfish, and trout. (The sauce can overpower delicate white fish and some shellfish.) This lemon-herb butter sauce is also delicious drizzled over roasted potatoes and other roasted vegetables like winter squash and Brussels sprouts. You can also try it as a dipping sauce for bread or soft pretzels.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Add the butter to a small saucepan and cook over low heat until melted.

  3. While the butter is still warm, stir in the lemon juice, chopped rosemary, and garlic salt.

  4. Use the rosemary butter sauce as desired.

  5. Enjoy.

Recipe Variation

If you'd like to give this sauce a little more depth, you can add white wine, chicken broth, and cream, along with some chopped shallots. Once the butter is melted, add one small shallot that's been chopped and saute until softened and translucent. Then pour in about a cup each of white wine, chicken broth, and cream and simmer until the mixture is reduced by half. Stir in the rosemary and garlic salt and serve warm over broiled or pan-seared chicken.