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.
So, I have a fairly large backlog of recipes to write up, but I posted a sneak peak of this garlic chicken recipe on my Instagram stories a couple of days ago, and I got multiple positive responses. I decided to post this one ASAP instead of leaving people hanging. 🙂
How to make creamy garlic chicken
I cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise like I do with similar recipes (such as my creamy Tuscan garlic chicken, this creamy bacon chicken, and my creamy Dijon rosemary chicken) – in my opinion it’s easier than pounding the chicken breasts or leaving them whole. The chicken cooks faster and more evenly, so it remains tender and melt-in-your-mouth.
You dredge the chicken pieces in flour and pan-fry them in butter and oil until they’re golden, then take them out of the pan.
The garlic cloves are then lightly browned and then you add the sauce ingredients.
The chicken goes back in the pan for a few more minutes to finish cooking, and the sauce thickens up. Perfection. And easy too!
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.
What to serve with creamy garlic chicken
Try rice, mashed potatoes, or a salad if you want to keep it low-carb. Sweet corn, roasted veggies (try my maple roasted carrots and beets), or green beans would also go great.
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).
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
This creamy garlic chicken recipe is the ultimate easy comfort food! Tender chicken breast smothered in a creamy garlic sauce is irresistible.
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.
Recipe Notes
- I used my trusty 10-1/4" Lodge cast iron skillet to make this recipe.
- 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.
Mike Cummins says
Can I use boneless chicken thighs? If so how does this change the cooking times? Thank you
Natasha says
Hi Mike! I recommend reading through some of the other comments to see if other readers have done that and offered some tips. I haven’t personally tested it. I’d say you’ll likely need to cook them for a little bit longer. Let us know how it goes if you do try! Hope you like the recipe.
Karrie says
Great meal and very easy to make! My family loved it!
Natasha says
Wonderful!
Salwa Khaled says
This recipe is so easy and so to die for it’s really delicious!!!!!! Eat with white rice or mashed potatoes soooo yummy !! Or While cooking add some potatoes circle or mushroom or spinach or thyme or dry basil ! I’ll make it my favorite it and forward it to my friends
Natasha says
Yay!! So happy you liked it!
Tom Killingsworth says
Made this tonight. It was great.
Natasha says
Awesome!!
cortney says
what’s your best suggestions for a type of salad to go with this? making it this weekend!
Natasha says
Hmm… good question! You could go all-out and make something like a Caesar salad, but if you’re looking for something lighter, that might be better haha since this dish is quite rich. My favorite salad that I make all the time I don’t actually have a recipe for. I add butter leaf lettuce, little tomatoes (cut in half), a bit of arugula, some kalamata olives, and the dressing is a clove of minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon, and a little bit of olive oil. I just eyeball the quantities and try not to add too much oil/lemon. You could definitely add in/sub ingredients as needed.
Sarah says
I made this tonight and it was a big hit. I didn’t have a head of garlic but I used some minced garlic I had and it worked great. Next time I think I might serve the chicken and sauce over white rice. It was really good. Thanks for the recipe!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Sarah!
Amanda says
I dont have boneless chicken 😬😬 wi’ll it defer the recipe if I use chicken with bone?
Natasha says
It may take a little bit longer to cook, but should be fine!
Cephas Terveus says
I’ve made this recipe in the past, multiple times. This is my wife’s favorite of all the dishes I make. QUICK QUESTION! Can I substitute the chicken breast for chicken boneless thighs?
Natasha says
So glad you two like it!! Sure, you can definitely sub them. They may take a little longer to cook, so just keep an eye on them. 🙂
Cephas Terveus says
OMG you reply so fast lol! I greatly appreciate it! I’m, hopefully, making it tomorrow again, and I am exited!
Natasha says
Haha.. you just caught me when I was replying to a bunch of comments. I do try to reply to them at least a couple of times a day, though! 🙂
Rebeckah Cardiel says
Omg, my kitchen smells soooo good! Thank you for this recipe! Simple, but delicious!
Natasha says
You’re welcome! 😀
Kelly says
This was definitely a hit. Was like most on the whole head of garlic thing but, well worth it. Husband loved it….will make again.
Natasha says
Excellent!! Thanks for leaving me a comment 😀
Yolanda says
I’m not good with trying new things but I tried yours tonight and it’s AMAZING!!! My family loved it. Thank you so much!
Natasha says
Wow I am so happy to hear that!! 😀
Laura says
This has become one of our family’s favorite recipes! We love this served with pasta and a salad.
Natasha says
So glad to hear that, Laura! 🙂
Chelsea Davis says
I just made this last night and it was INCREDIBLE! I added in onions and some spinach to the sauce and blended it before adding the chicken and cream. Absolute heaven! 😁
Natasha says
That’s awesome! Love your ideas!
Eileen Hotze says
Three kiddos from 11-18 ATE IT UP! They loved it—and so did I! Fabulous dinner tonight!
Natasha says
That makes me so happy!!
Tory says
The best dish I’ve ever cooked myself and probably some of the best chicken I’ve ever had. Great recipe
Natasha says
That’s wonderful to hear! 🙂