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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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This is my go to recipe, so glad I found your site x
Wonderful! So glad you found me as well. 🙂
Can you use minced garlic instead of garlic cloves? How much minced garlic should I use?
You mean the jarred stuff? I haven’t tested it, so I don’t know. I’d add maybe a couple teaspoons? It’ll have a different effect… the whole cloves sorta mellow out, I think using minced garlic might actually taste a bit stronger. Maybe try looking thru the comments to see if anyone else has done it and reported back? I know I’ve seen this question on this recipe before. Let me know how it goes… I hope you like the recipe! 🙂
We made this tonight with minced garlic. My jar says 1tsp=1 clove. We doubled the recipe, and I just realized that 1tbsp is actually 3tsp so I increased the garlic a bit and it was still great.
So I’d recommend 2-3tsp if you’re doing minced.
It was great by the way 🙂 hubby wanted it for dinner so I helped him, and he’s already talking about next time he makes it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Absolutely delicious. Definitely restaurant quality! Our new favorite. So simple and soooo delicious
thank you
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Hi I was wondering which type of pan would be better for it I just started using cast iron and falling I love I saw in the pics is in a cast iron but the video isn’t I have both which would it be better to cook?
I’d use the cast iron. 🙂 Honestly though, any pan you’re confident using will work just fine. Stainless or cast iron produce the same results for this recipe.
Someone above said restuarant quality and they wernt lying..its so good I’m gonna use the sauce on steamed cauliflower next and even on fettuccine would be awsome, thank u for this mouth watering recipe. I cant recommend it enough.
Aww so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much!
Great recipe my family loved it. Very easy recipe, I’m going to attempt to cook this once again this time adding sliced mushrooms as well. Thank you
So glad to hear that, Monique! 🙂
Can I add some Tortellini to “cook” in the creamy sauce, for a side, & then add the chicken back to pan?
My only concern with that is the tortellini may soak up some of the sauce. But you could give it a try for sure.
Cooked this today , and chopped chicken at very end and tossed chicken and sauce with penne pasta and fresh chopped parsley , this is what ive being searching for ,,, amazing ,,,,,,,,,,, the chicken cooked like that is so tasty and the sauce ,,,.so glad I did it
Awesome!!
Hi! I made your recipe last month and it was a hit in my home. So good. I’m going to attempt it again today. However, I wonder if I can use split chicken breasts this time instead since that’s what I have in the freezer.?
Hi! I’m so glad you liked it. You can use the split chicken breasts, but they’ll take longer to cook so just make sure that they’re 165F in the thickest part without touching the bone. You may need to add more sauce or cook the chicken for longer prior to adding it to the sauce – that’s my main concern.
Love to cook…..this recipe was extraordinary! I do hope everyone notes that those who did not give it 5 stars did not follow the recipe. Hello!
Aww thank you! So pleased you enjoyed it! ♥️
Hi – I’m new to this whole cooking process and planning to cook this very soon but I’m curious about one thing, sorry for this question — Is it ok to use chicken broth cubes in this recipe (boiled into water)? I’m not sure if it has a difference with the homemade version. 🙁
Hi! That’s totally fine. Just use a cube or part of the cube since they’re quite salty (there should be instructions) and use the same amount of water as chicken broth that the recipe calls for.