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
Servings 4Ingredients
- 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)
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!
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Notes
Nutrition
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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!
Even my fussy eater loved this recipe. This is delicious, creamy and moresh! The whole household couldn’t get enough of the yummy sauce and went looking for more! I paired with butter roasted potatoes and steamed veges. A new family fave!
Recipe came out excellent, made a wonderful Easter dinner with a side of french bread!
*I used about 6 chicken thighs and left the rest of the ingredients the same amount and it came out great. Next time I may add spinach to make a one pot meal!
Tried this recipe tonight fir the first time and was probably the best dish I’ve ever made! Great recipe and easy to follow!
I rubbed the chicken breasts in lime juice before seasoning which I do with all poultry that I cook. This contributed to a slight zesty flavor that conplemented the creme sauce and the season on the chicken.
Enjoyed this creamy garlic chicken with Grandchildren then cooked another batch for daughter in law on her return from work plus a portion for son for later arrival. The recipe was easy to follow and it was a great success. Just a little confused why whole garlic cloves appear in the photo when recipe says ‘minced’.
the recipe calls for garlic cloves that are smashed with edge of a knife you can substitute minced garlic if necessary
Just make this for the first time tonight and it came out great both of my kids loves the sauce only change I did was mince the garlic and I sprinkled some shredded parmesian over the chicken while it heated in the sauce. Great recipe will definitely be adding it to my dinner rotation
This recipe was absolutely delicious! The creaminess and garlic flavours come out very nicely. I used 2 deboned chicken thighs with leg attached, and multiplied the recipe by 1.5x. I also subbed out the Italian seasoning for a 2:1:1 ratio of basil, oregano, and cayenne pepper.
What can I do if wanting to make the night before and warm up the next day. has anyone tried? should I just cook up the chicken and make the sauce the next day. Wanting to make for easter but need it to just pop in the oven and warm up.
You can do either! I would just be very gentle with the heat when reheating the sauce as it could curdle. Start it out on low and whisk it well to bring the sauce back together.
Great recipe! Just made it!!
Excellent!!! I made this last night for my family & we just loved it! I used the leftover heavy cream in a side of mashed potatoes. A great combo with the extra sauce! This deserves more stars for simple ingredients & easy execution! Thanks so much! : )
This recipe is very delicious and something I will definitely make again. I added 1/2 cup chopped onions with my garlic and served it over egg noodles. My 1 y/o loved this.
Hello, I was curious if I could use milk in place of heavy cream, and how would I go about that? I want to make this tonight but all I have is milk
Milk will make the sauce a bit too watery unfortunately! You’re welcome to try it out, but it definitely wont have the same creamy effect.
You could make bechamel sauce and add milk that way along with some of the chicken stock, done that many times myself and it was still nice. Improvise, you will never know until you try đŸ˜‰
I’m a nanny to a very picky ten year old. I make dinner on weeknights for her, me, and her father. She doesn’t like most chicken dishes, doesn’t like most sauces, and even says she doesn’t like chicken broth (or any soup). I was hoping since she liked the garlic butter sauce I’ve made for pasta that she would enjoy it. I made it as directed, using the suggested minced garlic substitute garlic gloves and adding on the cornstarch and water slurry mentioned to help thicken the sauce at the end. I also made pasta and broccoli to have with it. We all loved it! I ate everything mixed together (chicken, pasta, broccoli, and sauce). Kiddo wanted things separate at first but once she found she liked the chicken and decided to test the sauce, she asked for more sauce and ate it on every like me! This recipe is a major keeper! Thank you for helping me finally have a second chicken dish that the kiddo is happy about!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I add spinach as well!
So glad I stumbled upon this recipe! I made it tonight and it was so delicious!! Will be making this again in near future. Thank you!
Really tasty but, the recipe timing was way off for me. I have no idea how this can be made in that amount of time. I also think the amount of fat was excessive. I say this as someone who o my buys heavy cream and uses 1/4 cup in each cup of coffee. I’m not one to shy away. But the amount of oil and butter on top of the cream was unnecessary and caused a clumpy sauce for me. The taste was good and I’d make it again but not add everything as written. I’d probably try half & half and uses some cornstarch to thicken if needed to make a thinner sauce. But, the garlic flavor was lovely.