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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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Absolutely easy and delicious
Thank you, Sina! 🙂
This recipe was ahead it came out so creamy instead of heavy cream are used to Tzatziki cucumber garlic dill dip it has a yogurt base! And a smidge of Roasted garlic aïoli for flavor!
I made this for my wife and kids last night after work and it was absolutely incredible! Kids wanted seconds and the wife told me to write down exactly what I did. Really really delicious! Thank you.
That is great to hear, Jim! 😀 I’m so pleased everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review!
I don’t have any chicken broth or stock on hand. Will this recipe work without it? Any suggestions on possible substitutions?
Do you have a bouillon cube or some Better Than Bouillon in a jar in your fridge? It’ll work, but it just won’t be quite as flavorful if you sub with water. Just make sure you salt the recipe properly. Hope you enjoy it! Let me know.
Nice, creamy, easy! I used Heavy Cream (that’s all I had). Added 1/2 teaspoon Trader Joe’s Ajika Georgian Seasoning. Really nice flavor profile. I cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into 3/4″ cubes before dredging in flour. Your directions are spot on! Thanks!
So glad you liked it! Yes, heavy or whipping cream (or heavy whipping cream since they’re sometimes labeled confusingly lol) is what you’re supposed to use… so it’s all good. 🙂 So happy you liked it, Carl!
Whipping cream or Heavy cream? Which one to use? Or are they the same?
I list both because you can use either/or (and here in Canada it’s easier to find whipping cream than heavy cream), and sometimes you’ll even see “heavy whipping cream” in some places to add a further layer of confusion lol. As long as it’s 36% fat or higher, you’re good to go. Hope you enjoy the recipe, Rufina!
Don’t have cream, can I use milk some how
Hi Debbie, I personally recommend using cream (and that’s how I’ve tested the recipe to ensure it works). You’d have to tweak the recipe to get the sauce thick enough (like make a roux). There’s tons of comments on this recipe… so I recommend looking through and seeing what others have done and that may give you some ideas on what has worked.
Sounds good! I wonder how this would turn out using an insta pot?
Hi! It would be a very different recipe. I don’t recommend pressure cooking cream… this isn’t really the type of recipe that needs a pressure cooker. Stews and soups and those types of things can benefit from the high heat of pressure cooking.
This is one of my go-to dinner recipes! It’s so simple yet rich and delicious. I will sometimes remix it and throw in peas or spinach towards the end. I made biscuits along side the chicken tonight so I could sop up all the delicious sauce. So yumm!
Mmmm now I want some biscuits! I’m so glad this is a favorite of yours, Cristal!
OMG…it was out of this world! The chicken was like butter and the garlic was so soft, I smashed it up in the sauce…and the kids ate it over mashed potatoes. Amazing dish, and all in one pan, even better.
Excellent!! I’m so pleased everyone enjoyed it, Danielle 🙂
Thank you. Absolutely fantastic recipe. Tastes delicious!
You’re welcome, Caz!!