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.
Lauren V says
Today I made this recipe and it was amazing my whole family loved it. I made a few changes such as adding lemon, mushrooms and doubled the amount of garlic. I feel that this recipe would be amazing on its own.. the only change that I would make is that it needs the cornstarch added in the end to thicken the sauce. The flavor of the sauce was so good that it could be poured over rice amazing.
Tammy Caldwell says
I made this the other night for my wife son daughter in law and granddaughter who is 11 said it was the best chicken they have ever eaten and for myself it was delicious. Warmed the leftovers in a sauce pan the next day and still tasted great just add a little cream in it thanks almost sick of chicken novice.
Lorrie says
Great taste. I will make again!
Jamie Shannon says
Absolutely delicious! All 3 of my children ate all their meat (I have one who barely eats meat), and had seconds. Definitely will be keeping this recipe handy. It was a quick meal I did finish off chicken in the oven because mine were full breast and not cutlets and used vidalia onions because there were no shallots in the store. Other than that I followed the recipe.
AY says
How long did you bake the chicken breast in the oven?
Anita says
My family absolutely LOVED this.
I had thawed out chicken breasts and had no idea how to make them. Tired of the same ole same ole. Came across this and decided to give it a try. Good decision. Served with rice and broccoli. Spooned the sauce over the rice.
This will definitely be in my rotation!
Ricky says
I did the same thing. I steamed rice and added a little cheese and served over rice.
So flavorful
Christa Hylton says
About to make this recipe a second time, this time for a crowd. It’s just REALLY good. And everyone will like it.
Samantha says
For 8 breasts do I just double everything ??
How long do I cook the chicken ?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you would double all the ingredients. More than likely, you’ll want to cook the chicken in 2 batches of 4, so keep the cook time the same 4-5 minutes per side, per batch.
Judy says
This was so good! I used half of a white onion because that’s what I had available. I added (cooked) thin spaggetti at the end. It had a lot of sauce which I loved. So yummy! I will definitely make it again.
Kas says
Could I use this in a slow cooker instead. If so how long and such?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure if it would work well or not. Heavy cream sometimes doesn’t do well in slow cookers though.
Courtney says
This was absolutely delicious! So much flavor! Used cornstarch instead of flour and served over gluten free pasta, excellent GF meal. It was a special occasion and the meal certainly measured up. Only recommendation is to have everything measured and ready to go before starting, I’m a novice at cooking and everything moved pretty quickly.
Diana says
It was really good! Only thing is my sauce came out very watery maybe I’ll cut back in the broth or just add a bit of flour to the pan when degreasing it with the onions. But other than that it was very good!
LVan says
So Yummy! Will recommend. Thank you!
winnie says
Super AMAZING! thank you for the recipe. Second time making it. I love that i was able to add a little bit of turmeric and curry powder and it was still delicious!
Michelle says
Fantastic recipe! I used boneless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces and added Portobello’s mushrooms. I also used almond milk and regular milk along with the cream to cut down on some fat (although the cream really makes this dish). I love this recipe because it’s quick, easy, delicious, and versatile. Try adding guyrere cheese with the parnesan..tastes great! Broccoli would be good with this recipe as well! We served it over angel hair pasta ☺️
Vicki Lachmann says
Omg so good! I only had beef broth so i used that. My husband doesn’t like anything with a strong garlic taste and he loved this. Will definitely make it again! Thank you
Catalina Galvan says
Great recipe Spinach
Simply delicious says
Made this tonight for dinner for the first time. But definitely will not be the last time! My children and spouse were fighting over the sauce it was so delish! Recipe can easily be adjusted to keto way of eating. Skip flour dredging and add xantham gum to thicken the sauce. So so so good!!
Dee says
Hello…Im on Keto as well and I have used almond flour to coat chicken…its really good!!
Andrea says
My family loved it. Easy to make. I served it with rice.
JJennifer says
Made this tonight and my husband thanked me for a wonderful meal!!! I had to substitute sour cream for heavy cream, as another commenter suggested, and it was delicious. I served it over linguine (I didn’t have fettucine), with breadsticks and salad from our garden.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Sarah says
I made this tonight and it was a hit. Super yummy!!
I have a question though…instead of using wheat flour to coat that chicken, can you use coconut or almond flour? Would it thicken the sauce like the wart flour does?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you loved it!! I think you could totally use almond or coconut flour 🙂 I’ve not used them, so I can’t say if it would thicken the same way, but if you find it’s not thickening the same, just whisk together about a tablespoon of cornstarch (or arrowroot) with a tablespoon and a half of water (until smooth), and then stir in into the sauce.
Major Mom says
Making this dish for the third time this evening. The family loves it! I use a lot of garlic, and it tastes terrific. I really like that the chicken is seasoned before it is dusted in flour and fried. The chicken is well flavored, and I don’t waste any spices by mixing them in the flour and then throwing away whatever flour mixture is not used.
Irving says
Just finishing making for my wife. We loved it. Excellent taste. Easy to make. Thank you.