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.
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!
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: Use evenly sliced boneless, skinless cutlets for quick, even cooking. Pound thicker pieces with a meat mallet to match the rest.
- Cream Cheese: Stick with full-fat for a smooth, creamy sauce. Low-fat won’t melt right.
- Chicken Stock: Adds just enough liquid to loosen the cream cheese without watering down flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves pack more punch than jarred or powder. Mince and sauté until fragrant.
- Parmesan: Grate fresh for better melt and a sharper, savory kick.
- Seasonings: Dijon mustard brings tang, Italian herb blend adds depth, and red pepper flakes give a hint of heat.
Recipe Tips
- You may need to cook the chicken cutlets in batches. If your pan isn’t large enough, be sure not to crowd 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 sautéed mushrooms at the end, but you could just as easily sauté 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.
- 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.
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
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 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.
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.