Creamy Garlic Chicken

Creamy garlic chicken is easy enough for weeknights, but fancy enough for company. Lightly breaded chicken in a rich, creamy garlic sauce, it is comfort food at its finest.

Plenty of tasty sauce to serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice, and the whole thing is ready in under 30 minutes. You’ll love how easy it is, your family will love how scrumptious it tastes!

WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS CHICKEN IN GARLIC SAUCE

• If you love (or even just like) garlic, you will be blown away by the flavor of this dish. It may seem like it calls for a lot of garlic, but trust me, the garlic flavor is not overpowering. 
• Parmesan cheese in the chicken coating not only adds a punch of flavor, it gives the chicken an extra crispy coating. Delish!
• The garlic caramelizes in the pan, giving the sauce a deep, rich flavor that is unbeatable. As it cooks, it becomes less pungent and more sweet. So good!
• You don’t need any fancy ingredients, just basics that you probably keep on hand. (Well except for maybe the cream.)
• Did I mention that you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes? That’s always a win in my book! 

What is creamy garlic sauce made of?

You just need seven simple ingredients to make this tasty sauce – onion, garlic, water & chicken bouillon, cream, milk, and parmesan cheese. If you prefer, you can substitute chicken broth for the water and bouillon.

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY GARLIC CHICKEN

1. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise.  If needed, pound to even thickness with a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each side of the chicken.
2. Combine garlic, flour, and 1/4 cup parmesan in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of each chicken breast; set aside.
   
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, cook each side of the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove to a plate.
   
4. Turn the heat down to medium and add the diced onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Add the smashed garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes.
5. Stir in the water and bouillon, making sure to scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until reduced by about half.
6. Add the cream and milk; simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
7. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until the middle of the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees

Serve over hot mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER CREAMY GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN?

We think this dish is best served fresh while the chicken is still crispy. But if you do have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

I don’t love freezing this dish, the breading gets soft and will sometimes fall off.

However, if you want to freeze it, I recommend freezing the chicken and sauce separately before adding the browned chicken back to the pan. Otherwise the chicken gets soggy. 

You can freeze it for 2-3 months. To reheat, first let thaw completely in the refrigerator.

Cook the chicken in a bit of oil in a skillet, or bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. Then heat the sauce in a skillet, then add the reheated chicken. Heat through and serve.

VARIATIONS:

• If your family doesn’t care for onions, you can omit it.
• For a lower fat dish, you can use milk, but you may need to thicken the sauce a bit with cornstarch or flour. 
• Add a splash of lemon juice for a bright citrus flavor.
• A teaspoon or two of dijon mustard adds a nice tangy flavor.
• For an Italian flavor, stir a teaspoon or two of Italian seasoning into the dredging mixture.
• Love the heat? Add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or more if you really love spice!)

SIDE DISHES TO SERVE WITH CREAMY GARLIC CHICKEN BREAST:

• We usually serve it with pasta, but when I have time I whip up a batch of garlic mashed potatoes. 
• You can’t go wrong with a fresh green salad. 
• Cooked vegetables like sweet soft carrots, oven roasted cauliflower, green beans, or zucchini and carrots  are delicious.

MORE EASY CHICKEN RECIPES:

• Chicken ala King
• Pesto Mozzarella Chicken
• Chicken Flautas Recipe
• Easy Paprika Chicken
• Chicken Fajita Rice
• Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Kara

Lightly breaded chicken breast in a luscious creamy garlic sauce. Ready in 30 minutes and packed with comforting flavor!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Dish: Chicken

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 679 kcal

Equipment

• Sinnsally Garlic Peeler, Skin Remover
• KitchenAid Gourmet Meat Tenderizer, Black

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For chicken::

• 24 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 12oz breasts, halved
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp salted butter

For sauce:

• ½ cup diced onion
• 10 cloves garlic peeled & smashed
• 1 cups water
• 1 ½ tsp better than bouillon chicken base or bouillon cube
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

• Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and pound to even thickness using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin.
• Season each of the four pieces of chicken with salt and pepper.
• In a shallow dish, combined granulated garlic, flour, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Dredge both sides of each chicken breast in the mixture; set aside on a plate.
• Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear each side of the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan.
• Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the smashed garlic cloves and saute for another minute or two.
• Stir in the water and bouillon and stir to clean all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer over medium heat for about 6 minutes, or until reduced by about half.
• Stir in the cream and milk; simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
• Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°

Notes

If you can't fit all of the chicken in the skillet, cook it in 2 batches, using half the oil and butter in each, and wiping out the pan in between.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 679kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 46gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 1948mgPotassium: 859mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1121IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 287mgIron: 1mg

Keyword creamy garlic parmesan chicken

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Chicken in a creamy garlic sauce is a fuss free chicken dinner recipe that the whole family will agree on! If you make it, leave a comment and let me know how you like it. 🙂