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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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My family and I really loved this dish. It was really great with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. I have printed this recipe out to use for a dinner party in a few months.
Wonderful!! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for leaving me a review! 🙂
I found this recipe back over the Christmas holidays when my son was up from college. He told me he didn’t eat beef anymore, so I went searching for chicken recipes and found yours . We both enjoyed it so much I made it for company another time and it was a huge hit. I copied it down and I’ve used it several times since just for myself because I enjoy it so much. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe!
Aww that’s great to hear!! I’m happy you like it so much! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
Sure!
I once attended a residential course where they served up the most amazing creamy garlic chicken I’d ever tasted and what was doubly amazing was that it didn’t taste like garlic. I asked for the recipe but got nowhere fast. I think I just found it on this page! I tried your recipe tonight (but added chestnut mushrooms) and the entire family loved, loved it! I’m feeling like a big-headed kitchen goddess with all the compliments. Thank you!
I love your comment haha!! I’m so glad it was a hit. 🙂
Which flour to use ?
I use all-purpose flour.
Doubled the amount for my family as I have three big eaters. Added sliced mushrooms to the sauce. Served with some fresh lettuce, stirfried snow peas and baby corn, and some bread rolls. My sons ate it all, using the bread rolls to soak up the sauce. Hubby, a spicy food eater, added black pepper sauce which was strange, but it did cut through the creaminess for him. Maybe I’ll try doing a paprika cream sauce for him.
So glad you all enjoyed it! Lol… my husband adds hot sauce to everything too!
This sounds so yummy I will definitely be trying!
Enjoy!
Do you think I could use coconut milk instead of heavy cream? Thanks! 😬
Hi! You could try reading thru the comments and see if anyone else had had success with it. In my honest opinion, it really depends what your recipe goals are. If you want it to taste the way I intended, it’ll definitely be different. I find coconut milk does give a bit of a coconut flavor, so if you’re ok with that, you could give it a try. Let me know! 🙂
I loved so delicious
Wonderful!
This was the best change of pace ever! So easy. I didn’t have fresh garlic so I used my bottled garlic, just a heaping spoonful. It was still delicious! Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed it, Alison!! 🙂
Hi there! I wanna make this recipe but the only thing I don’t have is chicken broth/ stock. Will it still turn out okay if I leave it out of the recipe?
Hi! It’ll be a bit less salty/flavorful, so you really need to make sure you add enough salt if you’re finding the sauce is lacking in flavor. I’d probably still use the same amount of water as broth unless you feel like experimenting a bit. Or even replace the broth with dry white wine if you have some. If you have bouillon cubes, I’d use that + water to make stock.
Hi! I’m glad I saw this comment, because I wanted to leave one but I couldn’t find the “rate this recipe” button anywhere!
I combine this creamy garlic chicken with your creamy rosemary Dijon recipe into one, and my family loves it! I also double or triple the chicken, because I have a LARGE family. It takes longer to slice, bread, and fry up the chicken, though, I have to make it in batches. I saw some comments from people who have used chicken tenders instead, next time I may just do that. My time is valuable.
Last night when I was gathering ingredients I realized I was out of chicken broth! So I used a cube of bouillon + 1/2 cup boiling water, and also added 1/2 cup white wine AND a couple tablespoons of the salty, lemony brine from my jar of preserved lemons. (In place of the fresh lemon juice.) It turned out just great. I served it with cooked broccoli and buttered penne, and the sauce is fabulous drizzled over both the sides. When I have made this, I do have leftovers for the next day…but only for ONE extra day. Whoever gets to the leftovers first gets to eat them. Thank you so much for these great recipe ideas!
Hi Ann! I’m so happy you like this recipe… love how you improvised with that preserved lemon brine… yum. 🙂
Hey beautiful! I plan to cook this tonight but being my work hours I won’t make it to get olive oil, what can I substitute for the oil or will only butter work????
Hi!! Do you have any other kind of cooking oil e.g. avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, or coconut oil? My only concern with using just butter is that it may burn since we’re searing the chicken at quite a high temperature.
I made mine with boned chicken thighs as they’re more tender than the breasts. Made the sauce with baby sweet peppers which I roasted for 15 minutes along with the garlic before adding them to pan fried mushrooms. I used chicken stock cubes/water along with a touch of mustard, heavy cream and a dose of white wine……I made 8 of them and as I’m a single man, I got 2 meals out if it. When I do it again I won’t share it with anybody – it’s too good.
Excellent!!