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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 was super yummy and quick and easy to make! However my cream sauce broke up and became kind of oily and clumpy looking as soon as I checked the temp of the chicken and confirmed it was cooked through—any idea why it would have done that?
Hi Amanda! I’m glad you enjoyed it! So, generally curdling is one of a few reasons – can you confirm that you used heavy or whipping cream (at least 35% fat) vs. something lower fat such as half-and-half or “light” cream? If you did indeed use heavy cream, it can still curdle if the temperature is too high for too long, or if there was a stark temperature difference (e.g. you added it straight from the fridge to a screaming hot pan). I would say next time to cook it at a slightly lower heat (possibly for longer to thicken the sauce adequately), and make sure you take it out of the fridge 20+ minutes before you’re planning on adding it to the pan just to take that chill off.
I am a food snob 100% , everyone I know hates going out to eat with me because I always pick apart how things are made because I love to cook….wanted to try something different with some cream I had leftover and found this. I give this recipe 10 stars!!!!!!! So perfectly easy and quick and utterly delicious! My little one said she didn’t want it and when she tried it, she finished the rest of the pan!!!!!! Love it and thank you for a great go to for a single working momma!
That’s awesome!! 🙂 You’re very welcome, Kenda!
When do we add the flour? I’m not seeing it anywhere in the instructions.
The flour is for coating the chicken breasts (step 1). In the instructions it specifies “for dredging”, which means for coating them. Hope you enjoy the recipe, Jade! 🙂
This recipe sounds delicious and from the comments, I’m excited to try it. I will be making this tonight. I have some baby spinach and mushrooms I have to get rid of, so I’ll be adding that to the pot too. For something different, I will be dicing the chicken and will be have it mixed through pasta. Can’t wait!
Enjoy!! 🙂
This is my families favourite meal, they absolutely love this dish, easy to do and so tasty, we have it along with a little mash and green beans, highly recommend this dish.
I love that!! Thank you so much!
Excellent dish! I wouldn’t change a thing. Followed your recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. Love the garlic cloves and they were delicious scooped up with garlic bread. Picky son devoured it! Will make again and again! Love all your recipes and they are so quick and easy to make Thank you!
That’s great!! 🙂 You’re very welcome! Thanks for your kind comment!
Wow. This is the first thing I’ve ever cooked that I feel like could be served in a restaurant. It was so delicious and creamy and I can’t believe how simple it was! I used minced garlic instead of garlic cloves and I think it turned out great. Can’t wait to make this again!
That’s awesome!! 😀 I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review, Ellie!
My family loved it! Husband said he would most definitely eat it again and my picky 5 year old ate it too! 10 out of 10!! Great recipie
That’s great to hear!! Thank you!! 🙂
Can I make this ahead, either a few hours or even a day?
Yup, lots of people have tried that. Just be sure to reheat slowly over a low heat so the sauce doesn’t break and the chicken doesn’t dry out.
Instead of whole garlic can you use minced garlic in the jar?
Hi! I know plenty of others have tried that, so you may want to read through the comments. The recipe won’t end up exactly the same, but should be ok. 🙂
Was a bit bland. I was expecting bold garlic flavor. I’ll use garlic salt instead of garlic powder next time. Also I’ll add rosemary when roasting the garlic and then add some roasted slivered almonds at the end.