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Home » Recipes » Chicken Recipes

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Published: May 19, 2024 · Modified: Jul 24, 2024 by Chef Dennis Littley

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Creamy garlic chicken is a delicious one-pan meal that’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners and fancy enough for a dinner party.

Ready in about 30 minutes, this easy-to-make dish takes chicken to a whole new level of deliciousness!

Creamy garlic chicken on a white platter.


 
Table of Contents:
  • Audio Player
  • Ingredients to make Creamy Garlic Chicken
  • Do I really need a whole head of garlic?
  • How to make Creamy Garlic Chicken
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • More Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Creamy Garlic Chicken

Audio Player

Creamy garlic chicken is the ultimate comfort food. Simmered in a rich, creamy garlic sauce, creates a depth of flavors guaranteed to bring smiles to your table.

The tender pan-seared chicken breasts smothered in the creamy garlic sauce will change how your family views weeknight dinners, and you definitely won’t hear them say chicken again.

Creamy garlic chicken with mashed potatoes on a white plate.

For a flavorful and filling meal, serve our creamy garlic chicken over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.

If you love creating delicious chicken dishes in your home kitchen, make sure to check out our French Onion Chicken and Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipes.

Ingredients to make Creamy Garlic Chicken

Ingredients to make creamy garlic chicken.

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients for my Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Do I really need a whole head of garlic?

Yes, you do. I know you’re probably thinking it’s way too much garlic, but you’ll need to trust me on this one.

Browning the onion and garlic in a butter-oil mixture begins the caramelization process, and gently simmering them in the chicken broth allows the garlic and onion’s natural sweet flavor to develop.

If you’re a garlic lover and prefer a stronger flavor, smash the cloves with the blade of a chef’s knife. This will release more of the garlic flavor.

For a milder garlic flavor, leave them all whole.

How to make Creamy Garlic Chicken

Collage showing how to begin the recipe.
  • Add the all-purpose flour and parmesan cheese to a shallow bowl.
  • Whisk to combine.
  • Split large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half (you want 4-6 ounce portions).
  • Lightly pound them with a meat mallet so that they are flattened out.
  • Season the split chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.
  • Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, coating both sides.
Collage showing the next steps in the recipe.
  • Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and unsalted butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan to mix the butter and oil.
  • When the oil is hot, add the floured chicken breasts to the pan and cook until golden brown.
  • Flip the chicken over to cook the other side (3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the breasts).
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a plate (tent with foil to keep it warm).
  • Reduce the heat to medium, and add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Don’t let the onion burn.
  • Smash 6 cloves of garlic with the side of a large knife. Add the smashed garlic cloves and whole garlic cloves to the pan and cook until fragrant over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. This begins the caramelization process.
    *Add more butter or oil if necessary.

*If you’d like to add a splash of white wine to the sauce, do it before adding the chicken stock to the pan.

Collage showing the final steps in the recipe.
  • Add the chicken broth to the pan, scraping all of the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan, and simmer on low until the broth has reduced by half (4-5 minutes).
    *This gives the garlic time to fully cook and release the sweet garlicky flavor instead of a bitter hot flavor.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream.
  • Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring as needed.
  • Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted, stirring as needed.
  • Add the chicken back into the pan.
  • Let it simmer in the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.

Taste the sauce and season with salt and black pepper as needed.

Creamy garlic chicken on a white platter.

Garnish the creamy garlic chicken with chopped fresh parsley and serve with green beans, mashed potatoes, or your favorite side dishes.

Any leftovers should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When reheating, you may need to add additional stock or heavy cream to the sauce.

Recipe FAQ’s

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?

Absolutely. Thighs are more flavorful and tender and will retain more of their natural moisture. Depending on the size of the thighs, they may take longer to cook.

Can I freeze creamy garlic chicken?

You can freeze it, but the sauce may be affected upon reheating. If that happens, you may need to add additional cream, chicken stock, or parmesan cheese to reconstitute the sauce.

Can I bake the chicken?

Yes, you can. Forgo the flouring, and lightly brush the chicken with olive oil and season it before baking. Bake the chicken till it’s almost done, then add it to the sauce per the recipe instructions.

More Recipes You’ll Love!

  • honey garlic chicken over white rice with broccoli
    Easy Honey Garlic Chicken
  • creamy tuscan chicken on a white plate
    Tuscan Chicken Recipe
  • French Onion Chicken on a white platter.
    French Onion Chicken
  • chicken chasseur on a white plate
    Chicken Chasseur Recipe (Hunters Chicken)

Creamy garlic chicken on a white platter.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Chef Ryan Littley
Ready in about 30 minutes our Creamy garlic chicken is a delicious one-pan meal that's perfect for busy weeknight dinners and fancy enough for a dinner party.
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 701 kcal

Ingredients
  

Chicken

  • 1 ½ – 1 ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breast two large breasts split in half to make four pieces
  • 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoon parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoon table salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Sauce

  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sweet onion finely chopped
  • 1 head garlic peeled and divided into 10-12 cloves
  • 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese
  • table salt season to taste
  • black pepper season to taste
  • 2 tablespoon Italian parsley garnish for serving

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, and parmesan cheese to a shallow bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Split large chicken breasts in half (you want 4-6 ounce portions)
  • Lightly pound them with a meat mallet so that they are flattened out.
  • Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, coating both sides.
  • Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan to mix the butter and oil
  • When the oil is hot, add the floured chicken breasts to the pan and cook until golden brown.
  • Flip the chicken over to cook the other side (3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the breasts).
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate (tent with foil to keep it warm).
  • Reduce the heat to medium, and add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Don't let the onion burn.
  • Smash 6 cloves of garlic with the side of a large knife.
  • Add the smashed garlic cloves and whole garlic cloves to the pan and cook until fragrant over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. This begins the caramelization process.
    *Add more butter or oil if necessary.
  • Add the chicken broth to the pan, scraping all of the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan.
    *If you'd like to add a splash of white wine to the sauce, do it before adding the chicken stock to the pan.
  • Simmer on low until the broth has reduced by half (4-5 minutes).
    *This gives the garlic time to fully cook and release the sweet garlicy flavor, instead of a bitter hot flavor.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream
  • Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stirring as needed.
  • Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Stirring as needed.
  • Add the chicken back into the pan.
  • Let it simmer in the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
  • Taste the sauce and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
  • Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Notes

Do I really need a whole head of garlic?
Yes, you do. I know you’re probably thinking it’s way too much garlic, but you’ll need to trust me on this one.
Browning the onion and garlic in a butter-oil mixture begins the caramelization process, and gently simmering them in the chicken broth allows the garlic and onion’s natural sweet flavor to develop.
If you’re a garlic lover and prefer a stronger flavor, smash all of the cloves with the blade of a chef’s knife. This will release more of the garlic flavor.
For a milder garlic flavor, leave them all whole.
Can I bake the chicken?
Yes, you can. Forgo the flouring, and lightly brush the chicken with olive oil and season it before baking. Bake the chicken till it’s almost done, then add it to the sauce per the recipe instructions.

Nutrition

Calories: 701kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 46gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 221mgSodium: 1240mgPotassium: 825mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1628IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 295mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 11 votes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Tammy says

    June 16, 2024 at 11:00 pm

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe, Dennis! This was so delicious and comforting…came together quickly too. Everyone loved it!

    Reply
  2. Molly Kumar says

    June 16, 2024 at 7:46 pm

    5 stars
    This was super easy to make and was so flavorful. Love the use of whole garlic and tasted so smooth in the sauce. Saving the recipe to make again.

    Reply
  3. Jordan says

    June 16, 2024 at 3:44 pm

    5 stars
    You had me at garlic. 😉 This was a big hit for Father’s Day! Easy to make and it turned out fantastic.

    Reply
  4. Jacqueline. says

    June 16, 2024 at 1:13 pm

    5 stars
    As you suggested, I served this creamy garlic chicken with mashed potatoes which were so perfect with the sauce. A great weeknight dinner!

    Reply
  5. Ashley says

    June 15, 2024 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    My family loved this delicious chicken dish! I served it over rice alongside some steamed broccoli and it was seriously such an easy, weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Kathryn says

    June 15, 2024 at 10:20 am

    5 stars
    This is our new favorite way to eat chicken! The full head of garlic makes this extra delicious, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Veronika says

    June 13, 2024 at 11:45 pm

    5 stars
    We served the chicken with mashed potatoes to scoop up all that delicious sauce! The chicken came out tender and so flavorful and garlicky!

    Reply
  8. Juyali says

    June 11, 2024 at 3:01 am

    5 stars
    The kitchen smells like a garlic haven! I served it with rice. It was the perfect dinner.

    Reply
  9. Yu says

    June 10, 2024 at 11:36 pm

    5 stars
    What a comfort dish to make for home cooking! I added extra parmesan cheese to the sauce mixture, and it turned out delicious!

    Reply
  10. Lauren says

    June 10, 2024 at 8:31 pm

    5 stars
    I just love this garlic chicken recipe. I always have the ingredients on hand so it’s a go-to when I don’t know what to make for dinner.

    Reply
  11. Chef Dennis Littley says

    May 25, 2024 at 8:24 pm

    The onions go in after you seared the chicken, and the chicken goes back in the pan after you’ve worked in the parmesan cheese.

    Reply
  12. Lisa says

    May 19, 2024 at 4:27 pm

    5 stars
    What a delicious recipe! Thanks

    Reply


My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

More about me →

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