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!
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.
Delish!
This recipe was amazing!! My entire picky family loved it. The only change I made is that I doubled ingredients and added less salt (we tend towards less salt).
As a working mom this isn’t necessarily a week night dinner for me, but that’s because we are generally looking for dinner to get on the table in 20 minutes or less.
I would make this any weekend night or night we have 35-40 minutes to make dinner.
Truly fantastic with 5 stars from a dad, a mom, an 11 year old boy and a 9 year old boy. It’s rare for the two boys to like the same dinner and they devoured the chicken. I served it with mashed potatoes and green beens.
Trying to make the creamy chicken this week !
I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, always on the hunt for recipes that check all the boxes—quick, budget-friendly, and packed with flavor. This one nailed it perfectly! I made it when I had guests over, and let’s just say, plates were practically spotless by the end—everyone was raving about the sauce and coming back for more. It gave me that same satisfying feeling I get when digging into Popeyes Signature Chicken popeysmenu.com—you know it’s going to be a hit every single time. Definitely keeping this recipe in my favorites. Absolute winner!
Amazing recipe! Did it the first time with a lot of love and everyone loved it. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try your other recipes. I normally don’t write reviews but I took some of my time to add one because it’s very much deserved! (I added mushrooms and onion!) -LA
“¡Esta receta de Creamy Garlic Chicken es simplemente deliciosa! La combinación de ajo, crema y pollo crea un platillo cremoso, sabroso y lleno de sabor que se deshace en la boca. Es perfecta para una cena elegante o para impresionar a tus invitados sin mucho esfuerzo. Además, el toque de ajo le da ese plus que lo hace irresistible. ¡Definitivamente la volveré a preparar!” <!– Your Anchor Text –>
This is my favorite budget bytes recipe so far. I absolutely love garlic. I made small edits to get the sauce thicker, but the flavor is the same. This is delicious!! Made mashed potatoes with it
I do a lot of cooking and I am always looking for fast, affordable, and delicious recipes; this one hits all three. I had some company over for dinner and everyone was licking the sauce off of their plates and asking for seconds! Thank you for posting this gem. Great Recipe!
THIS IS AMAZING! 😋
The flavor is perfectly balanced and the chicken is just perfect and I’m very picky with chicken! 🤭
I made plain noodles to go with it and just spooned the sauce onto each plate once everything was done.
I also made country style biscuits and gobbled those up with the sauce as well 🙂
Ive made this twice so far and its hit the spot each time!
Definitely going to be a weekly meal in my house 🥰
just made this for the family I take care of children. it is delicious.. next time maybe spinach or mushrooms.
I just made this tonight. The sauce was amazing, my wife loved it, definitely keeping the recipe as a main staple! Thank you so very much for sharing it. 5 out of 5 hands down.
Ooh, Marsha…You put your FOOT in this recipe! I made this for my family last night and my husband said it was one of the best meals he had ever eaten. We all loved it! I doubled up on the sauce and added some pastina with it. It was so decadent and unbelievably easy. Thank you, ma’am & keep ’em coming, please! <3
Haha!! This made me laugh! Thank you so much Crystal for your review. I’m glad you and your family loved the recipe! :)
Is this good with mushrooms added to the sauce?
That would be great!