This Creamy Garlic Chicken is an easy one-pan weeknight dinner! It’s made with juicy slices of chicken simmered in a rich, flavorful cream sauce.
Looking for more skillet chicken breast recipes? Try my Marry Me Chicken Breasts, Chicken Florentine, or Baked Tuscan Chicken Breasts!

Table of Contents
Another super easy, crowd-pleasing, one-pan dinner coming at you! And this time it’s Creamy Garlic Chicken.
This recipe is basically perfect for any occasion. It takes just 20 minutes to whip up and is made with basic ingredients that come together to form an irresistible, decadent meal that everyone will love.
Juicy chicken seared until golden then simmered in a rich cream sauce with just the right amount of garlic flavor! We love it served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans or Broccoli Casserole and Garlic Bread.
You can also serve it with this Baked Cheese Risotto for a hands-off side!
Ingredients Needed:
- Oil: you’ll need a drizzle of a neutral flavored oil to sear the chicken.
- Chicken: use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Don’t forget to split them in half to create thinner pieces! This ensures it cooks quickly and evenly.
- Salt and Pepper: a simple way to season the chicken before cooking.
- Garlic: use plenty of freshly minced garlic. This is Garlic Chicken, after all!
- Heavy Whipping Cream: creates a rich, creamy garlic sauce.
- Chicken Broth: I use low sodium chicken broth so I can control the saltiness of the sauce.
- Seasonings: season the sauce with a simple blend of dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Chicken
This chicken in garlic sauce really couldn’t be easier. Just 5 minutes of hands-on time and dinner is served in 20 minutes total!
- Prep the chicken: Split/butterfly the chicken breasts to make two thinner pieces, then season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then brown the chicken until golden.
- Add the garlic to the pan with the chicken and cook for just a minute to toast.
- Make the sauce: add in the cream, broth, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
Creamy Garlic Chicken FAQs
The garlic sauce in this recipe has plenty of flavor, so we’re keeping the chicken seasoning simple with just a little bit of salt and pepper!
Garlic cream sauce is made up of a chicken broth and heavy whipping cream base seasoned perfectly with dried parsley, salt, and pepper.
Leftover chicken in garlic sauce will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm on low on the stove or in the microwave until heated through.
Yes! Leftovers freeze very well provided that you use a high fat cream. Lower fat cream can separate when frozen. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet to serve.
Tips and Notes
- Chicken breast size: You can use whole chicken breasts if you want, but they will need twice as long to cook and may not cook as evenly. You will also want to add more sauce.
- If you want enough sauce for pasta, and you like a lot of sauce on your pasta, I recommend doubling the sauce and adding 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. The increased amount of liquid takes longer to thicken on its own.
- Cloves vs minced: If you don’t love a super strong garlic flavor, use whole cloves. You’ll still get the flavor, but in a more subtle way.
- Optional: You can dust your chicken with flour or cornstarch before frying for more even browning and a thicker crust.
- Check the temp. Don’t forget to check the temperature of the chicken before serving. It should be 165ºF.
Variations
- Add veggies. Feel free to add in whatever veggies you like to bulk the meal up. Try onion, pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, etc.
- Spice it up. Kick the heat up a notch with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Want to bump up the flavor? Try the tasty additions in my Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe.
Can I make this chicken in the crockpot?
Absolutely! You can find my Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe here.
Serving Suggestions
I absolutely love to serve this Creamy Garlic Chicken over plain or Buttered Noodles, but it would also be delicious over rice or Garlic Mashed Potatoes!
Serve with a side of sautéed greens, Roasted Veggies, or Roasted Green Beans.
More Garlicky Chicken Recipes
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (split to make two thin breasts from each)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic (4-6 cloves)
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Meanwhile, split chicken breasts (butterflying them) to make two thinner pieces. Simply place your chicken breasts on a cutting board and place one hand flat on top. Use a sharp knife to cut the chicken breast in the middle all the way through.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and fry on each side until golden (you might need to do two batches if your pan is small), about 3-4 minutes per side. Add the garlic to the pan and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the cream, broth, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook and stir on medium heat until sauce is bubbly and thickened slightly and chicken is cooked through. The best way to tell if it is cooked through is to check with a meat thermometer — it should be at least 165 degrees F inside.
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. If it's not as thick as you like, stir together ½ teaspoon corn starch and 1 teaspoon water and add to sauce while simmering to thicken further.
Notes
- You can use whole chicken breasts if you would like but they will need twice as long to cook and you will want to add more sauce.
- If you want enough sauce for pasta (and you like a lot of sauce on your pasta!) I recommend doubling the sauce and adding 1 teaspoon corn starch — the increased amount of liquid takes longer to thicken on its own.
- whole garlic cloves will give a more subtle garlic flavor — just in case you have those who don’t like the minced garlic texture.
- Optional: you can dust your chicken with flour or corn starch before frying for more even browning and a thicker crust.
- I do not recommend any other cream for this recipe — only heavy whipping cream will thicken on its own without any flour or corn starch.
- I do not recommend jarred garlic or garlic powder for this recipe — fresh has the best flavor!
Nutrition Information
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Kimberly says
I made this for Christmas dinner, and it was a HUGE hit! My daughters fought over the small amount of leftovers the next day! I doubled the sauce, as I was serving it over fresh pasta, and everyone loved it. I sauteed mushrooms to serve alongside the pasta and fresh green beans and it all worked so nicely together. Everyone agreed it’s a ‘make again’ recipe, which is high praise in our house!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Kimberly!