Every now and then you come across one of those recipes that just leaves you speechless. Well, today I’m introducing you to one of those recipes. This Creamy Garlic Chicken is so delicious, so flavorful, and so easy to make for a quick weeknight meal! It starts with tender, pan-seared chicken breasts that are then covered with a creamy, garlic-infused sauce. The moment my family tried this recipe, they instantly loved it! It honestly took everyone’s breath away. If you love simple recipes that are packed with flavor and made with a luscious cream sauce, then make sure to add this one to your weekly rotation!
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I made this tonight and it was delish!!! One of the best chicken recipe by far! Thank you we loved it and the flavors of the sauce was awesome!!
Charissa Woods
This dish features tender, pan-seared chicken breasts smothered in a luscious, garlic-infused sauce. Not only is it incredibly flavorful, but it’s also simple to prepare, making it perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Garlic is the star of the show for this dish, so we’re using lots of it! I love to spoon the garlic over the chicken along with the creamy sauce right before serving.
Budget-Saving Tips!
- A great budget-saving hack we love is to use Better Than Bouillon paste. It has a long shelf life, which is great for when you’re using just 1 cup at a time. I recommend the roasted chicken base, but several readers loved the roasted garlic base in this recipe, too!
- For a lower-fat option, try swapping out the heavy cream for half-and-half.
- For a thicker sauce, add a roux of 2 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp melted butter or a slurry of 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1-2 Tbsp cold water.
- Some great additions our readers have loved include sautéed or caramelized onions, cooked crumbled bacon, spinach, sautéed mushrooms, a squeeze of lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.
Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe
Cost $9.21 recipe / $2.30 serving
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs. total)* ($6.49)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ($0.06)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2 Tbsp butter, divided ($0.27)
- 1 whole garlic bulb (about 8-9 garlic cloves)** ($0.64)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.17)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream ($1.08)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- Salt and Pepper to taste ($0.04)
Video
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, carefully fillet each chicken breast into two thinner cutlets (or use thin-cut chicken breasts).
- Season each breast with Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Then sprinkle the flour over both sides of the chicken breasts and rub it in until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. Once the skillet is hot, add the chicken and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through (about 4 minutes per side). Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.
- While the chicken is cooking, peel the garlic cloves and then carefully smash them with the side of a large chef's knife by pressing down on the side of the knife with the heel of your hand.
- Once the chicken is removed, to the same skillet add the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter, then add the garlic cloves. Turn the heat down to medium-low and sauté the garlic for 3 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Make sure to stir the garlic frequently to prevent it from burning.
- Next pour the chicken broth and heavy cream into the skillet, then add the garlic powder. Stir and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Allow the sauce to simmer in the skillet for 8-10 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened by about 50%. Taste the sauce at this point and add salt and pepper if needed (I added about ⅛ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp of black pepper).
- Finally, return the cooked chicken breasts to the skillet and spoon the creamy sauce over top. Allow the chicken to heat through. Serve with fresh chopped parsley (optional), and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Creamy Garlic Chicken Step-by-Step Photos
Using a sharp knife, carefully fillet 2 chicken breast into two thinner cutlets (or use thin-cut chicken breasts). Season each breast with 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Then sprinkle 1/4 cup all-purpose flour over both sides of the chicken breasts and rub it in until the chicken is evenly coated.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. Once the skillet is hot, add the chicken and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through (about 4 minutes per side). Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.
While the chicken is cooking, peel the garlic cloves from 1 whole head of garlic. Then carefully smash them with the side of a large chef’s knife by pressing down on the side of the knife with the heel of your hand.
Once the chicken is removed, to the same skillet add the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter, then add the garlic cloves. Turn the heat down to medium-low and sauté the garlic for 3 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Make sure to stir the garlic frequently to prevent it from burning.
Next pour 1 cup chicken broth and 3/4 cup heavy cream into the skillet, then add 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Stir and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Allow the sauce to simmer in the skillet for 8-10 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened by about 50%.
Taste the sauce at this point and add salt and pepper if needed (I added about ⅛ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp of black pepper). Return the cooked chicken breasts to the skillet and spoon the creamy sauce over top. Allow the chicken to heat through.
Serve with fresh chopped parsley (optional) and enjoy this creamy, flavorful sauce with mashed potatoes, pasta, or any of your favorite sides.
serving suggestions
Creamy sauce recipes like this creamy garlic chicken are perfect to serve with Mashed Potatoes, so the potatoes can soak up all of that extra sauce. You can also serve the chicken and sauce over a bed of pasta or rice, or serve it with a simple side salad or in our case a Caesar Salad. You really can’t go wrong with any side that you choose!
Made this recipe for the first time and it was delicious! It tasted like something you’d eat at a restaurant. Rich, garlicky, and creamy. My cooking skills are very average/perhaps below-average — but this recipe was very doable and came together quickly.
I made this for my 17 year old picky eater son. We both devoured it! It was so delish!! Thank you for sharing!
My family absolutely loves this chicken nd has me put it in out weekly rotation. That says something! Thank you for sharing it!
I didn’t have any full bulbs of garlic, I used probably 8 bulbs for of minced garlic that I had in the freezer. I didn’t use the measurements for seasoning, I just eyeballed it to my liking.
When it came to the sauce thinking up, I just added a cornstarch slurry to thicken it to my liking. I used chicken thighs instead of breast and OMG where they tender! The flavor was GREAT! I served it with roasted potatoes wedges and asparagus, next time in doing noodles in the sauce. It’s similar to a chicken Alfredo flavor without the cheese.
Horrible however I did make some good creamy garlic sauce after cooking for 1 whole hour
I added chicken bouillon and lemon to the creamy sauce 🤤
Not a single drop of flavor with this one. I’d recommend mincing garlic as this does not work at all.
I added lemon and chicken bouillon to the creamy sauce
Finally made this after wanting to try it for so long – not sure why I waited. This is delicious and tastes like something out of a restaurant for a fraction of the price. Toddler-approved, I will be making this again!!
OMG. I made this to the recipe, absolutely amazing. Will do it again for sure.
It was bussin!!!
I enjoyed making this, it’s a great recipe and it was easy to follow. I used many different herbs and spices, along with Bell Peppers, Red Onion, and those little tomatoes.
I made this creamy garlic chicken for dinner this evening. My entire house smells of garlic which is fabulous. My husband loved it. Only problem is that I have a dentist appointment in the morning. I’m sure he’ll understand. I might just give him the recipe to try. Can’t wait to make it again. Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa
I made this tonight and my husband and I both loved it. I’ll definitely make again.
Delicious! I added a teaspoon of mustard too and it gave it a nice savoury kick.
Absolutely delicious! My husband keeps asking for this every week!! I didn’t change a thing.
Soooo good! Meal prepped it with mushrooms and onions added to the sauce, and served over mashed potatoes. Thank you!
What a great idea! We love extra veggies, so I did this too. Served it with air fried broccoli and rice.