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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Ingredients For Creamy Garlic Chicken
Here’s everything you need to make this creamy garlic chicken recipe:
- Chicken: If you’ve seen a couple of my recipes, then by now you probably know I love using chicken breasts. So I opted for two boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I cut in half. But you can certainly use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
- All-purpose flour: A little bit of flour adds a light breading to the chicken breasts and the perfect compliment to the creamy garlic sauce.
- Garlic: Garlic is the star of the show for this dish, so we’re using lots of it. One whole head of garlic to be exact. The garlic cooks down and infuses the sauce without overpowering the dish.
- Olive Oil and Butter: Both are used to cook the chicken breasts and a little more butter is used to sauté the garlic cloves.
- Chicken Broth and Heavy Cream: The rich garlic sauce is made with a combination of chicken broth and heavy cream. Both of them simmer together, along with the garlic cloves, until a creamy, flavorful sauce is formed.
- Seasoning: The chicken breasts are seasoned with a little salt, pepper and Italian seasoning; and the sauce is seasoned with garlic powder plus a little salt & pepper to taste.
Can you eat the garlic cloves?
You may be curious if you can eat the whole garlic cloves with your chicken. The answer is YES! Sautéing the garlic cloves in the butter, then simmering them in the sauce, removes any overpowering, strong garlic taste and leaves a very subtle, delicious flavor. I love to spoon the garlic over the chicken along with the creamy sauce right before serving.
Recipe Tips!
- After all the garlic cloves are peeled, I like to 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 my hand. Smashing the cloves releases more of their flavorful oils and gives the sauce a stronger garlic flavor.
- Make sure you stir the garlic cloves frequently when sautéing them in the skillet with the butter. You don’t want the garlic to burn. As soon as it starts to turn a light brown color, add in the liquids and stir.
What To Serve With Creamy Garlic Chicken?
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!
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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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.
I love this recipe, but I’m wondering if I can do it in a slow cooker
We haven’t tested it out that way so I’m not sure!
This was so incredibly good! Followed the recipe almost exactly as written—only change I made was using brown rice flour instead of all-purpose for the coating (I have celiac).
I felt like the recipe made a LOT of sauce relative to the amount of chicken—I think I could’ve easily done another breast without doubling the sauce. That being said, having an overabundance of sauce is the opposite of a problem, especially when it’s this delicious. I had it over mashed potatoes, and I also ended up slicing up some gluten-free baguette so I could sop up every last drop. It would also probably be lovely tossed with some pasta.
My husband described this recipe as being “like a warm hug in my stomach and soul,” and I can’t think of a better description. I will definitely be adding this one to my regular rotation.
If using pork chops, would you change the Italian seasoning to something else?
No, I think it would still be delicous!
I made this last night for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. The only thing I did different was used minced garlic, and added mushrooms with the garlic to saute. We put over pasta noodles. My only disappointment was I put too much pasta on my plate for the amount of sauce I made. Next time will be doubling the sauce for sure. Yes this will be in my rotation at least 2 xs a month. Thank you. I bragged to my whole family about this. Wish I could share my pic.
Smells GREAT, tastes just as good; I’m surprised my whole family wasn’t in the kitchen asking what I was cooking and wanting a sample!
I did make several changes, though. I like thicker sauce, so I added a roux of 2 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp melted butter once the sauce was about done. I also had some bacon I needed to use up, so I chopped that up and cooked it between doing the chicken and the garlic, adding it and the chicken back to the sauce when it was done. I’m also a lazy bum, so I used about 2.5 Tbsp of the pre-minced garlic I keep on hand. Think I’ll add more next time; we really love our garlic!
I made this a few times it’s soooo good! I used Speghetti squash as a side and put some of the sauce on it. It was very tasty!
Delicious recipe! My husband prefers a thicker sauce,so I made a roux and then added the cream & chicken broth. This is a very versatile recipe that one could add cooking sherry to imbue a different flavor. One could also switch out the chicken breasts for pork chops.
They would be very tender.
Use this recipe as a base and add your imagination.
My notoriously picky 2 year old who does not eat a lot of meat, LOVED this. Safe to say this will be thrown into our rotation of recipes. Absolutely delicious!
I’m not even finished with my plate yet, but had to comment. I love this!!! I hate to be that kinda person, but I did deviate somewhat because I like to use things up before they go bad in the fridge. I diced half an onion and added that before the garlic. I also threw in a handful of spinach at the end. I believe this recipe made just as written would have been just perfect. I got the request that this be added to the rotation and it will be. This was really easy, customizable and very tasty. Thank you for another banger!
Haha! Thanks for sharing Jackie! Onion and spinach are perfect additions to this recipe :)
Very yummy, added mushrooms and ate it over pasta with some sauteed Brussels on the side.
So delicious and perfect for Sunday dinner with sautéed collard greens and roasted fingerling potatoes.🫶🏾
Whoa, now this is my type of dinner! I love collard greens and potatoes!
Sooo good and simple! My husband and I are adding this to our rotation for sure! We added a jalepeno (bc we do to everything) and poured everything over pasta. Only regret was not making more!
A great crowd pleaser! Not too difficult, especially for a weeknight.
I added mushrooms. I use both whole garlic (smashed) and minced garlic
( in jar) ! You can thicken with corn starch as desired.
I never comment on recipes, even the great ones. But I had to for this one. It was amazing! I was told by my wife and kids it was the best meal I’ve ever made! My daughter, who was returning to college after I made this for dinner, texted me at 1am and said she couldn’t sleep because she wanted to eat the leftovers so bad. I made a mistake and sliced the breasts long in half vertically instead of horizontally (recipe says to filet them, my bad). I also added (rehydrated) dried morel mushrooms that I found at Whole Foods and topped the finished product off with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Unbelievable. This will go into the permanent rotation. Thank you Marsha!