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
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Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets. Sprinkle them with some salt & pepper and coat them in the flour.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
ABriz says
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.
Natasha says
Yay! I am so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂 And mushrooms are always a great addition!
Katherine Harris says
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.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!
M. Pelles says
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 🙂
Natasha says
Awesome!! You're welcome!
Donna says
Hi, this sounds delicious! I was wondering if it could be made ahead and reheated and how.
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.
Amelia says
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.
Natasha says
That's awesome! 🙂 You're welcome!
Lisy says
I made it. It was delicious. My family loved it.
Natasha says
Wonderful!
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!
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.
Kenzie says
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.
Natasha says
So glad to hear that!! That's awesome!! 😀
Sarah Jensen says
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!
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it! 🙂
Brittany says
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!
Natasha says
Yay!! So glad to hear that! XO
Alissa says
So what if you don’t have Heavy whipping cream? Can I use an alternative?
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.
Rina says
Cooked this yesterday and my family LOVED it! Will definitely cook this again! Thank you for sharing! Regards from Malaysia! 😊
Natasha says
Yay!! So glad to hear that! 🙂 Hi from Canada!
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.
Natasha says
Great! You're welcome! 🙂
Megan says
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.
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.
Hannah says
Am I okay to use normal cream for this dish?
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.
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?
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.
Jodd says
The creaminess when I tried to make this dish was just perfect! The family loved it and I'll definitely cook it again.
Natasha says
Great! Thank you!
emily martin says
This recipe is absolutely amazing! It has was quickly added to our weekly family dinner planner. Thanks for sharing.
Natasha says
Wonderful! You're welcome!
CLAUDIA HUFF says
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!
CLAUDIA HUFF says
Oh, and I used minced garlic, since I don't normally keep whole garlic in the house...that's gonna change after making this!
Natasha says
So glad to hear that!! 🙂
Lisa says
Great flavors and easy to make. Thank you!!!
Natasha says
You're welcome!!
Laurie says
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.
Natasha says
Aww thank you!
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?
Natasha says
It's not a dire need, but it does offer a little bit of balance to the flavors.
Lisa henton says
Can input mushrooms in the dish?
Natasha says
I don't see why not. I am pretty sure I've seen comments where readers have done that. 🙂
Philip says
Hi, is this applicable for any parts of the chicken?
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.
T says
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!
Natasha says
That's great to hear!
Irmarie says
I loved the recepie. I added sundried tomato flakes!
Natasha says
Awesome!!
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)
Natasha says
Yes, I would double the recipe for sure... it only feeds 4. Brown the chicken in batches and double the sauce ingredients.
Trisha says
You think I can substitute the heavy cream for half and half or milk?
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.
Hope says
Hi! How well does this keep in the fridge? (Do you think I could meal prep/eat it two days later?)
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. ♥️
Lea says
Hi. I would like to try the recipe. Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Natasha says
Absolutely! Lots of people have done that and had success with it. 🙂
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.
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!
Erica says
Amazing recipe! Super easy
Natasha says
🙂
Dan says
I'm thoroughly addicted to this recipe. It's wonderful! I add a chopped onion when I put the garlic cloves into the pan.
Natasha says
Awesome!! I'm happy to hear that! XO
Tim says
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
Natasha says
I'm so happy that it worked out! You're not a bad cook! We all go at different paces. 🙂