This one-pan creamy garlic chicken pairs golden chicken cutlets with a silky white wine cream sauce built around nine whole garlic cloves and fresh thyme. The chicken and sauce cook in the same skillet, bringing dinner together in 25 minutes.
Why You'll Love My Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Mellow garlic flavor: Smashed cloves soften in the sauce, adding gentle garlic flavor alongside the garlic powder.
- A sauce built from the pan: White wine releases the browned bits left by the chicken, carrying that savory flavor into the sauce.
- A light flour coating: A thin layer of flour helps the cutlets brown and gives the sauce something to cling to.
Whole garlic cloves in chicken dishes always take me back to the Sunday lunches when my family would gather around a pan of Spanish garlic chicken. I still associate the aroma of chicken, garlic, and wine with everyone getting ready to sit down and eat. This version brings those familiar flavors into a cream sauce, while my creamy garlic Parmesan chicken takes a different direction with Parmesan, Dijon mustard, and lemon.
Here, I slice the breasts into thin cutlets, as I do for chicken paillard, and sear them two at a time. The chicken comes out while I make the sauce, leaving the browned bits in the skillet for the wine to loosen-a technique I also use in my chicken Marsala without cream. Returning the cutlets at the end gives them just enough time to finish cooking in the sauce.
Key Ingredients in Creamy Garlic Chicken
These ingredients work together to create golden chicken and a smooth sauce with layers of garlic and white wine flavor.
- Chicken breasts, flour, salt, and black pepper: Chicken breasts make tender cutlets, while a light flour coating helps them develop a golden surface and gives the sauce a little body. Salt and pepper provide the base seasoning.
- Whole garlic cloves and garlic powder: The cloves soften during cooking, adding mellow garlic flavor and texture. Garlic powder spreads that flavor throughout the cream sauce.
- Dry white wine and chicken broth: White wine adds acidity to balance the cream's richness, while chicken broth gives the sauce a savory base.
- Heavy cream, butter, and olive oil: Cream gives the sauce its smooth texture. Butter adds richness, and olive oil is used alongside it to sear the chicken.
- Fresh thyme and parsley: Thyme adds an earthy, herbal flavor as the sauce simmers. The optional parsley provides a fresh finish.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Chicken
The complete measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
1. Prepare the cutlets: Slice the chicken breasts horizontally, season both sides, and lightly coat them with flour, shaking off the excess.
2. Sear the chicken: Heat the olive oil and part of the butter in a skillet. Cook the cutlets two at a time until golden, then transfer them to a plate.
3. Build the sauce: Lower the heat and cook the smashed garlic in the remaining butter. Add the thyme and wine, scrape up the browned bits, and reduce the wine before stirring in the broth, cream, and garlic powder.
4. Finish and serve: Simmer until the sauce lightly coats a spoon, then return the chicken and spoon the sauce over it. Cook until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C), remove the thyme sprigs, and finish with parsley if using.
Tips for Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Keep the browned bits: Leave the golden bits in the skillet after searing. They dissolve into the wine and contribute to the sauce's flavor.
- Protect the garlic from scorching: Lower the heat before adding the garlic and stir occasionally. Deeply browned garlic can make the sauce bitter.
- Watch the consistency: Use the spoon-coating cue as well as the cooking time. The sauce continues to thicken as it cools, so it should still flow around the chicken when served.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, refrigerating them within two hours of cooking. I reheat the chicken gently over low heat with a small splash of chicken broth or water to loosen the sauce. Heat until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
What to Serve with Creamy Garlic Chicken
I like this with rice cooked in chicken broth and butter or Greek lemon roasted baby potatoes to catch the sauce. Add Spanish tuna and tomato salad for a fresh contrast, or ciabatta bread for scooping up the garlic cloves.
Try These Chicken Recipes Next!
Get my new cookbook!
Get your copy of the book with easy, fresh, and tried-and-true Mediterranean Recipes from the Author and founder of Vargasavour Recipes, Estefania.
Recipe
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - approximately 1 lb/500 g total
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 30 g all-purpose flour - for dredging
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter - divided
- 9 garlic cloves - peeled and smashed
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 240 ml chicken broth
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley - optional
Instructions
- Slice 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts horizontally to make four thin, evenly sized cutlets. Season both sides with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, distributing the seasoning across all four pieces. Lightly coat with 30 g all-purpose flourhake off any excess.
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken two cutlets at a time for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer each batch to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to low and melt the remaining 1 tablespoons butter in the same skillet. Add 9 garlic cloves, smashed, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping the garlic from turning dark brown.
- Add 3 fresh thyme sprigs and pour in 120 ml dry white wine. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to release the browned bits, then simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the wine has reduced by about half.
- Stir in 240 ml chicken broth, 120 ml heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the creamy garlic sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over it. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until heated through and the thickest part of each cutlet reaches 74 °C.
- Remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley if using, and serve the creamy garlic chicken warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Lilly says
This creamy garlic chicken turned out amazing! The sauce had so much flavor, and the chicken stayed tender the whole way through. Such an easy weeknight recipe, I’ll definitely be making it again.