Garlic Herb Chicken with Cream Sauce
Garlic Herb Chicken with cream sauce is such an elevated chicken recipe. Pan-seared chicken is seasoned with herbs such as thyme, parsley, and rosemary, and topped with a luxurious creamy garlic sauce.
Creamy Garlic Herb chicken is one of those simple recipes that tastes gourmet that’s ready under 30 minutes. Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes and a vegetable side dish for a well-rounded and satisfying meal.
Creamy Garlic Herb Chicken
This is Garlic Herb Chicken smothered in cream sauce recipe is truly a restaurant quality meal you can make in your own kitchen.
In fact, it’s MUCH better than what you get in most restaurants.
We first sear in a mixture of herbs into the chicken, bringing delicious flavors into the chicken meat (and not just on the surface), and then coat the chicken in a flavorful and creamy garlic sauce. A lovely concoction of butter, garlic and herbs. Chicken really doesn’t get more tasty than this.
I’ve made this Garlic Herb Chicken recipe countless time and it’s one of my favorite things to make to this day. Whenever I serve this everyone is always running back into the kitchen to get seconds.
In addition to being crazy yummy, here are a few things you’ll also love about this garlic herb chicken dish:
- a one skillet recipe – everything is made in one skillet! We are using a large 12-inch skillet to both sear the chicken and make the sauce. In other words, there should be minimal dishes to clean up!
- ready under 30 minutes – it may look kinda fancy but it’s ready in no time and so easy to make.
- comforting and cozy – we love making this on a cold day. Something about that creamy sauce with juicy chicken just screams pure comfort food.
- an elevated chicken recipe – let’s face it, chicken, when not cooked properly, can be boring! Well, this dish is anything but that! I created this with the intention to bring maximum flavor and texture to the dish. It is a beautiful and delicious chicken recipe you’ll fall in love with!
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you will need to make this Garlic Herb Chicken with Cream Sauce:
- chicken breast – slice chicken breast lengthwise so they are thinner so that chicken cooks easily on the skillet. This will also yield a more flavorful chicken as the seasoning to meat ratio is higher. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used as well.
- smoked paprika – I like to use this spice to give chicken that smoky flavor. This is also the reason why chicken has that slightly charred look to it.
- herbs – use some combination of rosemary, thyme and parsley to season the chicken breast and give it lots of good flavors. Feel free to use any of your favorite herbs!
- garlic powder – also used to season the chicken
- salt – used both to season and really open up the flavors of both the garlic herb chicken and the cream sauce.
- garlic cloves – use fresh garlic for the sauce for best flavor. Avoid substituting with garlic powder for the sauce.
- butter – this will help flavor the sauce and make it ultra creamy. Either unsalted butter or salted butter works fine. You may need less salt if using unsalted butter
- flour – used to thicken the sauce
- half & half – for a thinner sauce, whole milk can be used.
- chicken broth – also used to make the sauce, giving it a lot of delicious flavors. If you prefer, white wine can be used instead.
How to make it
Let’s make this delicious but also simple Garlic Herb Chicken with cream sauce.
There are basically two parts to making this creamy garlic herb chicken recipe, but both are made on the same skillet. We will be cooking the chicken first.
Garlic Herb Chicken
Slice chicken breast into half lengthwise so that it is thinner. Season both sides of the thinly sliced chicken with herbs, garlic powder, salt and smoked paprika.
Using a 12″ non-stick skillet, generously drizzle with olive oil. Once non-stick skillet is hot, add chicken breast and let it sear. Avoid moving it around.
Cook chicken breast for 3 minutes or until the bottom side is seared and browned.
Flip the chicken breast to the other side and cook for another two – four minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken), or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and reaches 165℉ internal temperature.
Once chicken is done, remove from skillet.
Creamy Garlic Sauce
Much like the ingredients, the sauce for our chicken recipe with come together easily in just a few minutes too!
With the chicken removed, in the same large skillet, we will be making the sauce.
Melt butter and add minced garlic. Then add flour and half and half, constantly whisking so the sauce doesn’t become lumpy. Add chicken broth and stir to combine.
The sauce will thicken as it cooks. Then season it with salt to taste. Salt will really open up the flavors of the sauce. If your sauce taste kinda bland, add more salt.
Give everything a good mix, and there’s your thick and creamy garlic herb sauce!
Return the garlic herb chicken back to the skillet, then spoon that creamy garlic sauce onto chicken.
To finish, you can add fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary) and red pepper flakes as a toppings to this delightful garlic herb chicken to brighten the flavors of the overall dish.
Then serve with mashed potatoes or pasta for a delicious meal!
Here are other side dishes that will also go delicious with it:
- Oven Roasted Green Beans
- Milk Bread Rolls
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Carrot Raisin Salad
- Creamy Parmesan Orzo
I’m telling you, you are going to love this perfectly seasoned garlic herb chicken in luscious creamy sauce!
Give it a try and drop a comment below to let me know what you think!
Storage and Reheating
Ideally, if possible, store the chicken and sauce separately in an air tight container.
Both chicken and sauce can be reheated in the microwave. Add a few drops of water to sauce before microwaving to avoid drying out the sauce.
If not possible to store separately, garlic herb chicken and cream sauce can absolutely be stored and reheated together as well. Similarly, add a few drops of water to prevent sauce from drying out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Cook times may vary but you can totally use other types of chicken such as skinless, boneless chicken thighs. I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts due to their lean nature and even cooking.
We are trying to make the chicken breast thinner so that it is easier to cook, and also to ensure maximum flavor (thinner chicken means higher sauce/seasoning to chicken ratio, which equals more flavor!)
Yes absolutely. Make sure to cook down the white wine – you may need a few extra minutes.
Once all the pieces of chicken reaches 165ºF when measured using a meat thermometer, they should be removed from heat promptly.
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More Chicken Recipes You Will Love!
- Skillet Chicken and Potato
- Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
- White Chicken Chili
- Baked Chicken Cutlets
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
Creamy Garlic Herb Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts halved lengthwise
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp herbs rosemary, thyme, parsley or a mixture
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp butter
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup half & half
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Mix together salt, smoked paprika, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Season both sides of chicken breasts with seasoning mixture.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with oil and add chicken breasts. Cook for 3 minutes and flip. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165℉. Remove from skillet.
- Using the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Make sure to gently scrape the bottom of the pan in order to incorporate the flavorful brown bits.
- Add the flour and whisk to incorporate with the butter.
- Add half & half while whisking to avoid any clumping. Allow to simmer until it begins to thicken.
- Add chicken broth and taste to see if salt is needed.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Give the chicken a couple of minutes to warm back up.
- Serve and enjoy!
