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This sour cream and onion chicken recipe is a fun take on the classic flavors! Tender chicken breasts are pan-fried and smothered in an easy, rich, and creamy sauce.
Looking for more chicken recipes? Check out my roundup of 50+ Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas.
Why you’ll love it
This sour cream chicken is easy to make and quick. Apart from being a creative 30-minute meal to change up the rotation, it’s also fantastic if you or someone you’re cooking for is on a low-carb diet! It’s kind of got Chicken Stroganoff vibes but without the mushrooms.
The sauce is perfectly balanced between being creamy yet with a hint of tang. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely a sauce person. This skillet chicken recipe makes plenty of rich onion-y sauce, and it’s amazing over a big ol’ pile of mashed potatoes.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re cutting chicken breasts lengthwise to make smaller cutlets
- Garlic powder – it’s a tried and true method of mine to add it right to the cutlets along with salt & pepper for flavor
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying
- Onion and garlic – I use Vidalia (sweet) onions, but your standard yellow or white ones will work just fine
- Chicken broth – to infuse even more savory flavor into the sauce
- Worcestershire sauce – it’s my secret ingredient to add irresistible a savory quality to sauces. Don’t skip it!
- Sour cream – we’re going full-fat because it has much better flavor and is less likely to curdle. I don’t recommend using low fat.
- Fresh parsley – optional but adds a bright touch
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this skillet.
- I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer to ensure meat isn’t undercooked or overcooked. It eliminates all the guesswork! Chicken is done at 165F.
- Store the rest of the garlic in this cute garlic saver.
How to make chicken with sour cream sauce
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make four thinner pieces. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and some salt & pepper. In a skillet, sear the chicken until cooked through, then transfer it to a plate. Add the butter to the skillet along with the onions.
Cook the onions until they’re lightly browned and soft. Stir in the garlic, followed by the broth and Worcestershire sauce, then add in the sour cream and let it warm through. Add the chicken back to the skillet, spoon some sauce over top, season to taste, and sprinkle with chopped parsley!
Tips for success
- This recipe isn’t difficult to make, but I do recommend you watch the onions quite carefully so that they don’t scorch. They’re best cooked fairly slowly. You could cook them for even longer at a lower heat if you want to fully caramelize them.
- If the sauce thickens up too much, just add a splash more broth to thin it to your liking.
What to serve with this recipe
- Try Mashed Potatoes, rice, or Buttered Egg Noodles if you’d like to pair it with a starch.
- Or keep it low-carb with something like cauliflower rice or a side of veggies like my Easy Roasted Green Beans or this Easy Asparagus Recipe.
- For something very light, try this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will be good in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- I’d reheat over a low heat in a saucepan, adding a little more sour cream or broth if necessary to revive the sauce.
- I don’t recommend freezing creamy sauces.
Please leave a star rating and review below if you made this creamy onion chicken! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you’ve made one of my recipes so I can see your creations.
Sour Cream and Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup sour cream full-fat
- Fresh chopped parsley optional, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and some salt & pepper.
- To a skillet, add the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter. Let the pan heat up over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
- Once the pan is hot, add the chicken. Cook it for about 5-6 minutes/side or until it's golden and cooked through (165F). Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add in the remaining butter and the onion. Sauté the onion until it's softened and lightly browned (about 10-15 minutes). Timing will vary depending on how thick you sliced the onion. You may need to turn the heat down further if it seems like it's burning vs. slowly browning.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce, and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the sour cream until you've got a smooth sauce, and let it heat through for a couple of minutes (ensure it doesn't bubble too much or else it could curdle).
- Add the chicken back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over top. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed, and serve immediately with some chopped parsley sprinkled over top.
Notes
- If the sauce is too thick, add a little more chicken broth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is so sweet, I mean so sweet. It’s like somebody put sugar in the dish. I followed it exactly the way I was supposed to, and I’ve made it twice now just to be sure that I was doing it correctly. It is just too sweet and does not taste like a sauce that belongs with chicken at all. I feel like caramelizing the onions is what’s doing this. And while I love caramelized onions, it just adds so much sugary flavoring to this that it’s ridiculous.
Hi Cecilia! Hmm I think this is the only time anyone has ever given me this particular complaint. That is very strange. It sounds like you might be fully caramelizing the onions. I don’t – 10-15 minutes isn’t enough time to fully caramelize them. Did you take a look at the step-by-step photos to see how it looks for me? Like how thick the onions are etc.?
So delicious! My daughter is lactose sensitive so I used almond milk greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it turned out amazing. I was worried about the texture because it is a little thinner than sour cream, but it worked great!
So glad it worked, Ashleigh!
This recipe looks amazing! I bet it would be just as good in a crock pot or instant pot as well. Definitely going to try it!
DELISH!
Thanks so much, Patsy!