Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3 chicken breasts, split in half widthwise (~1 1/2 lbs)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup salted butter, divided
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Season and Prep the Chicken
Cut your chicken breasts in half widthwise so you have two thinner pieces from each breast.
Season both sides generally with salt and pepper.
The thinner pieces cook faster and more evenly – plus they look better plated.
Sear the Chicken in Butter
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until the pan is hot.
Add 3 tablespoons of the butter and swirl with a wooden spoon until completely melted.
Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for ~4-5 minutes without moving them.
Flip and cook another ~3-5 minutes until they reach 165F internal.
You want good browning on both sides – this creates the fond that makes the sauce.
Rest the Chicken and Build the Sauce
Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Take the skillet off the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, swirling to melt.
Add the minced garlic and sauté just until fragrant – about 30 seconds to 1 minute max.
Don’t let the garlic burn or it’ll turn bitter.
Add Cream and Finish the Sauce
Pour in the heavy cream and use your wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Once you’ve gotten most of the fond scraped up, return the skillet to medium heat.
Simmer for ~1-2 minutes, scraping and stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly.
The sauce should coat the back of a spoon but still be pourable.
Combine and Serve
Remove from heat and nestle the chicken back into the skillet.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken or toss to coat.
Garnish with fresh parsley if you have it and serve immediately.
One Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3 chicken breasts ~1 1/2 lbs, split in half widthwise
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup salted butter divided
- 7 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in half widthwise to create thinner pieces.
- Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat skillet over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons butter.
- Add chicken in single layer and cook 4-5 minutes without moving.
- Flip and cook 3-5 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Remove chicken to plate and rest.
- Take skillet off heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
- Add minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in heavy cream and scrape up browned bits from pan bottom.
- Return skillet to medium heat and simmer 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
- Remove from heat and nestle chicken back into skillet.
- Spoon sauce over chicken to coat.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
