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. π
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 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:Β 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, sautΓ© 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 trustyΒ 10-1/4" Lodge cast iron skilletΒ to make this recipe.
- I recommend using fairly large 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.
Leslie says
I made this last night with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. It was delicious. The sauce on top of the potatoes really worked too. Thanks!
Natasha says
So happy to hear that, Leslie!! π
Daisy says
I made this today! I pan fried the chicken, looked great, but it wasn’t cooking on the inside, so I ended up over cooking them, it was too chewy and tough. The flavor was great except more salt in the sauce would have been better. I’m not sure how you get them to be tender and melt in your mouth as you say.
Natasha says
Hi Daisy! Hmm… did you slice the chicken in half lengthwise so the pieces were thinner? I gave it 4-5 min./side and then 5 mins in the sauce and it was cooked through without being tough at all… strange! Yup, I always season any dish with extra salt if I think it needs it. I’m glad you liked the taste, though. Let me know if you give it a try again. π
Daisy says
Yes, I used thinly sliced chicken from the store, breast fillets or cutlets, whatever they are called. I will try this again but bake the chicken first then add it to the sauce. Do I still need to flour the chicken before baking? And how long and at what temp? I’m an amateur cook and I’m so glad I found your blog, thank you!
Natasha says
Hi Daisy, I wouldn’t bake the chicken first… there’s a good chance it’ll be way overcooked and I have no idea on timing since I have not tested the method myself. I’m thinking you just cooked the chicken way too long and that’s why it wasn’t tender… that has happened to me in the past too. Why not buy normal chicken breasts and just cut them in half lengthwise next time? I’m not sure now if you bought chicken tenders or what, but I really want this recipe to work for you. π
Daisy says
Thank you, I will try this recipe again, the flavor was great!
Natasha says
Thanks, Daisy! Don’t worry.. it can take a while to get the hang of cooking some things, but practice makes perfect. π
Penelope says
Hi Daisy. You may have cooked the chicken on too high heat, therefore cooking the outside too quickly and not letting the inside get done. Perhaps try cooking it a lower temperature next time. Just don’t give up. I taught myself how to cook years ago by watching a ton of cooking shows. Blogs like this help me out too. There are so many tips and tricks that have helped me. I threw away a lot of ruined food along the way and, while I don’t consider myself a “chef” by any means, I now feel confident in the kitchen. I love to cook now.
Natasha says
This is good advice, thanks for sharing, Penelope! π
Daisy says
Thank you so much! I needed this as my confidence lacks in the kitchen, and I really want to be able to cook home made food. I too have thrown away too much ruined food, and I feel so bad and it’s so expensive to buy ingredients. I will try and use lower heat next time, thank you!