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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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Amazing! My whole family loved it. My daughter who is a picky eater, my mother in law who doesn’t even care for garlic. My husband made sure there were no leftovers.
That’s awesome! So happy to hear that 🙂
So I loved the simplicity of this recipe and the minimal ingredients.
I put a couple tweeks, I used closer to 4tbs butter after all was said and done. In addition to the lemon juice I added a splash of white cooking wine.
I also used Sazon in lieu of salt and pepper. I used one packet mixed with the flour for dredging. And I put less than half a packet in the sauce step before the cream. I was very happy with how the garlic came through. I sliced all my cloves and used a very small amount of garlic power right at the end with the cream before adding the chicken. Overall really good!
I need more practice with pan frying chicken though 🙃 lol
So glad you liked it, Katherine!! 🙂 Love adding white wine to recipes too.
I’m trying to figure out if these are supposed to be cut so they are thinner (sliced in half to be much thinner pieces), or cut so they are in 4 pieces, but normal thickness?
They’re sliced to be thinner 🙂
Best creamy garlic chicken !!
I did add some “season all” when you first brown the chicken to give it an extra flavor and its damn good !! Hubby and kids love it and garlic is not over powering. I trusted your advice in some comments i have read about alot of garlic and it wasnt at all. Thank you for sharing this recipie will be following you !!!
Excellent! So glad it was a hit. ❤️
I just made this for my family and WOW my husband who hates chicken (except for fried cutlet) Went for a second helping!! It was so so flavorful and delish! Shared this recipe already with my sister, niece and daughter lol
That’s what I like to hear! So happy everyone liked it. Thanks for sharing! 💕
Bland.
Really? Did you add salt? I don’t think others find it bland based on all the reviews, but I guess everyone has different taste buds…
Made this tonight. Only change I made was to double the recipe.
Everyone loved it and so easy to make, I will definitely be making it again.
That’s so great to hear, thanks Carol! 🙂
Great Recipe and easily embellished with other vegetables as have on hand. It was my son’s first night home from college and I needed to make something he could eat as leftovers. Made some Rosemary rice to go with your dish with a hearty salad. My son is glad to be home! At least for the food. Thanks for a great recipe.
I am so glad he liked it. Your comment made me smile. 🙂
Absolutely dee licious!!! I’m no gourmet cook but this dinner made me feel like one!!
I prepared it exactly to your recipe and it was simply perfect! Thanks so much!!
That’s great!! So happy you liked it, April! 🙂
Is there anyway to get the nutrition facts for this? I have made it before and love it, but recently started weight watchers and need to calculate the points.
Hi Misty! I’m so glad you like the recipe! I’d say your best course of action is to plug in the exact ingredients you’re using into a nutrition calculator like My Fitness Pal (weigh the chicken – it can vary a LOT depending on what you actually use) and how much you’re actually eating. I don’t usually like to give calorie counts, especially on higher calorie recipes. I’m not a trained nutritionist and I know a lot of factors can vary, so it’s best to use the labels of the exact brands of ingredients you use etc.