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This 30 minute creamy garlic parmesan chicken is a family favorite because it just feels so special, but it’s insanely easy to make. It’s also my go-to for serving to guests when I’m short on time!
You may also like my Boursin Stuffed Chicken Breast or this Parmesan Crusted Chicken.
Why you’ll love it
I know you guys are fans of my Chicken Recipes, so I’m thrilled to bring you this one that has all my favorite flavors and is just as easy to make as the rest. Garlic. Parmesan. Juicy chicken. I think you will enjoy how simple it is to throw together on any old weeknight, even without an occasion.
But whenever I do serve this dish for company, no one can resist the garlic and parmesan in the luscious cream sauce. It’s lick-your-plate kind of good. If you’re thinking of hosting a dinner party for the first time, this is a fantastic recipe for the menu since it’s really stress free to put together and will impress everyone.
Ingredients that you will need
- Chicken – we’re cutting two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 4 smaller pieces
- Garlic powder, salt & pepper – for seasoning the chicken cutlets to directly infuse flavor
- Olive oil and butter – for the tasty base for pan frying
- Flour – a thickener for the sauce
- Garlic – we’re using 3 cloves, but if you’re a big fan, go ahead and add more
- Chicken broth – adds more savory depth to the sauce, but you can go all-out and use white wine
- Cream – we’re going with heavy cream for luxuriousness
- Parmesan cheese – for the cheesy, creamy sauce. Always use freshly grated
- Parsley – it adds a pop of freshness
How to make it
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make four smaller cutlets. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Pan fry it until it’s cooked through. This will take about 5-6 minutes per side. Take the chicken out of the pan, and transfer it to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the flour and garlic and cook for a minute. Scrape up the brown bits. Whisk in the broth, and then stir in the cream. Let it gently bubble, and then take it off the heat and put in the parmesan and combine until melted in. Add the chicken back to the pan, spoon the sauce over top and chopped parsley if desired, and serve it right away.
Tips for success
- I highly recommend grating your own parmesan cheese for best results. It tastes and melts a lot better! I use my Microplane to grate it.
- If you decide to use white wine instead of chicken broth, use something dry like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. I don’t have a particular brand preference for cooking, so just ensure it’s something you’d actually like to drink.
- Substitute the heavy cream with a lower fat alternative at your own discretion. The sauce may not thicken properly, won’t taste as good, and is likely to curdle. This is meant to be a treat meal!
Tools for this recipe
- I use my handy cooking tongs to quickly turn the chicken and remove it from the skillet.
- The only totally accurate way to test whether chicken is done (not overcooked or undercooked) is to use an instant read meat thermometer. For this recipe, I suggest taking the chicken out of the pan once it reaches 160F. As it rests, the temperature will increase to 165F, the safe minimum temperature to eat. A bit over is fine, but keep in mind that chicken can go from tender to dry very quickly.
- A splatter guard is useful to keep clean-up to a minimum.
What to serve with it
- Try mashed potatoes to soak up all that perfect parmesan garlic sauce! We also enjoy it with these buttered egg noodles or rice.
- Many veggies pair well. Try roasted green beans, broccolini, maple roasted carrots, or sweet corn.
- It’s also fantastic with a simple salad of mixed greens with this creamy balsamic dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- The leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- To reheat this chicken, warm it over a very low heat in a small saucepan so that the sauce doesn’t separate.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing leftovers as cream sauces don’t fare well in the freezer at all.
Will you give this easy chicken recipe a try? Questions? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Season them generously on both sides with salt & pepper and the garlic powder.
- Add the olive oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat, and let the pan heat up for a few minutes.
- Cook the chicken for about 5-6 minutes/side or until it's nicely seared and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and loosely tent it with foil to keep it warm (turn off the heat while doing this step).
- Turn the heat back on to medium-high and sprinkle in the flour and garlic to the skillet (the pan should still be hot, but if it's not, let it warm up a bit first). Let it cook for about a minute or so, stirring often.
- Pour in the chicken broth and whisk it until the flour has dissolved and the liquid has reduced by half.
- Stir in the cream and let it bubble gently for a few minutes until it's thickened to your desired consistency (turn the heat down if it's rapidly boiling). Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the parmesan until it has melted into the sauce.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet (and any juices from the plate) and spoon some sauce over top. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed and sprinkle the parsley over top.
Notes
- I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to test when the chicken is done (165F). It can go from undercooked to overcooked very fast.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Just made this for our Saturday night dinner using boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts because that’s what we had on hand. I also substituted dried thyme for the parsley because my husband doesn’t like parsley. We served it over edemame noodles. It was delicious and easy to make! Yum!
I’m so glad it was a hit!! Thank you, Sallie!
OMG soooo good! We loved it. Super easy to make too.
Thank you so much!
Hi
Can this be made ahead
Hi! This isn’t the type of recipe I like to make ahead as cream sauces can easily separate and chicken breasts easily dry out. With that said, there’s reheating tips in the blog post if you want to give it a try.
It tasted fine. Easy enough to make, but the quantities should be listed prior to how to cook and other meals .
The full recipe is in the recipe card… it’s not difficult to find. If you want to skip over the tips and go straight there, hit the “jump to recipe” button or scroll for a few seconds.
OMG!!! So good! My picky son loved it. Definitely cooking again. Very easy
Thanks so much, Missy!! 😀
This was delicious. It went over very well with the family. I served it with mashed potatoes and Parmesan asparagus. I might even use the sauce for when I make chicken cutlet. I doubled the recipe since I am saucy person. There was really no need. I ended up having too much. If you are making this over pasta, I personally would go easy on the flour. Maybe half it. The sauce was thick for me but I’m generous with my thickening agents. I might add a few splashes of lemon next time but other than that, this was great. It the rotation you go.
I’m so glad it was a hit!!
This was delicious!!! Even my picky boys ate it!!!! I will definitely be making it again!!!! I’m so excited for leftovers tomorrow.
That’s great to hear!! 😀 Thanks so much, Courtney!!
I made this tonight and it was so awesome
Thanks so much, Jovita!! 😀
I just made this tonight and it was AMAZING! I used white wine in place of chicken broth and served it over jasmine rice! Delicious! Thank you for sharing! 😍
Thank you so much!! You’re very welcome, Emily!
Made this for my daughter and I for lunch it was super simple and very tasty. I didn’t have any ungrated Parmesan but it tasted fine with the pre-grated. Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy it was a hit, Jill! 😀
Delicious! I make mine with the 90 second garlic quinoa and green beans
Excellent! Thank you!