Home » Chicken Recipes » Creamy Garlic Chicken
by Stephanie on September 13, 2021 (Updated May 16, 2024)735*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
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This Creamy Garlic Chicken is smothered in a rich and flavorful gravy that’s easy to make in a single skillet. Caramelized garlic cloves add the perfect balance of gourmet flavor. There is plenty of savory sauce to serve over mashed potatoes with roasted green beans. You have just found your new favorite meal!
Creamy Garlic Chicken
This Creamy Garlic Chicken is dedicated to all of the gravy (and garlic!) lovers out there. Wait until you try this recipe. You’re going to want to make this every week.
The garlic cloves add the best gourmet flavor to the sauce without overpowering it. Since the cloves are whole, the flavor is nice and subtle. They’re also caramelized a bit before the sauce is made, which brings out a hint of sweetness and rounds everything out.
I think you’ve just found your new favorite chicken recipe. Scroll down to see how it’s made, tips for perfectly seared chicken, and other PRO tips!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Slice the chicken into 3 thinner slices. Season with salt/pepper and Italian seasonings. Dredge in flour/Parmesan cheese mixture. Sear in olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside.
Melt butter in the skillet and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Add garlic cloves. Cook and caramelize for 6-7 minutes.
Add flour to the butter mixture and whisk to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, beef bouillon cube, and seasonings in splashes. Stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes!
Tips For Searing the Chicken
- Adjust the heat up and down slightly throughout the cooking process for a nice even sear and golden color.
- We want brown (not black) remnants left in the pot. The “fond” left in the skillet gives a lot of flavor to the sauce.
- I would rather cook chicken at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period of time than at a super high temperature that can cause burning and oil splatter. Start at medium -high and decrease heat slightly as needed. You can always increase it again later.
- If the chicken is sticking to the pan, it’s not ready to be moved and is still developing a crispy crust. Allow it to release on it’s own to avoid tearing the surface of the chicken.
Pro Tips
- If using smaller chicken breasts, consider using 3-4 instead of 2 large.
- Serve this meal with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables such as green beans.
- Mushrooms make a great addition to this gravy, I like to sauté them separately and stir them into the sauce at the very end. Cooking them separately lets them retain their color, texture, and flavor.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 99!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- This meal does freeze well. I reheat from frozen in the microwave, you can also thaw overnight and reheat leftovers in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- This is the Le Creuset skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
- Garlic Peeler– Makes it really easy to peel a lot of garlic all at once in seconds. Easy to store and clean too!
- Kitchen Tongs– makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing and even easier to flip individual mushroom slices as they cook.
- My Favorite Chef Knife
Try These Next
- Chicken Stew
- Steak with Gravy
- Chili Con Carne
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Potato Soup
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Creamy Garlic Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
4.97 from 313 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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This Creamy Garlic Chicken is smothered in a rich and flavorful gravy that's easy to make in a single skillet. Caramelized garlic cloves add the perfect balance of gourmet flavor.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt/Pepper
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasonings
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 cloves garlic
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tsp better than bouillon
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce, can sub Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, (optional)
Instructions
Prep Work:
Combine the chicken broth, bouillon, soy sauce, onion powder, mustard powder, and thyme. Set aside.
Combine flour and Parmesan cheese on a plate and measure out additional ingredients prior to beginning.
Cut, Pound, Dredge, and Sear the Chicken:
Slice the chicken to create 2-3 thinner slices. Place the chicken in a gallon freezer bag (or in between saran wrap) and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick. Pat completely dry.
Season with Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. Dredge each side in the flour mixture. Tap off excess.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside and leave brown remnants in the pan. (See notes for key tips for searing chicken.)
Make the Sauce:
Melt the butter in the skillet over medium/medium-low heat. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic cloves and let them soften and caramelize for 6-7 minutes.
Add the flour and whisk with a fork for 1-2 minutes, until raw flour smell is gone and it begins to brown.
Add the chicken broth mixture in splashes, stirring continuously.
Stir in the cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Add the chicken back to the pan along with any juice from the plate. Spoon the sauce on top. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken during this time.
Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans!
Notes
Tips For Searing the Chicken
- Adjust the heat up and down slightly throughout the cooking process for a nice even sear and golden color.
- We want brown (not black) remnants left in the pot. The "fond" left in the skillet gives a lot of flavor to the sauce.
- I would rather cook chicken at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period of time than at a super high temperature that can cause burning and oil splatter.
- If the chicken is sticking to the pan, it's not ready to be moved and is still developing a crispy crust. Allow it to release on it's own to avoid tearing the surface of the chicken.
Pro Tips
- Nutrition facts assume that all of the flour is used.
- Consider using low sodium chicken broth to control the sodium content. You can also omit the bouillon but it does add a nice depth of flavor.
- If using smaller chicken breasts, consider using 3-4 instead of 2 large.
- Serve this meal with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables such as green beans.
- Mushrooms make a great addition to this gravy, I like to sauté them separately and stir them into the sauce at the very end. Cooking them separately lets them retain their color, texture, and flavor.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 99!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- This meal does freeze well. I reheat from frozen in the microwave, you can also thaw overnight and reheat leftovers in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350 ° for 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 508kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 1060mg, Potassium: 451mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 887IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 287mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie
Chicken Recipes Dinner Freezer Food Our Favorite Recipes Popular
posted by Stephanie on September 13, 2021 — 735 Comments »
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Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
735 comments on “Creamy Garlic Chicken”
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Melanie — May 31, 2024 @ 12:08 pm Reply
I didn’t make this yet but how come we leave the garlic cloves whole and not cut them up? I want to make this, this weekend. It looks absolutely devine!
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Stephanie — May 31, 2024 @ 12:56 pm Reply
The cloves are kept whole so that they can flavor the sauce and caramelize without overpowering the dish. Mincing them would be too much. 🙂
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Melanie Crawford — June 2, 2024 @ 8:24 pm
This recipe was AMAZING! My husband had three plates! Wow! Thanks so much for sharing! It was so flavorful!
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Stephanie — June 3, 2024 @ 7:20 am
You’re very welcome Melanie! I’m so happy it was such a success! Thanks so much for the review!💖
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TJR — May 29, 2024 @ 6:12 pm Reply
Wow! This is incredibly delicious with fantastic flavor. I came across this Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe last night, was intrigued and read more than half of the comments. After going to bed, it stayed on my mind, so I got out of bed to pull two packs of sliced chicken breast from the freezer to make the following day. So glad I did. Followed the recipe to a tee and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m a pretty good cook, but these past two years wanted to change up the meal rotation. I have made quite a few of your recipes and have enjoyed each one. Even though I was pleasantly full I went back for seconds. As many as your commenters have said this is restaurant quality.
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Stephanie — May 29, 2024 @ 8:16 pm Reply
This makes me so happy! I’m so happy it was such a hit. I love that you like to change things up every once in a while. Me too! Thanks for the great comments!💖
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Dale — May 25, 2024 @ 6:55 pm Reply
I want to double this recipe – it looks so good – 4-6 chicken breasts, but I can’t see doubling the garlic – probably wrong. I am a sauce/gravy guy, and possibly what attracts me so much to this – plenty to go around plus chicken and mashed – looks too good!
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Stephanie — May 26, 2024 @ 7:44 am Reply
Hi Dale! For this recipe especially, you can double everything and keep the garlic the same, or only add a little more. Enjoy!!
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Kristyn Morales — May 22, 2024 @ 8:27 pm Reply
Such a good recipe! I needed a scratch recipe with every day things in my pantry and this was perfect!
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Stephanie — May 23, 2024 @ 10:35 am Reply
I’m so happy you liked it Kristyn! It’s one of my favorite chicken dishes. Thanks so much for the great review!💕
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Ana — May 15, 2024 @ 11:50 pm Reply
Beef bouillon? Is that a misprint?
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Stephanie — May 16, 2024 @ 11:00 am Reply
Nope! 🙂 A beef bouillon cube that adds depth of flavor and a gravy-like quality to the sauce.
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Caitlin — May 1, 2024 @ 3:24 pm Reply
If I don’t have mustard powder could I use Dijon mustard to have the same effect ?
Thank you-
Stephanie — May 1, 2024 @ 5:23 pm Reply
Hi Caitlin! Yes! Sometimes I can detect Dijon mustard a little bit more than mustard powder- but only sometimes!
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Kelly — April 15, 2024 @ 6:19 pm Reply
Very good. I found the gravy a little thick but to each their own. The chicken was extremely tender and I copied the sides and the mash and green beans paired well.
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Stephanie — April 15, 2024 @ 7:10 pm Reply
So glad that you enjoyed it Kelly! The longer this simmers, the thicker and more reduced it gets. A very wide skillet will reduce the liquid more quickly as it has more surface area. I’m glad that you enjoyed it!
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LaVonne — April 14, 2024 @ 3:45 pm Reply
Really, really good. I doubled the recipe for leftovers, and cut the chicken into strips so it will reheat better. I also added sautéed baby Bella mushrooms. Served it over mashed potatoes with a green salad as a side. My husband loved it, and when I asked if it was something he would want me to make again, he said “oh heck yeah!.”
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Stephanie — April 14, 2024 @ 6:47 pm Reply
AWWW I am SO happy that it was a hit and that your husband wants it as a repeat recipe! WOO!! (And I love what you served it with!) Thank you soo much for taking the time to leave a review, I appreciate it so much! -Stephanie
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Grace Frost — April 13, 2024 @ 8:17 pm Reply
I made this tonight …… my husband LOOVED IT and it will be put on the regular what to make list… absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing
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Stephanie — April 13, 2024 @ 9:17 pm Reply
You’re very welcome Grace, I’m so happy your husband loved it! Thanks so much for the review!💖
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Amy Curry — April 11, 2024 @ 6:39 pm Reply
No where does it say how much chicken broth! I’m going to guess 4C and I’ll leave a review. It’s hard to tell watching the video. Maybe that could be added?
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Stephanie — April 11, 2024 @ 8:11 pm Reply
Hi Amy, it says it in the recipe card, it calls for 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth. The video is just for a quick visual. For the actual recipe definitely look at the recipe card section at the bottom of the post, right above the comment section.
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