This creamy garlic chicken recipe is the ultimate easy comfort food! Tender chicken breast smothered in a creamy garlic sauce is irresistible. Garlic lovers unite!
This creamy garlic chicken is ready in about 30 minutes. In my opinion, it's good enough to serve company, but it's also one of those dishes that work for a quick weeknight dinner.
A quick note on the recipe: Yes, I include both garlic powder and an entire head of garlic in this recipe... it's not a typo. Believe it or not, the garlic cloves themselves don't make the sauce ridiculously garlicky. The flavor of garlic powder is slightly different than the fresh cloves. I'm going for all-out depth of garlic flavor here without making it overpowering.
If you've never really cooked with whole garlic cloves before, don't worry. Cooking them in the sauce mellows them right out... it's nothing like biting into raw garlic haha.
How to make creamy garlic chicken (overview):
Start by cutting the chicken breasts in half lengthwise (the chicken cooks faster and more evenly, so it remains tender and melt-in-your-mouth). You then dredge the chicken pieces in flour and pan-fry them until they're golden, then take them out of the skillet. In the same pan, lightly brown the garlic cloves and make the sauce. The chicken goes back in for a few more minutes to finish cooking, and the sauce thickens up. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Love this recipe? Try my Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken, this Creamy Bacon Chicken, or my Creamy Mushroom Chicken.
Recipe notes & tips:
- Sub the cream at your own discretion. If you use something like milk or half-and-half, the sauce may curdle (due to the high heat) and end up thinner. I recommend reading through the reader comments - there's tons of tips from readers who have tweaked this recipe to their liking.
- I use boneless/skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You may sub for chicken thighs, but keep in mind those may take a bit longer to cook.
- Chicken is safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165F (the chicken's temperature will continue to rise for a few minutes after you take it off the heat). Using an instant read meat thermometer will prevent undercooked or overcooked chicken.
A note on peeling the garlic:
You don't have to spend a lot time peeling the garlic cloves. One quick way I recommend is by using this silicone garlic peeler tube (I have a similar one) or by buying garlic cloves that are already peeled if you really want to save a bit of time. I usually just use my knife (here's a quick video tutorial on how if you're curious).
What to serve with creamy garlic chicken:
Try rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or a salad. Sweet corn, carrots, roasted veggies (try my maple roasted carrots and beets), or green beans would also go great.
Will you give this creamy garlic chicken recipe a try? I hope you like it.
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 whole head garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets. Sprinkle them with some salt & pepper and coat them in the flour.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tbsp of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, sauté the chicken for 4-5 minutes/side or until it's nice and golden. Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium (or even med-low if using cast iron), and add the rest of the butter to the pan. Let it melt and then add the garlic cloves. Cook them for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until they're lightly browned on the outside.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and garlic powder to the pan. Let it bubble for around 4 minutes or until the liquid is noticeably reduced.
- Stir in the cream and add the chicken back into the pan. Let it cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the sauce is reduced and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with freshly chopped parsley if you wish.
Notes
- I used my trusty 10-1/4" Lodge cast iron skillet to make this recipe. Any skillet is fine, though.
- I recommend using fairly large boneless/skinless chicken breasts for this recipe since we're cutting them in half lengthwise. If you have smaller ones, use 4 of them and leave them intact.
- If your garlic cloves are particularly gigantic like some of mine were, feel free to cut them in half so they're all roughly the same size.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Food burner says
I’m a total beginner when it comes to cooking and I totally botched the recipe after step two. I don’t think I used a skillet or at least didn’t heat it properly because one side of my chicken was perfectly golden brown after 3 minutes and the other was white and burnt black after 30 seconds! I switched to a pan with higher sides and said oh well and then immediately forgot I wasn’t supposed to add the cream with the lemon juice, garlic powder, and chicken broth! I threw all that in a bowl and restarted but added the abomination instead of the plain cream and somehow by some culinary miracle, this was the best chicken I’ve ever had! My whole family loved it! This is one of those recipes that I feel you can screw up and somehow still save it. I’m definitely making it again!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Aww "culinary miracle" haha. We're thrilled it worked out for you anyway, Food Burner! 🙂
Gloria says
I made this last night and WOW! It was delicious!! My family also loved it. I did add a little grated parmesan cheese to the sauce. Even though, I think it would have been delicious without it also 😋 This is definitely a keeper recipe, thank you!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
You're welcome, Gloria! So glad it's a new family fave!
Rosie says
Amazing! Didn’t have heavy cream so I used 2% and worked out fine. It was simple yet looked and tasted fancy 😉
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Awesome! 🙂
Jessica Ordway says
NATASHA I suck at cooking i admit it and my mom was out of town so i had to make dinner i wanted garlic chicken but thoughts why not creamy garlic chicken i made this and thought it would be okay but this is GREAT i made it for the second time and i made it for my mom and she even said it was so good i ending up using minced garlic (1 tablespoon) whiyh 1 tablespoon of the juice i also added (Italian seasoning,garlic salt,paprika,adobo,onion powder) with garlic olive oil too and made it with rice sooooooo good this is my best and this will be my signature dish thank you for producing such a good dish 🙂 !
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Aww we're so happy it was a hit, Jessica!! Thank you for the kind review. And I bet you'll be a pro chef in no time! 😉
Maria says
Loved the recipe, very yummy!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's great to hear, Maria! Thanks!
Amanda says
This was super yummy and quick and easy to make! However my cream sauce broke up and became kind of oily and clumpy looking as soon as I checked the temp of the chicken and confirmed it was cooked through—any idea why it would have done that?
Natasha says
Hi Amanda! I'm glad you enjoyed it! So, generally curdling is one of a few reasons - can you confirm that you used heavy or whipping cream (at least 35% fat) vs. something lower fat such as half-and-half or "light" cream? If you did indeed use heavy cream, it can still curdle if the temperature is too high for too long, or if there was a stark temperature difference (e.g. you added it straight from the fridge to a screaming hot pan). I would say next time to cook it at a slightly lower heat (possibly for longer to thicken the sauce adequately), and make sure you take it out of the fridge 20+ minutes before you're planning on adding it to the pan just to take that chill off.
Jade says
When do we add the flour? I'm not seeing it anywhere in the instructions.
Natasha says
The flour is for coating the chicken breasts (step 1). In the instructions it specifies "for dredging", which means for coating them. Hope you enjoy the recipe, Jade! 🙂
Jenny Cunliffe says
This recipe sounds delicious and from the comments, I'm excited to try it. I will be making this tonight. I have some baby spinach and mushrooms I have to get rid of, so I'll be adding that to the pot too. For something different, I will be dicing the chicken and will be have it mixed through pasta. Can't wait!
Natasha says
Enjoy!! 🙂
Will says
This is my families favourite meal, they absolutely love this dish, easy to do and so tasty, we have it along with a little mash and green beans, highly recommend this dish.
Natasha says
I love that!! Thank you so much!
Meredith says
Excellent dish! I wouldn’t change a thing. Followed your recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. Love the garlic cloves and they were delicious scooped up with garlic bread. Picky son devoured it! Will make again and again! Love all your recipes and they are so quick and easy to make Thank you!
Natasha says
That's great!! 🙂 You're very welcome! Thanks for your kind comment!
Ellie says
Wow. This is the first thing I’ve ever cooked that I feel like could be served in a restaurant. It was so delicious and creamy and I can’t believe how simple it was! I used minced garlic instead of garlic cloves and I think it turned out great. Can’t wait to make this again!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! 😀 I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review, Ellie!
Krysta says
My family loved it! Husband said he would most definitely eat it again and my picky 5 year old ate it too! 10 out of 10!! Great recipie
Natasha says
That's great to hear!! Thank you!! 🙂
Lucille O says
Can I make this ahead, either a few hours or even a day?
Natasha says
Yup, lots of people have tried that. Just be sure to reheat slowly over a low heat so the sauce doesn't break and the chicken doesn't dry out.
Donna says
Instead of whole garlic can you use minced garlic in the jar?
Natasha says
Hi! I know plenty of others have tried that, so you may want to read through the comments. The recipe won't end up exactly the same, but should be ok. 🙂
Paul says
Was a bit bland. I was expecting bold garlic flavor. I’ll use garlic salt instead of garlic powder next time. Also I’ll add rosemary when roasting the garlic and then add some roasted slivered almonds at the end.
Jennifer Kramer says
My family absolutely flips over this recipe! We like the recipe as is, wouldn't change a thing!!👏
Natasha says
I love that!! Thanks for your review, Jennifer! 🙂
Margaret Oneill says
Hi I'm making this again I loved it the 1st time but I'm trying to lose 12lb for a wedding in August. I'm wondering if I could substitute the cream for some lightest cream cheese instead if not maybe some half fat cream fraise
Natasha says
Hi! You're welcome to experiment, but I can't guarantee results. I've only tested it as written. You may want to browse thru the many comments where others have adapted it. Or perhaps just go for a small portion and maybe serve with a salad or veggies instead of a starch?
A says
Could you use minced garlic instead--if so, how much?
Natasha says
Hello! Others have tried it - you may want to read thru the comments. I haven't personally tested it myself, so I'd probably start with a teaspoon or so, then add more if needed.
Jason says
can you use corn flour instead of regular flour?
Natasha says
Hi! I haven't tested that, but you could give it a try.
Laura Hunton says
Hi I am going to attempt this tonight 😍 are you able to do this dish in the slow cooker?
Natasha says
Hi! It's a quick stovetop recipe, and I have not tested it any other way. I'd be worried about the chicken breast drying out and the sauce separating if you cook it for a long time. Hope you enjoy it!
Mark Brzostowski says
This is one of those recipes that's so much more delicious than the effort deserves that it feels like you must have cheated. I made it tonight with some brown rice and oven roasted carrots. My wife and I loved it. Thank you, this was awesome.
Natasha says
I'm thrilled you two enjoyed it!! 😀 You're very welcome, Mark!
Lauren Jean says
This is SUCH a delicious recipe, it’s a stamp in our household! I add sliced mushrooms towards the last couple of minutes of cooking the sauce, it’s sooo good! Thank you for this recipe
Natasha says
Awesome!! You're very welcome, Lauren!
Nicole says
This recipe was AMAZING!! So much flavour and so easy to cook! This is now a family favourite
Natasha says
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it, Nicole!
Anne P says
If I don’t have heavy cream, could I use whole milk? I’m making this tonight and I’m excited!
Natasha says
Hi Anne! I don't recommend it. There's a good chance the sauce will curdle, and it'll definitely end up thinner/more watery and not taste as good. If you're good at tweaking sauces (like making a roux), you may be able to get away with it, but really this recipe is meant to use cream.
Lauren Jean says
Hey Anna, I didn’t have heavy cream on hand once, I used 1/4 cup melted butter and 3/4 cup milk, whisked it all together, it equals a cup of heavy cream. It still came out great, just a bit of a color difference. Hope this helps for next time!
Shelly says
This was easy and delicious! My picky teen ate two helpings!
Natasha says
That's awesome!!!