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.
Terry says
Can I use minced garlic instead of garlic cloves? If yes, how much do I use?
Natasha says
Hi! I haven't personally tested it. I'd probably start with a couple teaspoons and add more if needed.
Kelly says
I made this last night for a group of friends. Everyone loved it! It was very easy and super delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Awesome to hear, Kelly!!
Heather says
Best chicken I’ve ever had and it’s so easy to make! I made it for company and they enthusiastically commented that’s it’s the best chicken they’ve ever had. I can’t make it every week because of how heavy and high calorie it is, but every once in a while it’s totally worth the extra calories! Yum!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's so sweet! So happy everyone enjoyed it, Heather!! Thanks so much for the review.
Brandi Beddingfield says
Great comfort food, but I had to add flour to my sauce to thicken it. Might be because I had to use oat milk instead of cream due to dairy intolerances in my household. Use your own judgement when using an alternative dairy choice.
Natasha says
Yes, oat milk certainly doesn't have the same properties as heavy cream - that's why I put a note in the post to let people know that subbing is at their own discretion. I'm glad you were able to thicken the sauce with a bit of flour. 🙂
Hannah Leigh Condeza says
This looks so delicious, can't wait to try and let my family taste 🙂
Natasha says
Let me know how they like it, Hannah! 🙂
Tracy says
Delicious! I doubled the sauce and added 1 tsp dried thyme. When the chicken was done I removed it from the pan and set it aside.
Then added a little more chicken broth and simmered the garlic till tender. Smashed about half the garlic and mixed it into the suace!
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Tracy! 🙂
Laura says
Love this recipe it's so easy to follow my daughter likes to make it for her grandma when stays there. It's super tasty.
Natasha says
Aww I love that!! Thanks for your review, Laura! 🙂
Sandra says
This was quick, easy, and so yummy! The whole family loved it! I topped some mashed potatoes with the sauce. Delish!
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Gayle says
We loved this. Made it exactly as written. Used the sauce on my baked potato and didn’t even need butter. Will definitely make again.
Natasha says
Fabulous!! 🙂 I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Gayle.
Naja says
I made this for lunch today! It was absolutely delicious! The flavoring was *chef kiss* great. Definitely adding this to my recipe book.
Natasha says
Wonderful! 🙂 So happy you enjoyed it, Naja. Thanks for your review! Happy holidays.
Preeti says
Hi
Is it possible to make this ahead of time. Or any tips on what can be made ahead of time. Wanting to make this for Christmas dinner
Natasha says
Hello! I recommend reading through the comments and seeing what others have done. Personally, I have not made it ahead of time, but I would be careful to re-warm it on a LOW heat (so sauce doesn't separate and chicken doesn't dry out).
Paige says
Just like some others, I’m not the best cook but I try my best! I made this for dinner tonight and my SO was shocked on how good it was and said “10/10 would recommend” on the first bite lol! I could not find heavy whipping cream in our grocery so I looked up a substitute and used 1/4 cup of melted butter and 3/4 cup of milk and it turned out just as good!
We are adding this recipe to our dinner rotation! Thank you for the new recipe ☺️
Natasha says
I'm so glad it worked out and you enjoyed it, Paige! Thank you for your kind review! 🙂
JoAnn Costantini says
This recipe sound simple and delicious! I’d like to make it for Christmas Eve for 25 people but don’t want to be doing all that cooking that day.
Any tips on how to make it in a large volume ahead of time and reheat next day?
Natasha says
Hi JoAnn! So, I will give a small word of caution - there's a couple things that could potentially complicate that idea. 1) Chicken breasts are very easy to overcook. 2) Cream sauces don't always reheat too well (they can separate). I would maybe do a test run ahead of time with the recipe and reheat it the next day to ensure it goes well and you can do any adjustments with the Xmas batch. With that said, I would sear the chicken in batches until just cooked through. You may want to wipe the pan out after a few batches to ensure that there aren't too many burned/browned bits in the sauce. Some are good (like in the original recipe), but the flavor can be compromised if you keep frying the chicken in batches and add all that oil/butter/etc. that could be burned. I would then make the sauce (for quantity, maybe we're talking 6x the original recipe to be safe?). Add the cooked chicken to a couple of baking dishes (like 9x13 casserole dishes perhaps?) and pour the sauce over, then cover with foil. Refrigerate, then re-warm them in the oven slowly over a low heat.
Neisha says
I cooked this last night and everyone loved it!! I'm glad I found this recipe online!!
Natasha says
Wonderful! 😀 Thanks for your kind review, Neisha!
Antoinette Watt says
Lonely easy recipe and we’ll received by all the family - thank you. X
Natasha says
Wonderful!! I'm so pleased it was a hit, Antoinette! Thanks for your review!
Shalini says
This was an amazing recipe. Tried it for dinner tonight and it was delicious 🤤😊
Natasha says
So happy to hear that!!
Katelyn Brian says
I found this recipe on Pinterest and have been making it for over a year now! It’s one of my family’s favorites and I’ve shared the recipes with several friends too. It’s super easy for a weeknight meal and is so delicious with a side of pasta, mashed potatoes, or veggies. When I searched for a baked potato soup recipe today and was brought back to your page, I knew I had to check out some more of your recipes because both of those are amazing (hubby said the soup was the best I’ve ever made). We can’t wait to try more of your dishes!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that, Katelyn! 🙂 I appreciate you coming back to review this recipe, and I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the soup too! XO
Brandon says
I’m not the best cook, my other half does all the cooking. Thought I would give this a go as he loves garlic and safe to say, I smashed it! A fantastic recipe, quick and easy and minimal clean up!! He absolutely loved it and wants me to cook more often now!
Natasha says
That's wonderful to hear!! 😀
Jessica says
WOW! It isn’t often that I am wowed by someone else’s recipe but this was so simple yet so delicious. I added some dried basil and thyme to season the chicken and used a little more chicken broth (I like a lot of sauce) and extra lemon juice and it was perfect. Added some halved grape tomatoes and fresh broccoli and served it over egg noodles. The sauce is so creamy but not heavy at all. So easy in one pan, quick clean up. I am in love! I can’t wait to try it with different veggies and I think it would be sooo good over the mashed potatoes or some risotto. 5 stars! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. 😊
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it, Jessica!! 🙂 Thanks for your review! Let me know if you try anything else.
Megan says
Going to try this today. Have you ever added fresh sliced portobello mushrooms to it? Would I need to add any sauce to ensure the cook or do you think it would be fine as is?
Natasha says
Hi Megan! I know other readers have added mushrooms, so you could definitely do it and I think it would be fine. I'd probably sauté them first... take a look at the instructions of this similar recipe and you could always adapt the creamy garlic chicken based on that one: https://bit.ly/3zDZQVA
D says
Could you use half and half instead of heavy whipping cream? Do you think it will change the taste?
Natasha says
Hi! I talk about that in the blog post under the "recipe notes & tips" section. I think some have used half-and-half successfully (may want to look thru comments).
K says
You don't want to use half and half if you're adding the lemon juice. It needs to be the heavy cream or else it will curdle!
Dawn says
I made this recipe a few weeks ago right after I got my first dutch oven. Went by the recipe except I slice the garlic cloves in slices but not thin. This was so good!!! I posted it on FB. Made some more fabulous recipes with the DO and my niece said she and her husband wanted a DO. I sent one as an early Christmas gift. Her first recipe was this Garlic Chicken tonight. They loved it. Her husband said it was the best meal in months and they are both great cooks. SO GOOD! Garlic came out like I roasted them in the oven!
Natasha says
I'm glad you're enjoying your new Dutch oven and creamy garlic chicken!! What a great gift... best aunt ever! I'm glad your niece and her husband love the recipe too. 😀
Roger says
This recipe is excellent. I'm planning on using non-dairy made with cashews, because I'm seriously allergic. Tahe New York Times just recently published a similar recipe. I knew they couldn't be the first. La preière of course was in France. Comme elle est belle!
Serena says
Roger, get naet treatment for your dairy allergy. It works amazingly
Barb says
This recipe was amazing will definitely make again
Natasha says
Thanks, Barb!!
GiGiMeix says
Followed the recipe to a T and it turned out perfect (although I failed to realize I should have left the garlic whole) I'm not a good cook and this got rave reviews from the fam and will be a repeat again soon! Additionally, any time i have cooked chicken with flour it makes a big burning mess but the second step (boiling the broth and garlic) cleaned it right up. It turned out just like the picture! We served with boiled perogies and green beans and used the extra sauce on those. YUMMY!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! I'm so happy it worked out! 🙂
Jeanne says
I made this recipe tonight and my husband and I and we enjoyed it so much!! I will make this when I hosts guests over on the Holidays! This is just delicious! Thank you!!
Natasha says
Yay!! I'm so happy to hear it!
Taylor says
Hello, have you tried this with roasted garlic before?
Natasha says
I haven't, but I think it would be delicious.