The ultimate weeknight dinner, ready in 30 minutes or less! With the ability to switch up the protein or play with different flavor add-ins, this versatile meal will be a family favorite!
Need to get dinner on the table in a flash? Check out my Blender Caesar Salad Dressing, Semi-Homemade Cheesy Garlic Bread and Roasted Broccoli to round out the meal – all are quick-cooking recipes!
Chicken breasts have a bad reputation for being dry and bland. In this recipe, the chicken is moist and tender, and positively dripping with a velvety garlic sauce. Definitely not bland at all!
COOKING CHICKEN BREASTS
For this recipe, I like to either buy thinly sliced chicken, or slice regular chicken breasts in half from right to left, opening them like a book. This is a good photo tutorial, although I don’t usually pound the chicken.
The reason I do this, is two-fold.
- You can turn 2 chicken breasts into 4 cutlets, so it’s very economical.
- Thinner chicken cooks quicker, making this truly a 30 minute meal.
Dredging the chicken in a bit of flour helps give it a golden “crust”, and when you add the chicken back to the pan with the sauce, the flour helps thicken up the sauce.
Last but not least, DON’T clean out the pan between browning the chicken and making the sauce! All those browned bits of chicken are pure flavor GOLD!
MAKING THIS CHICKEN BREASTS RECIPE WITH OTHER PROTEINS
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s easy to make with other proteins as well!
We all get tired of chicken from time to time, so these are our favorite options:
- Pork chops
- Shrimp
- Steaks
- Salmon
ADDITIONAL FLAVOR ADD-INS
I love versatile recipes, and this creamy garlic sauce is a great base to add other flavors to!
Some of my favorites are:
- Asiago cheese
- Fresh or dried herbs
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Fresh spinach
- Basil pesto
- Mustard
While I think this meal is fabulous as is, you could serve it alongside some pasta for a truly stick-to-your-ribs dinner!
HOW TO MAKE A PAN SAUCE
Making a pan sauce is my favorite way to make a sauce because you don’t have to dirty another pan! Plus you get the added bonus of all the flavors of what was cooked in the pan before the sauce.
After the chicken has been browned on both sides and removed to a plate, add in a drizzle more oil and saute the shallot and garlic.
Add in the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to really scrape the bottom of the pan. This loosens up any browned bits and incorporates that flavor into the sauce.
Add in the cream and seasonings, stirring well. Add in the cheese and butter and your sauce is complete!
This pan sauce method can be used to make just about any pan sauce you want!
SHOP THE RECIPE
- Cast Iron Skillet – I use this pan for just about everything in my kitchen and it’s perfect for getting that amazing sear on the chicken.
- Sharp Knife – I have a fancy Wusthof knife that I love (but is super pricey), but this knife is super close second for me, and you can’t beat the price!
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Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast halves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (for dredging)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 shallots, finely minced (or 1 small yellow onion)
- 2 Tbsp finely minced garlic
- 1 1/3 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 - 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
Instructions
- Add flour to a shallow dish. Season chicken on both sides with a total of 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp paprika. Add chicken to flour dish, one at a time, turning to coat lightly in flour.
- Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over MED HIGH heat until hot. Add butter, then add flour-dredged chicken to skillet, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. If your pan is less than 12 inches across, you may need to brown the chicken in batches.
- Cook chicken for approximately 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked and golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to MED LOW, and add a small drizzle of oil to pan (remember, DON'T clean it out!), then add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so.
- Carefully pour in chicken broth or stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Pour in heavy cream and stir well to combine.
- Cook 2-4 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Stir in 1/4 tsp each of pepper and Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. Add chicken back to the pan, nestling them in and moving them around so the flour will help thicken the sauce.
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Chef Tips
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Linda says
Delicious. Loved the flavors and the chicken texture was perfect. I behaved and resisted eating the leftover sauce with a spoon. Dinner with this chicken as the centerpiece was a total success.
YaYa says
I am impressed with myself (even though I followed YOUR recipe 🙃). This came out amazingly. We never buy chicken breasts but it’s all the store had. I did slice them in half and even then was scared that they were too thick and would be dry and tough. Not at all! This was amazing. I served it over spaghetti noodles (all I had) seasoned with butter and garlic salt and it was a perfect combination. I’d intended on using an Alfredo sauce but the chicken sauce was so good that I did t want to lose all of that flavor. I sliced the chicken and it was so juicy and tasty. This was just wonderful. 5 stars. I never comment on recipes but this one made me come back just to let you know.
Donna says
This was just amazing! I added a lot more garlic than it called for. I also did a cheese combo fresh parm and fresh romano and 1 1/3 cup of whipping cream so we could poor the sauce over noodles. This was a huge hit. My family said this tastes like something you would get served in a good Italian Restaurant.
Jenn says
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! The only change I made was to add 1/4 cup of powdered Alfredo sauce to the milk/chicken stock mixture. The resulting meal was a HUGE hit with a 100% success rate. With a picky husband; an autistic son who is finicky about new foods, flavors, and especially textures; and a daughter is afraid of flavor, this is a REALLY BIG DEAL.
Thanks so much – I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe, because it’s a keeper. 🙂
Cathy says
Excellent! Will add to my standards for easy supper entrees. Didn’t have cream so used about 3/4 cup half and half and thickened with corn starch as suggested. Delicious.
Lara Kristof says
YUM! Garlic, Chicken, Cream and Cheese…what is there not to like about this recipe! Quick and easy. Thank you for the tip of slicing the chicken breasts in half!
Toni Forstik says
This was easy and delicious. My family loved this dish. Will look at other recipes
Phil says
Amazing! We added some chopped mushrooms to give a really creamy mushroom flavour served with mash and kale 😍
Joann B. says
Excellent easy recipe. I didn’t have heavy cream so I used 2% milk and added a little flour (about a tbsp) to it to thicken it up a little. I used beef broth as that’s what I had on hand. Was very good! I’m sure it’ll taste even better when I use chicken broth. Thanks for this recipe it’s a keeper.
christina rea says
I think I’m gonna try it with the milk tonight like you did.i don’t have sour cream or heavy cream unfortunately..I hope it turns out.
Danielle says
Loved this, it was easy to follow and came out nice! I followed the directions exactly, but used my own judgment to season the chicken breasts, before dredging them. I’m currently working on losing weight and I use a meal logger, I see the calories are 780. Is that per 4 breasts or 1?? Thank you for sharing!
The Chunky Chef says
So happy you loved the recipe! The calorie count (estimated) is for 1 serving, which would be 1 breast, however, it’s assuming you also consumed 1/4 of the cream sauce.
Akn8v says
This was delicious and a hit at our home! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Poopiebear says
This has got to be one of the best recipes I’ve tried this year in flavour, texture and ease to make. The chicken was so tender and juicy. The Italian seasoning in the sauce gave it an amazing boost in flavour. The family couldn’t get enough of it. The sauce wasn’t as heavy as other cream and alfredo type sauces. I added extra flour to thicken the sauce, which tasted delicious over pasta. A definite keeper!
Corin says
Delicious! Added some white wine to it and I was out of Italian seasoning so I used basil, parsley, and thyme. Served with rice but would be amazing with pasta! Will be adding this to the rotation.
Tina Davis says
This was well worth the effort!!! Huge hit with the family, even the kid with the picky tastes. Thanks very much for sharing this!
Karen says
This was a hit with my two picky boys! Thanks!
Jose says
I made this for my 7-year old and we both loved it. I served it over mashed potatoes with balsamic sauteed vegetables. We cleared our plates. I’ll make this again.
Catherine says
So easy, and absolutely delicious!
christina says
I am completely in love with this dish. I love the idea of creamy sauce way more that i tried dish third time. Now just want to know what we can use instead of chicken for vegans, my husband Jordan is vegan and i want to taste him this sauce. I don’t know whats wrong with him, but he is having vegan meals from past 8 months, he is behaving like, he can cook meat for me but he cant eat. So, Amanda please help me with that. Thank you.
The Chunky Chef says
So happy you love this dish! Hmm, we’re not vegan so I don’t have a lot of experience with vegan cooking… but I would say to use vegetable broth/stock instead of chicken, and maybe swap the chicken for extra firm tofu? Or you could leave the “meat” component out completely and use this sauce over some pasta?
Stephanie Caron says
This was AMAZING! So good.1
Arlene says
Delicious and versatile. Great quick recipe.