One Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken is a boldly flavored meal featuring seared chicken cutlets in a rich and creamy sauce of garlic, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. The flavor in this easy meal is amazing, and it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
One pan skillet chicken dinners have become a specialty of mine! I love how quick and easy they are, and you’ll find many flavors and varieties of this easy chicken recipe here on the blog.
If you haven’t yet made my Chicken Florentine, Boursin Chicken, Marry Me Chicken, Creamy Lemon Chicken, or Chicken Stroganoff recipes, check them out too! I have lots of recipes with creamy sauces for chicken for you to try.
All of these recipes use the same basic cooking method, so once you have it down you’ll be able to cook a tasty dinner every night, stress-free!
Creamy Tomato Chicken is a new recipe that we can’t get enough of.
Served with a big pile of mashed potatoes or simple Olive Oil Pasta, this garlicky, creamy chicken is the ultimate comfort food and the best meal for a busy weeknight. Switch up the sides to enjoy a keto-friendly, low-carb chicken dinner instead.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich, Bold, Garlic Flavor – This is no ordinary chicken in a cream sauce recipe. This recipe uses 8 or more whole cloves of garlic, plus extra garlic powder to infuse the sauce with tons of delicious garlic flavor.
- Everyone loves it – The garlic flavor of this dish is pronounced, but not overpowering, making it the perfect creamy dinner for the whole family.
- Fast and Easy– This whole meal will be ready in about 30 minutes, using one pan, and a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. It’s a quick weeknight meal.
- Made from Scratch – You won’t find any “cream of whatever” soup in my creamy chicken recipes! This garlic parmesan sauce is super easy to make from scratch with heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and all of that garlic I mentioned earlier.
Ingredients In Creamy Garlic Chicken
Collect these items and get ready to make the best creamy chicken with sauce ever!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts: Three large chicken breasts, each sliced into 4 thin cutlets are needed for this recipe. The thinner your chicken cutlets are, the faster they’ll cook. If your chicken breasts are smaller, you may want to use 4 of them, and cut each into 2 cutlets, or simply pound them down to an even thickness.
- Seasonings: For the chicken, we’ll season it simply with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Flour and Parmesan: While we could just use flour to dredge the chicken with, adding some parmesan cheese adds an extra layer of flavor. The flour coating protects the chicken from drying out, giving you tender chicken breasts. Plus, flour aids in making the cream sauce nice and thick.
- Olive Oil and Butter: When I’m cooking chicken cutlets in a pan, I use a combination of both olive oil and butter. I get the most flavor this way, and the mixture won’t burn as quickly as just butter will. We’ll use a bit more butter to make the creamy sauce too.
- Garlic: How much do you love garlic? I hope the answer is, “a lot!”. You need 8-10 whole cloves for this sauce. Simply peel them, no need to mince or crush the garlic.
- Chicken Stock: a cup of chicken stock, or broth if that’s what you have, creates the base of the sauce and adds savory flavor.
- Heavy Cream: We can’t make a creamy garlic chicken without some cream. I suggest using regular full-fat heavy whipping cream to get the best texture. Low-fat cream or milk won’t thicken the way that heavy cream does in this recipe.
- Flavorings: To finish this tasty sauce we’ll add Dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, soy sauce, more parmesan cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Yum!
How To Make Chicken in a Cream Sauce with Garlic
- Season the Chicken: Dry the chicken breasts with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then season them with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then combine the parmesan cheese and flour in a small bowl. Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
- Brown Chicken: Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and heat the olive oil. Working in batches, cook the chicken cutlets on both sides until cooked through. This should take about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of your chicken cutlets. The chicken is done when the internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer reaches 165°F/74°C. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside. Keep it warm by covering loosely with foil.
- Caramelize the Garlic: This is where all the flavor comes from! To the same skillet, over medium heat, melt the rest of the butter and add the peeled garlic cloves. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the garlic is lightly browned and caramelized.
- Deglaze the Pan: Add chicken stock to the pan and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon (this is where all the delicious flavor lives). Add the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, garlic and onion powders. Season with soy sauce or salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the creamy sauce has reduced and thickened. If desired, add a splash of lemon juice for brightness.
- Finish: Taste the sauce, and add salt and pepper to your taste. Remove from the heat, and add the chicken back to the skillet before serving.
Tip!
Always deglaze the pan! The browned bits of food are called “the fond” in culinary speak. The stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan holds so much great flavor.
Recipe Tips
- Instead of chicken breast: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs that have been trimmed and pounded to an even thickness. You can also use chicken tenderloins.
- Don’t burn the garlic: Whatever you do, don’t let the garlic cloves burn! The flavor of burnt garlic is unpleasant, and it will ruin the dish. Keep a close eye on the pan during this part of the recipe, and be ready to deglaze the pan when it’s time.
- Add some wine: Feel free to use a half cup of dry white wine to deglaze the pan. Then add the broth once it’s cooked down a bit. This is optional but adds sophisticated flavor.
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice takes this chicken in cream sauce to a whole new level. The acidity balances the richness of the sauce perfectly. It’s still delicious without lemon, but if you have it, add it.
- Freshly grated parmesan is always going to be more flavorful than any pre-grated cheese. Use a microplane or the smallest holes in a box grater to grate it super finely so that it melts easily into the sauce.
- Add in some veggies: You can add vegetables directly to this chicken dish! Saute peppers, zucchini, onions, or mushrooms with the garlic, or toss in a handful of baby spinach at the end to wilt down into the sauce.
- Make it gluten free: Use your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour to dredge the chicken, and instead of soy sauce, use tamari or regular table salt.
- Don’t have Italian seasoning? I always have a batch of my homemade Italian seasoning on hand, but if you don’t have it, you can use a mix of dried thyme, oregano, and basil. If you only have one or two of those, that’s fine too. Use what you have.
- Give it a kick by tossing in a pinch of dried pepper flakes.
Storing Tips
Store any creamy garlic chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, use the microwave, or gently reheat in a covered skillet on low heat.
What To Serve With Creamy Garlic Chicken
I love this dish served with cheesy Boursin Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli. I’ve also been known to serve it with buttered noodles and green beans. I think that your favorite combination of side dishes will be perfect here, but try some of these other tasty side dish ideas too.
Carbs: Mashed potatoes are great, but you should also try this dish with a side of instant pot roasted potatoes, quinoa, polenta, or brown rice.
Something to soak up all of this creamy and delicious sauce is key! You could also make Crushed New Potaotes, Garlic Bread, or easy 30 Minute Rolls to dip into it.
For a Low Carb Meal: Skip the potatoes and rice, and instead serve this creamy chicken with cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or roasted air fryer vegetables.
With a Salad: Get some healthy veggies in with my Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, or a copycat Olive Garden Salad.
Don’t Forget Dessert! My Blackberry Cobbler Recipe is amazing, or you can make up a batch of homemade Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream to share.
More Delicious Recipes
All Chicken Recipes →
FAQs
Feel free to freeze the prepared chicken and sauce in an airtight container, stored in the freezer, for up to three months. Allow it to thaw overnight before reheating.
You can buy pre-sliced cutlets at the store, but it’s more cost-effective to slice your own. 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. If needed, use a meat mallet to pound each piece so that they are even in thickness.
If your sauce thickens too much, simply add a splash of chicken stock or water and whisk it in. Repeat until the consistency is perfect.
Creamy Garlic Chicken is the ultimate easy comfort food! I hope you try making this one-pan skillet chicken dinner very soon or Pin the recipe for later.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts boneless and skinless, each sliced into 4 cutlets
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the garlic cream sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8-10 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari, or ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice optional
- chopped fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with parmesan. Dredge the chicken through and shake off any excess flour.
- Over medium high heat, heat olive oil and melt the butter. Working in batches, cook the chicken cutlets on both sides until cooked through. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C using a kitchen thermometer. This takes 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the cutlets. Remove onto a plate and keep warm.
- To the same skillet, over medium heat melt butter then add the garlic cloves and cook for 4-5 minutes while stirring occasionally until the garlic cloves are caramelized.
- Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with soy sauce or salt, pepper, and add parmesan. Let the mixture simmer and reduce to thicken. Add a splash of lemon juice if desired. Have a taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Remove from heat, and add the chicken back to the skillet. Serve over mashed potatoes and steamed green vegetables.
Notes:
- To Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Use gluten-free flour and tamari or salt instead of soy sauce to make this meal gluten-free.
- Instead of chicken breast, use boneless skinless chicken thighs that have been trimmed and pounded to an even thickness. You can also use chicken tenderloins.
- Don’t burn the garlic: Whatever you do, don’t let the garlic cloves burn! The flavor of burnt garlic is unpleasant, and it will ruin the dish. Keep a close eye on the pan during this part of the recipe, and be ready to deglaze the pan when it’s time.
- Add some wine: Feel free to use a half cup of dry white wine to deglaze the pan. Then add the broth once it’s cooked down a bit. This is optional but adds sophisticated flavor.
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice takes this chicken in cream sauce to a whole new level. The acidity balances the richness of the sauce perfectly. It’s still delicious without lemon, but if you have it, add it.
- Add in some veggies: You can add vegetables directly to this chicken dish! Saute peppers, zucchini, onions, or mushrooms with the garlic, or toss in a handful of baby spinach at the end to wilt down into the sauce.
- Don’t have Italian Seasoning? You can use a mix of dried thyme, oregano, and basil. If you only have one or two of those, that’s fine too. Use what you have.
- Give it a kick by tossing in a pinch of dried pepper flakes.
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
Amber C says
Sooooo freaking good!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you!
Keith L Halasy says
This is great! I have to modify for food intolerance so traded the heavy cream for oat milk and added som gf flour to thicken. subbed a splash of white vinegar for the lemon juice. Was excellent! Served on wild rice with a side of baked butternut squash with maple syrup and cinnamon for a nice contrast.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
That sounds like an amazing meal! Thank you for sharing your substitutions.
Priscilla says
Loved it. Will try it with pasta next time. Super easy and simple to make. Wish the heavy cream wasn’t so high in calories otherwise this would be a weekly dish.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Anita Smith says
absolutely stunning recipie. Easy to follow and tastes unreal. I added more parmesan and less garlic to suit our tastes and thickened with cornflour. I had to guess the 1 cup as in UK we use ml so I went with 425ml with one chicken stock cube and about 150ml double cream. I served with buttery root vegetable mash (parsnip carrot potato) and savoy cabbage… gorgeous. Seasoned with garlic pepper.
Thank you so much … this is my fave cooking page just wish I could upload my picture as it was spot on. Diana you are a genius in the kitchen 🤗
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Oh my gosh, Anita, you are so kind! I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, and I will have to try it with root veg mash because that sounds amazing!
Debbie says
loved it! had all the ingredients and it was a recipe I could easily follow and it tasted great!! I wish I would have planned ahead on making my sweet potatoes- next time for sure because I had extra gravy! thanks for a superb recipe!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Sweet potatoes would be SO good with this chicken. Great idea!