Make this recipe for Easy Cream Cheese Chicken for dinner tonight! You need just a handful of ingredients to make this creamy, flavorful chicken on the stovetop, and it’s ready in about 20 minutes.
This cream cheese chicken breast recipe has the BEST sauce! It’s an Italian-style recipe, made with parmesan cheese, garlic, and crushed red peppers. The rich and decadent sauce coats every bite of chicken with spectacular flavor, and it won’t take you any more than 20 minutes to make!
I love easy chicken recipes like this one that come together quickly in a skillet on the stovetop. I love them so much that I have several variations on this simple method!
My most popular recipe, Marry Me Chicken, is one that you need to try ASAP if you haven’t already. I know you’ll also enjoy Creamy Chicken Lazone, Chicken Florentine, and Creamy Lemon Chicken.
If you like the idea of making a quick and easy sauce with cream cheese, you’ll love this slight twist on the concept: Boursin Chicken is rich and creamy and super simple, because all of the seasonings are in the cheesy spread!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A Quick and Simple Meal – You can have cream cheese chicken ready in less than 20 minutes, which makes this recipe perfect for busy weeknights.
- Classic Comfort Food – There’s nothing better than juicy chicken in a luxuriously creamy sauce when you need a comforting meal! To make it even better, add a side of pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes to soak up all of that sauce.
- Simple Instructions – This entire dish is made on the stovetop in just one pan, with just a handful of ingredients (plus seasonings). Follow along, and don’t forget to check out all of my tips and tricks.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this chicken with cream cheese:
- Chicken: I most often make cream cheese chicken with boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets. You can also make it with chicken thighs if you prefer. The key is to have evenly sliced cutlets. Use a meat mallet to pound them out if needed.
- Cream Cheese: I suggest using full-fat cream cheese in this recipe. Low-fat substitutes just won’t melt properly, and the flavor won’t be as good.
- Chicken Stock: To give the sauce the perfect consistency.
- Garlic, Parmesan, and Butter: This sauce will remind you of a classic Alfredo sauce, and that’s because it’s very similar, but with cream cheese instead of heavy cream.
- Seasonings: Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes work with salt and pepper to add savory, herb-y, spicy notes to the cream cheese sauce.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Cream Cheese Chicken
- Cook the Chicken Cutlets: Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Then add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside while you make the sauce.
Tip!
If you need to keep the chicken warm while you make the sauce, lightly tent it with foil. Don’t cover it too tightly, or the chicken will continue to cook and become dry.
- Deglaze the Pan: First, saute the garlic for 30 seconds or so, just until it’s fragrant. Then, add a bit of chicken stock to the pan and stir, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Make the Sauce: add the cream cheese to the skillet along with Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, and another ¼ cup of chicken stock. Stir until the cream cheese is mostly melted. Add the rest of the chicken stock and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Then stir in the parmesan cheese. If you like a little heat, add the optional red pepper flakes!
- Add the Chicken Back In: Return the cooked chicken cutlets to the skillet with the cream cheese sauce.
- Serve: Remove from the heat and garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley if desired.
Recipe Tips
- You may need to cook the chicken cutlets in batches. If your pan isn’t large enough, be sure not to crown the chicken into the pan. You want plenty of room around each cutlet so that they will brown.
- Don’t burn the garlic. After adding the garlic to the skillet, be sure that you’re ready to add in the other sauce ingredients right away. the garlic only needs a minute or less in the pan to become aromatic, and burnt garlic will ruin the flavor of your dish.
- Add vegetables. I stirred in some sauteed mushrooms at the end, but you could just as easily saute them in the pan before making the sauce too. The same is true for peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms. Spinach can be added and wilted down at the end as well.
Storing Tips
You can keep leftover cream cheese chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
The sauce will be less creamy when you reheat it. Feel free to add a splash of water to loosen it up again.
What To Serve With Cream Cheese Chicken
Make this creamy chicken into a super satisfying meal by serving it hot with mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, or risotto. Add a side of roasted or grilled vegetables or a simple salad too.
Or try any of these simple side dishes:
Can I freeze Chicken and Cream Cheese?
I do not recommend freezing this recipe. The cream cheese sauce will separate and have a strange texture after being frozen.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs?
Yes! This recipe will work with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Just remove any large pieces of fat and pound them to an even thickness. You can also make cream cheese pork cutlets using this easy method.
How to Slice Chicken Cutlets
It’s easy to slice whole boneless chicken breasts into thin cutlets! Place a chicken breast on a cutting board, and hold it in place with the palm of your hand. Using a sharp knife, slice through the breast parallel to the cutting board. Depending on the thickness of the chicken breast, you can slice it into 2 or 3 pieces.
Rich and delicious Easy Cream Cheese Chicken is going to be a new favorite at your house! Don’t forget to pin the recipe so you can come back to it again and again.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Easy Cream Cheese Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, sliced lengthwise into cutlets
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil not extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
- ½ cup (43 g) shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until it’s cooked through and golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- To the same skillet add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until it’s fragrant but not browned.
- Deglaze the pan with about ¼ cup of chicken stock, scraping up the brown bits from the pan with a spatula.
- Then add the cream cheese to the skillet along with Dijon mustard, italian seasoning, and another ¼ cup of the chicken stock. Stir until the cream cheese is mostly melted.
- Add the remaining chicken stock and stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes, or until it starts to thicken.
- Stir in the shredded parmesan cheese and let it melt into the sauce. If you like a little heat, add the optional red pepper flakes
- Return the cooked chicken to the skillet, making sure to coat it well with the sauce. Remove from heat, and garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley if desired.
- Plate the chicken, and pour any remaining sauce over the top. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, or risotto and roasted or grilled vegetables or a salad.
Notes:
- You may need to cook the chicken cutlets in batches. If your pan isn’t large enough, be sure not to crown the chicken into the pan. You want plenty of room around each cutlet so that they will brown.
- Don’t burn the garlic. After adding the garlic to the skillet, be sure that you’re ready to add in the other sauce ingredients right away. the garlic only needs a minute or less in the pan to become aromatic, and burnt garlic will ruin the flavor of your dish.
- Add vegetables. I stirred in some sauteed mushrooms at the end, but you could just as easily saute them in the pan before making the sauce too. The same is true for peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms. Spinach can be added and wilted down at the end as well.
- To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This dish does not freeze well.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
LuAnn Meyer says
Amazing. Right before adding the Parmesan I added a bag of Trader Joe’s mushroom medley. My husband said “ this is delicious”! I served it over rices cauliflower!! So good!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Adding mushrooms is a great idea. I love TJ’s and their frozen veggies!
Nikki says
Delicious! Definitely make this again.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you, enjoy!
Anita Pitchford says
this was good thank you
Little Sunny Kitchen says
You’re very welcome!
Beth says
It was delicious! I added zucchini and it was delicious!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Zucchini sounds amazing with this. So glad you loved it!
Janet says
We loved this. Felt a little rich though, I’m wondering if you could cut the amount of cream cheese down to cut the richness a little.
Diana says
Hi Janet, I’m glad to hear that you loved the recipe even if it was a bit too rich to your liking. You can definitely use less cream cheese, taste the sauce and see if you’d like to add more.