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Creamy Garlic Chicken

Published / Updated / 855 Comments

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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!

cast iron skillet with chicken breasts and a creamy garlic sauce with whole cloves of garlic

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. 🙂

creamy garlic chicken with tender pan-fried chicken breasts and whole garlic cloves in a cast iron skillet

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!

 

close-up of creamy chicken skillet with garlic cream sauce

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).

creamy garlic chicken in a cast iron skillet with whole garlic cloves and plenty of garlic cream sauce

Will you give this creamy garlic chicken recipe a try? I hope you like it.

Questions? Ask me in the comments below.

This creamy chicken skillet recipe is loaded with garlic and the the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth chicken. Make it for dinner tonight!
4.84 from 226 votes
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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.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy garlic chicken recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Natasha Bull

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

  1. Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets. Sprinkle them with some salt & pepper and coat them in the flour. 

  2. 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.

  3. 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. 

  4. 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. 

  5. 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.

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  2. Kelly says

    5 stars
    A regular in my household, so quick, easy and delicious, thank you for posting this recipe. I have mine with linguine for a treat, the lemon adds some real zest to it. Thankyou 👍❤️

    Reply

  4. Tracy Lake says

    4 stars
    We really enjoyed this recipe, I made a few changes so that it was Paleo friendly. Even my super picky husband liked it. I used almond flour to dredge the chicken, after dipping it in egg. I also used coconut milk in place of the cream and olive oil in place of butter. I would probably roast the garlic next time, it didn't get soft enough to eat, for my liking, just sautéed in the pan. We also added sautéed mushrooms to the sauce, very tasty!

    Reply

  7. Emma says

    This sounds so good! Could this be made in the slow cooker? I was thinking I could just add the cream at the end.. thoughts? Xx

    Reply

  11. ABriz says

    5 stars
    Really enjoyed this! Very flavorful and creamy with just the right amount of garlicky goodness! I added mushrooms in during the chicken broth reducing phase.. Gave it an extra added layor of flavor. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! Already have multiple requests to make it again.

    Reply

  12. Katherine Harris says

    5 stars
    This is so good! I love how tender the chicken is. One thing - I used half the chicken and cut it a bit smaller but made the full recipe of sauce. Worked great.

    Reply

  13. M. Pelles says

    5 stars
    This dish has quickly become one of our family favoruites. Lovely flavour! I also add onion and sautee it before adding the garlic. Thank you very much for sharing! Such a satisfying meal 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! Recipes with cream sauces aren't ever as good when they're reheated, unfortunately. With that said, if you reheat it slowly on a low heat (don't let it boil), it should be fine. I'd just do it in a covered pan on the stove. You may need to add a touch more cream if the sauce starts to separate.

      Reply

  15. Amelia says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and the whole family gave it thumbs up. I used some white wine in addition to chicken broth, and served it with simple pasta. I felt like we were eating at an Italian restaurant! Thank you so much for a great, easy recipe.

    Reply

  17. Caitlin says

    Hi!! I am so excited to try this recipe!! I am just about to make it and just realized I don't actually have flour, can I replace cornstarch or bread crumbs or anything else instead? Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! You could skip the dredging part and add a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the sauce 🙂 Maybe start with 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch and add more if needed. Haven't tested it that way so that's just a guess.

      Reply

  18. Kenzie says

    5 stars
    This was so amazing! Made this for my boyfriend and I and we planned on going out to eat tonight somewhere but instead we wanted to stay at home and make this again!! Its THAT good.

    Reply

  19. Sarah Jensen says

    5 stars
    Wow! This was so easy to make and it tastes SO GOOD. I didn’t have whipped cream but it works fine with full cream milk + cornstarch. I also added mushrooms (only because everyone in the family loves them) but this recipe is perfect on its own!! Thank you for this!

    Reply

  20. Brittany says

    5 stars
    Wow! This was so good! Even my toddler ate it! Took me about 25 minutes from start to finish and bonus points for it being made in one pan. I made the recipe exactly as written and it definitely doesn’t need any changes. Will be a repeat dinner for sure!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I don’t recommend it, but there’s many comments on here from people who have tried subbing various ingredients and had success. If you use something like half and half you may need to thicken the sauce with more flour or a longer cooking time.

      Reply

  22. Rina says

    5 stars
    Cooked this yesterday and my family LOVED it! Will definitely cook this again! Thank you for sharing! Regards from Malaysia! 😊

    Reply

  23. Michael Ott says

    Made this for my family tonight....recieved a round of applause. It was absolutely great. We will be having it again soon. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  24. Megan says

    5 stars
    I've made this multiple times and each it's been a knock out hit! I was wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with a dairy-free option instead of heavy cream? I was considering using barista brand oat milk since it's so creamy but was hoping someone had done this already to provide pointers.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I'm so glad you like it!! 🙂 There's like 800 comments on here, and I know people have made tweaks, so you may find a comment that helps out if you have a few minutes to read lol.

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! What do you mean by normal cream? I ask because I'm in Canada, most of my readers are in the USA, and in other countries the name of various creams vary, and it quickly gets very confusing lol. You need a cream that has a high fat content... 30% minimum, preferably higher. Here, creams labeled as "whipping cream", "heavy cream", or "heavy whipping cream" satisfy that requirement. In the UK, I believe it's called "double cream", but I am not sure as to other countries.

      Reply

  26. Paul says

    I'm thinking of making this recipe while on vacation at the beach. I'll be cooking for 6. Do you have recommendations for recipe changes to adjust for the number of eaters?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Paul! Adjusting for 6 is kinda awkward, so I would just double it. You may have a piece or two left over (or not if some people are more hungry than others). I'd brown the chicken in a couple of batches and add a little more oil to the pan for each batch as needed.

      Reply

  27. Jodd says

    5 stars
    The creaminess when I tried to make this dish was just perfect! The family loved it and I'll definitely cook it again.

    Reply

  28. emily martin says

    5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely amazing! It has was quickly added to our weekly family dinner planner. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  29. CLAUDIA HUFF says

    5 stars
    Soooo good! I used chicken tenders and reduced the cooking time accordingly. They were melt in your mouth good! I served it with angel hair pasta, as it's really hot here and potatoes sounded heavy. Definitely making this again!

    Reply

  31. Laurie says

    5 stars
    Words can’t express how GOOD this was :’). Only changes made were half the amount of garlic and added salt and pepper at the end.

    Reply

  32. Stormy Meyette says

    Hi! Cooking this for my clients and they don’t have any lemon juice. Is that a dire necessity for this ? Will it be a drastic change without it?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Well, cooking time may vary depending on what you use. Like thighs will take a bit longer. Lots of people have used thighs, for example. Just make sure a meat thermometer reads 165F before serving.

      Reply

  35. T says

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this. It made for a fantastic easy Friday meal. We found it very flavoursome and it rated as 'please make this again' in our household. Thank you!

    Reply

  37. Amber says

    If im cooking alot more chicken than just the two chickens do i add more ingrediants? (I have a family of like 9 im cooking this for)

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Yes, I would double the recipe for sure... it only feeds 4. Brown the chicken in batches and double the sauce ingredients.

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I don't recommend it. Personally, I don't like doing those subs because a) the sauce will end up thinner unless you add more flour or something to thicken it b) it just doesn't taste as good IMO, and c) this is cooked at quite a high heat, so there's a good chance the sauce will curdle. With that said, there's literally hundreds of comments on this post, many where people have tried various subs with success, so you may want to browse through.

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! Creamy sauces never are quite as good reheated as when first made, but it’ll be fine. Just reheat on a low heat and if it separates, add a little more cream. ♥️

      Reply

  41. Jackie says

    I can’t wait to try this! I have a feeling you are going to tell me it probably won’t work😩😩 Will this dish freeze well? Thanks so much.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Jackie! You're right... cream sauces are notoriously difficult to reheat after thawing, and in general I am not a big fan of reheating chicken either because it tends to become more dry/rubbery. With that said, there are a couple of things you can try: reheat on a LOW heat and add a little more cream if the sauce starts to separate. Let me know if you try the recipe, though!

      Reply

  43. Dan says

    5 stars
    I'm thoroughly addicted to this recipe. It's wonderful! I add a chopped onion when I put the garlic cloves into the pan.

    Reply

  44. Tim says

    5 stars
    Turned out amazing. I didnt have enough garlic cloves so I used about 1/3 of a bulb and then I had one of those jars of minced garlic and I used a about a table spoon of that. This was loved by everyone. Not sure why it was so good. It was a very simple recipe. I dont think im a very good cook cause it took me an hour. Im slow

    Reply