This Creamy Garlic Chicken is smothered in a rich and flavorful gravy that’s easy to make in a single skillet. Caramelized garlic cloves add the perfect balance of gourmet flavor. There is plenty of savory sauce to serve over mashed potatoes with roasted green beans. You have just found your new favorite meal!

A white plate with Creamy Garlic Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Gravy.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

This Creamy Garlic Chicken is dedicated to all of the gravy (and garlic!) lovers out there. Wait until you try this recipe. You’re going to want to make this every week.

The garlic cloves add the best gourmet flavor to the sauce without overpowering it. Since the cloves are whole, the flavor is nice and subtle. They’re also caramelized a bit before the sauce is made, which brings out a hint of sweetness and rounds everything out.

I think you’ve just found your new favorite chicken recipe. Scroll down to see how it’s made, tips for perfectly seared chicken, and other PRO tips!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Slice the chicken into 3 thinner slices. Season with salt/pepper and Italian seasonings. Dredge in flour/Parmesan cheese mixture. Sear in olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside. 

Melt butter in the skillet and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Add garlic cloves. Cook and caramelize for 6-7 minutes.

Seared chicken next to a skillet with fond and butter being melted to make sauce.

Add flour to the butter mixture and whisk to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, beef bouillon cube, and seasonings in splashes. Stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Adding broth and cream to make creamy garlic sauce.

Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes!

Creamy garlic chicken with Parmesan cheese and chicken being added to the sauce.

Tips For Searing the Chicken

  • Adjust the heat up and down slightly throughout the cooking process for a nice even sear and golden color.
  • We want brown (not black) remnants left in the pot. The “fond” left in the skillet gives a lot of flavor to the sauce.
  • I would rather cook chicken at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period of time than at a super high temperature that can cause burning and oil splatter. Start at medium -high and decrease heat slightly as needed. You can always increase it again later.
  • If the chicken is sticking to the pan, it’s not ready to be moved and is still developing a crispy crust. Allow it to release on it’s own to avoid tearing the surface of the chicken.

Pro Tips

  • If using smaller chicken breasts, consider using 3-4 instead of 2 large.
  • Serve this meal with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables such as green beans.
  • Mushrooms make a great addition to this gravy, I like to sauté them separately and stir them into the sauce at the very end.  Cooking them separately lets them retain their color, texture, and flavor.
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 99!

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • This meal does freeze well. I reheat from frozen in the microwave, you can also thaw overnight and reheat leftovers in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

A skillet full of creamy garlic chicken with whole garlic cloves and a spoon.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • This is the Le Creuset skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
  • Garlic Peeler– Makes it really easy to peel a lot of garlic all at once in seconds. Easy to store and clean too!
  • Kitchen Tongs– makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing and even easier to flip individual mushroom slices as they cook.
  • My Favorite Chef Knife

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Creamy Garlic Chicken in a skillet with garlic and a spoon with lots of gravy.

A white Plate with creamy garlic chicken next to mashed potatoes and green beans.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
4.97 from 358 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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This Creamy Garlic Chicken is smothered in a rich and flavorful gravy that's easy to make in a single skillet. Caramelized garlic cloves add the perfect balance of gourmet flavor.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chicken

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 3 teaspoons Italian seasonings
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 beef bouillon cube , or 1 tsp better than bouillon
  • 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce, can sub Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: Dried thyme, mustard powder
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 10 whole cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, (optional)

Instructions

Prep Work:

  • Combine the chicken broth, bouillon cube, soy sauce, onion powder, mustard powder, and thyme in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside.
  • Combine flour and Parmesan cheese on a plate and measure out remaining ingredients prior to beginning.

Cook the Chicken:

  • Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2-3 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick. Pat completely dry.
  • Season each side with Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. Dredge in the flour mixture and tap off excess.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside.

Make the Sauce:

  • Melt the butter in the skillet over medium/medium-low heat. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot, this will add more flavor to the sauce. Add the garlic cloves and let them soften and caramelize for 6-7 minutes.
  • Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is gone.
  • Add the chicken broth mixture (from step 1) in splashes, stirring continuously.
  • Stir in the cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Gradually stir in the Parmesan cheese.
  • Add the chicken back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Spoon the sauce on top. Cover partially and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans!

Notes

Pro Tips
  • If using smaller chicken breasts, consider using 3-4 instead of 2 large.
  • Mushrooms make a great addition, I like to sauté them separately and stir them into the sauce at the very end. (Or make my Mushroom Chicken!)
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 99!
Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze/reheat well.
  • You can reheat from frozen in the microwave at 50% power. You can also thaw overnight and reheat leftovers in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350 ° for 20 minutes or so.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 488kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 1860mg, Potassium: 360mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 897IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 220mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie