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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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Hi Katie,
Food was absolutely delicious. My hubby added a bit of mushroom and we topped up with parmesan cheese. Delicious meal which I would definitely recommend.
Many thanks
Wonderful!
Made this tonight. It was absolutely beautiful. Can’t wait to try out some more of ur recipes
Awww so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Do you know how many calories this recipe is?
I don’t – sorry. I usually don’t put calories on the more indulgent meals on my blog because it can be an emotional thing for some people vs. just raw data. This is obviously a treat meal, so I don’t want to deter people from making it. Try plugging it into My Fitness Pal maybe?
I made this and it was delicious! Only thing I am unsure of is the breading seemed to come off the chicken and be kind of chunky in the sauce. Is this right or is the breading supposed to stay on the chicken?
I’m glad you liked it! Hmm.. I haven’t personally had that happen. I just lightly coat the chicken in flour, so I’m not sure why yours went on thick?
Looks good I will have to try this could you possibly use beef broth or stock instead of chicken broth?
Sure!
This meal turned out delicious and was very flavorful! The only issue I had is that some of the flour separated from the chicken and made my sauce clumpy 🤔😔. I may try frying chicken without dredge, make sauce, then add chicken back in next time. Other than that, this meal was a hit! I added in some spinach.
Hi! That’s so weird… I had another comment just now with the same issue. This has never happened to me before, and I am not sure I’ve seen a comment up until the other one today that had that problem. I just lightly coat the chicken in flour and it stays on. So odd!
I made this recipe dairy & gluten free. I substituted oatmeal milk and non-dairy sour cream to create the creamy sauce and used gluten free flour. As a family we enjoyed it. I thought it would taste like Canadian Poutine but it didn’t. It’s a nice and easy recipe to follow. It went well with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Thank you for sharing.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was restaurant quality tasty! My entire family enjoyed the meal. Thank you for this fabulous recipe 🙂
So happy to hear that!
Thanks for the fabulous recipe! I added a large chopped onion and 3 large sliced mushrooms (with the garlic part). The onions added a sweetness to the recipe. It was so delicious. I also used coffee cream instead of heavy cream. Feeling the pressure of weight gain since quarantine. I also posted the recipe on Facebook for my friends to enjoy. Thanks again and stay safe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Chantelle! Thanks so much for sharing it! XO 🙂
Loved it 💙
Wonderful! XO
Can the sauce be made separate from the chicken and then poured over it? Has anyone tired it?
You could do it… but the flour on the chicken helps thicken the sauce. Curious why you want to do this if you don’t mind me asking? You can, of course, pour the sauce over top of it after it’s all done. Do you have already cooked chicken?
This was not a meal, it was a religious experience! I made rice with it, and my husband went back for more rice and sauce. He does not eat rice, unless it’s with Chinese or Mexican food!
Haha awesome compliment!! I’m so glad you two enjoyed it, Dawn! 🙂
I make the sauce separately because my youngest has a dairy allergy and I make her a sauce that’s dairy free. I think that keeping them separate leaves the chicken a little crispier, which I like.
I’m so glad it worked out!
I don’t normally leave comments on recipes, but I had to for this one. Like many of you, we’re in [edited] right now and are trying to use the ingredients we have in new ways. This came up in a Google search and it was fantastic. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for this recipe; this food brought some joy during a tough time.
I’m so glad it brought you a little happiness during this time. I edited your comment because I was advised that using any of the buzzwords surrounding this current situation may be bad for my site in Google’s eyes, so I am erring on the side of caution.
I want to try this but I only have half and half , milk, sour cream. Do you suggest any of these over the other? TIA!
Hi! I’d use half and half. Take a look thru the comments – many readers have adapted the recipe and you may find some good tips. ♥️
Very nice just done it for my family. People you only need 2 chicken breasts for 4.