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This creamy garlic chicken recipe is the ultimate easy comfort food! Tender chicken breasts smothered in a creamy garlic sauce are irresistible. Garlic lovers unite!
Love creamy chicken recipes? Try my Creamy Tuscan Chicken, this Creamy Bacon Chicken, or my Creamy Mushroom Chicken.
Why you’ll love it
This creamy garlic chicken is ready in about 30 minutes. It’s good enough to serve company, but it’s also one of those dishes that works for a quick weeknight dinner. A lovely reader said that it’s “one of the best things I have ever eaten!!!” It was an early hit on the blog and actually shaped the direction of S&L towards easy comfort food.
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.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise to cook faster and more evenly, so it remains tender and melt-in-your-mouth
- Flour – for a tasty crust on the exterior of the cutlets, and it also helps thicken the sauce
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Garlic cloves – use an entire head of garlic. Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact same number of cloves as I used. It’s not precise.
- Chicken broth – for the savory base of the sauce
- Lemon juice – a little bit of acidity for balance
- Garlic powder – for a different garlicky aspect! It’s a staple in my pantry.
- Heavy cream – it’s what makes the sauce luxuriously rich
Do I eat the garlic cloves?
- You do! 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.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- You don’t have to spend a lot time peeling the garlic cloves. Use a silicone garlic peeler tube, or buy 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 how.
- This is my trusty 10.25″ Lodge cast iron skillet, and I use a chef’s knife to cut the chicken.
- Chicken is safe to eat at 165F, and the best way to never have undercooked or overcooked meat is using an instant read thermometer.
How to make creamy garlic chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken breasts into four cutlets, season with salt & pepper, and coat with flour. Pan fry until golden, and then take them out of the skillet. Lightly brown the garlic cloves in the same pan.
Add the broth, lemon juice, and garlic powder to the skillet. Let it up bubble for a few minutes until the liquid has reduced somewhat. Pour in the cream, and return the chicken to the pan to cook until it reaches 165F inside and the sauce thickens. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- 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 can substitute for chicken thighs, but keep in mind those may take a bit longer to cook.
- For an elegant touch, swap the chicken broth for a dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
- Readers have tried minced garlic in a jar, but the results won’t be the same and our kitchen has not tested that. You’re welcome to experiment.
What to serve with creamy garlic chicken
- Try Mashed Potatoes, a classic Easy Baked Potato, Stick of Butter Rice, pasta, or scoop up those tasty garlic cloves with fresh crusty bread.
- For veggie sides, I suggest sweet corn, Maple Roasted Beets and Carrots, or my very delicious Easy Roasted Cauliflower recipe. Green beans would also go great.
- If you’re pairing it with a salad, I love this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad or going all out with my popular 10-Minute Caesar Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftovers of this creamy chicken in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in a saucepan slowly and over a low heat until warmed through.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one. The chicken will dry out, and creamy sauces don’t hold up well in the freezer.
More 30-minute chicken recipes
If you made this creamy garlic chicken recipe, leave a star rating and comment below! You can find me on Instagram and showcase your creations.
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 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
- Parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets. Generously season them with 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 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.
- This recipe also can be found in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I make this about once a week. I double the sauce and add a pint of whole roasted garlic. Yes we love garlic and this is so easy to make. If you have a luckys market get their roasted garlic. It’s at the olive bar. My next adventure is to just make the sauce and pour in on gnocchi.
Oooh good idea! We don’t have a Lucky’s Market here, but I wish we did now!!
I am in love!! I made a few changes the two times I’ve made it. First, I didn’t use lemon juice because I didn’t have any on hand and it worked just fine. I also subbed over to boneless skinless thighs, because once again, that’s all I had on hand lol
The second time, I used thighs again and skipped the lemon juice but I also mashed the garlic before cooking and seasoned the chicken with garlic salt before dredging which made it sooooooo good. I also added a cup of Parmesan cheese because my sauce split at the end the first time I made it. Huge difference! For my side, I tossed bow tie pasta in the sauce at the end and it was perfect! Hubby loved it and my picky (I mean realllly picky) daughter ate every bite. This recipe has been added the my list! Thank you soo much!
I’m so glad you liked it!! 🙂
Good recipe! It was a hit! I would make this again. I did follow a reviewer’s suggestion to use a quarter cup of white wine. It took a bit longer to reduce the broth/wine mix, but that was okay. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Excellent… happy to hear it worked with the white wine! 🙂
This has potential. First off I will add that stating salt and pepper to taste is not enough for most people. They need to know where to use it. I added salt and pepper to the flour to coat the chicken. It’s essential to build that first layer of flavor. I also added salt to the sauce to bring in that second layer. Usually with recipes like this the acid in the sauce is white wine, which I prefer. I used 1/4 cup white wine and added with the chicken broth, then cooked it down until it was reduced before continuing. Please eat the garlic as the flavor is mellowed considerably by cooking and adds more flavor per bite.
Glad you enjoyed it!!
I agree with this review. I found it to be a bit mild for my taste. I certainly went too light on the salt and pepper. I might also double up the garlic powder. Spreading the cooked garlic cloves on the chicken was helpful. I used boneless chicken thighs. Not sure if that makes much of a difference.
Loved it! Reminds me of Chicken Alfredo from Olive Garden😊. Easy to make, family loved it!
That’s what I like to hear! ❤️☺️
I am NOTORIOUSLY terrible at cooking chicken. My husband cringes when I say that’s what I’m making for dinner, and girl, this recipe was amazing. AMAZING. My first delicious chicken dish in 6 years of marriage. Thank you for leading me to this victory. Will 1000% make again.
Aww that’s awesome!!! So happy it worked out for you! ❤️❤️❤️
Searched for a chicken recipe for tonight and this came up with good reviews. Tried it. And yep. Printed for my personal recipes for another time. Loved it!
The longest parts were peeling garlic and cooking chicken. I have a garlic peeler….somewhere.
I was also weary of all the garlic. But in the end it was great. Actually, may cut up more garlic next time for a stronger flavor. I used 2 chicken breasts and cut lengthwise as suggeated and some parts were done faster than others which wasn’t a big deal.
I just removed those earlier.
I liked the smaller pieces better so will cut breasts smaller next time. I loved the garlic sauce.
I will double it next time to use as a gravy on mashed potatoes.
I love to try new recipes and am usually disappointed.
But not this time. This is one of my fave chicken dinners now. I wonder how it will be with left over turkey in a few weeks. Thx for the great recipe.
I am so glad you liked it, Sheree! That’s good thinking with the leftover turkey. 🙂
This dish was absolutely fantastic! I’m in my late teens and I’ve never really cooked chicken before. I forgot to add the flour before I started the chicken and it still turn out great! I thought it would go well with pasta so after the sauce thickened up a lot I added a little bit of milk and a tiny extra bit of garlic powder to add a little flavor back. I LOVE garlic so I crushed the cloves a little but to add more flavor. It was super easy and your instructions were easy to follow! Will most definitely be making this again!
Excellent… it makes me very happy that it worked out for you. It’s definitely never too early to learn to cook. 🙂
Chicken is always a tough one for me. I often find it dry without a sauce and I am forever trying to change things up for dinner … but on a budget … so low and behold, chicken is made frequently lol. This. Dish. Was delicious!! I absolutely love garlic, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be too garlic-y and it really isn’t! I made it just as recommended with a dash of salt and pepper at the end. This is definitely a “saved” recipe! Thanks so much 😀
I’m so glad it worked for you, Amanda! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment!
Made this tonight. Only difference was that I used a gluten free flour blend. Family loved it! Next time I’ll use more garlic. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad they liked it! 🙂
I tried it. And everyone loves it! 👍👌
Excellent!!