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.
Kristin says
This was delicious and I’m adding to my binder of recipes! If a recipe makes it to my binder, that means my husband and I loved it! The sauce was waaaay to thin but the flavor was still delicious – next time I will do the cornstarch trick. I served it over pasta. It was pretty fast and easy.
Drea says
Sauce is amazing. Great recipe.
Carly Ceo says
this is the BEST cast iron chicken I have found – even after months of trying recipes.
Jess says
So so so good. Thank you so much for not giving us a run of the mill, boring chicken recipe. And the clean up will be so easy!
Question– I noticed your calories said 780… is that for one chicken breast or all 4? I split the recipe up between 6 small chicken breasts and when I inputted it in MFP I noticed 300 odd calories for one chicken breast (since I did 6). Does that sound right? I just want to make sure I’m inputting it right since it’s pretty different from what yours says.
Definitely will be coming back to this blog for more recipes!!!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s per serving, but any nutritional information shared is an estimate, and is automatically calculated through a program.
Layla says
Made this today for the 1st time and it came out delicious. I substituted using a can of cream of chicken instead of the heavy cream and added a dollop of sour cream. I paired it with linguine and some garlic bread and nothing was left over!!
😘
Rebecca says
OMG! Yum!! Definitely a keeper!
Ellie says
By far one of my favourite recipes! I love the versatility and the flavours, it’s definitely a great way to make an easy flavourful feast out of the humble chicken breast we’ve come to love and become bored of!
Stephanie says
Wow, this was easy and came out great. i used half and half instead of heavy cream, added mushrooms and used chicken tenders instead of breasts. Served over pasta. Very tasty. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Rachel Bandy says
This was so tasty and easy. The best part is that these are all ingredients I usually have on hand.
Thank you!
Jana says
This was soooo good! I have a couole picky eaters but they loved this dish. I doubled it and added a little more of the seasonongs and served it with penne pasta. Will definitely make again!
Glenn Visser says
This was delicious 😋
Dawn says
Made it was totally delicious I did make mine thicker.Thanks for sharing.
Katie says
Wow! Made this exactly as the recipe calls and my 2 and 5 year olds devoured it. So delicious and easy especially given I don’t have much skill in the kitchen!
R says
So thankful for this! I was staring down a boring chicken dinner night and found this and it made the meal fantastic. Thanks!
Michelle says
Can i use milk instead of heavy cream?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only made this recipe as written, and while I think milk would technically work, you would have to simmer it for a while to get it to thicken up, plus it wouldn’t have that rich saucy mouthfeel.
Britt says
So good! My husband hates onions, so I cooked them like the recipe said, then put them on the side. I also added broccoli to the sauce at the end. Served it with rice. Everyone but my picky stubborn 3 year old loved it!
Vanessa McCloud says
Lol.
Delicious Recipe. Nice to so something different with chicken. Made this with mashed potatoes!
Sharon Lawrence says
Made this on Monday night was a huge success with my husband and son. The creamy sauce is amazing. I’m making again for Sunday dinner with the same side roasted garlic potatoes and Italian green beans. With dessert being brown sugar pound cake. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Faye says
Goodness can I come to your house for Sunday dinner??
Lindsay Clarke says
I made this tonight and it was quick and easy. Didn’t have fresh garlic or parmesan but used what I had (garlic powder and grated parmesan) I also used a white onion and evaporated milk as my heavy cream. It was amazing!!!
Colleen says
I skipped the Italian seasoning and just added fresh parsley and thyme into the sauce, and then fresh basil at the very end. There was plenty of sauce to put everything over spaghetti. My kids don’t love Parmesan cheese so it was served on the side, but the sauce was still very rich and delicious!
Nicole says
I really want to try making this recipe for my boyfriend, but he HATES onion/shallots of any kind. Do you think this recipe will taste alright if I removed the onion/shallots from the recipe? Or are there any recommendations for a substitute to this ingredient? Thank you! This recipe looks so delicious and I can’t wait to give it a shot 😊
The Chunky Chef says
Does he hate onion flavor? Or is it the texture? If it’s just the texture, you could try adding about 1/2 tsp onion powder, or grating the onion instead of chopping it, so it dissolves into the sauce. If he hates the flavor, then honestly I’d just omit that ingredient 🙂
Evelyne Ralston says
Tasty and succulent ! Added button mushrooms to the sauce and omitted the parmesan. Served with rice and broccollini. Can’t wait till tomorrow night for the leftovers ! ❤