This one pot creamy garlic chicken takes 20 minutes to make and is super delicious! All you have to do is throw everything in one skillet or pot and once cooked, you can taste the fragrant flavor from the garlic and cilantro (you can also use parsley or basil instead!). You can add the creamy and juicy chicken on rice, pasta or salad for a complete meal!
You know that I love making one pot dinners or using as little of dishes as possible. This quick and easy garlicky chicken is going to be on rotation for dinner. There’s so much flavor and spice, you’re going to be licking the cream sauce when you’re done (that’s what we did!). You have to check out this creamy garlic chicken recipe on your next busy weeknight! And for another super easy one-pot dish, check out my Soy Sauce Chicken In Rice Cooker.
Ingredients and Variations:
What I love about this recipe is that most of the ingredients for this creamy chicken should be already in your pantry (seasonings) and refrigerator (milk)! Even if you don’t have them, the ingredients are very accessible and easy to find in most grocery stores.
- chicken thighs (skinless and boneless) – it’s easier to cook and the chicken tastes juicy. You can definitely use chicken breast for this recipe, but you may need to adjust the cooking time. Just make sure the chicken is at an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit after cooking.
- salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- paprika
- cumin
Cream Sauce
- neutral oil such as avocado or vegetable oil will be added to the pan to fry the chicken
- unsalted butter – I prefer to use unsalted because we are adding salt to the chicken and parmesan cheese to the sauce
- half & half (can substitute with 1 cup milk or chicken broth) – I found that heavy cream itself was too thick to use as a sauce. You can substitute half & half with milk or chicken broth, but the sauce will not be as thick and creamy.
- garlic cloves – I used 4 cloves and I think it’s plenty but I know garlic lovers can add more 😉
- shredded parmesan cheese – freshly shredded parmesan cheese tastes the best but any will do!
- fresh cilantro – fresh parsley or basil can be substituted. I know that not everyone likes cilantro
How to Make This One Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken
Season Chicken Thighs
Step 1: Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel.
Step 2: Mix the following seasonings together in a bowl: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. Season chicken on both sides.
Pan-Fry Chicken
Heat pan or pot to medium high heat.
Once the pan is hot and you see a little bit of smoke coming from it, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Next, add your chicken thighs on the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on one side. Flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes. Both sides should be golden brown!
When the chicken has browned, take it off of the pan and place on a separate plate.
Make Creamy Garlic Sauce
Step 3: Turn down the heat to low. Add butter to the pan with your minced garlic. Cook for one minute. Then, add 1 cup half & half. Stir occasionally.
Step 4. Add your shredded parmesan cheese to the cream and continue to stir occasionally. Keep the heat on low to ensure that the cheese sauce doesn’t curdle while cooking.
Add You Chicken Back In!
Place cooked chicken thighs (along with juices) in the pan and cook for 1 minute. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro or your preferred herb of choice!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Try to use 1.5 pound chicken breast so the proportions of the ingredients is the same as the recipe. You may need to increase the cooking time of the chicken to ensure that the chicken is cooked through.
Yes, you can! Use your preferred type of milk. Parmesan cheese has low lactose content and can usually be tolerated by those with lactose intolerance.
Yes, you can add some chopped spinach or mushrooms to the cream sauce. You can also added cooked pasta for an easy one pot meal!
Serve
I love to serve this dish with plain white rice. You can also serve on top of pasta. Any carb will soak up the yummy sauce! If you don’t want to eat carbs, you can serve the creamy chicken on the side with a nice mixed salad like a Carrot Ribbon Salad. This will surely add a pop of color and crunch to your chicken meal!
How to Store
You can store this creamy garlic chicken in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Since, we added fresh herbs, it is more likely to spoil, so eat it as soon as you can ◡̈ To heat up the leftovers, you can heat in the microwave for up to 2 minutes or reheat on a pan on low heat.
Expert Tips
- Dry your chicken with a paper towel before frying so you can get a nice sear on your chicken!
- After browning your chicken, you will have some brown bits on the pan. Don’t throw that away (it has lots of flavor!). When adding the milk or cream, you can gently scrape that off and stir it in the sauce!
- When cooking the cream sauce, make sure to turn down the heat to low or low medium. If the pan is too hot, the milk or cream will curdle with the cheese. This means that the sauce will look clumpy
- Use fresh herbs like cilantro or basil for this dish. Dried seasonings will not be as fragrant. If you love cilantro sauce, you can also add this creamy cilantro sauce on top for extra flavor!
- Use fresh parmesan or parmigiano-reggiano for impeccable taste in your cream sauce. Grate the cheese fresh if you can and it will taste more fresh! Higher quality ingredients make the biggest difference in the taste of your food.
- Add in some vegetables like spinach or mushrooms to enhance your one pot meal!
More Delicious Chicken Recipes:
- Hainan Chicken Rice – a super popular chicken and rice dish sold in Asia with ginger scallion sauce.
- Japanese Cream Stew – chicken cooked with vegetables in a Japanese cream sauce
- Chinese Sausage with Chicken Rice – Chinese inspired one pot rice with fragrant flavors of lap cheong!
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Garlic Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil for frying the chicken
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup half & half*
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan
- 12-20 sprigs cilantro finely minced
Instructions
Season Chicken
- Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Moisture will prevent the chicken from searing.
- Mix the following seasonings together in a bowl: 1½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon cumin.
- Mince garlic and finely chop fresh cilantro.
Cook Chicken
- Heat pan or pot to medium high heat. While the pan is getting hot, add seasonings on both sides of the chicken.
- Once the pan is hot and you see a little bit of smoke coming from it, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Next, add your chicken thighs on the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on one side. Flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes. Both sides should be golden brown!
- When the chicken has browned, take it off of the pan in a separate plate. Turn the heat down to low.
Make Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan with your minced garlic. Cook for one minute. Then, add 1 cup half & half. Stir occasionally.
- Add your shredded parmesan cheese to the cream and continue to stir occasionally. Keep the heat on low to ensure that the cheese sauce doesn’t curdle while cooking.
- Once the cheese has melted and the cream sauce has thickened, add your chicken thighs (along with juices) in the pan and cook for 1 minute. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro!
Video
Notes
- Dry your chicken with a paper towel before frying so you can get a nice sear on your chicken!
- After browning your chicken, you will have some brown bits on the pan. Don’t throw that away (it has lots of flavor!). When adding the milk or cream, you can gently scrape that off and stir it in the sauce!
- When cooking the cream sauce, make sure to turn down the heat to low or low medium. If the pan is too hot, the milk or cream will curdle with the cheese.
- Use fresh herbs like cilantro or basil for this dish.
- Use fresh parmesan or parmigiano-reggiano for impeccable taste in your cream sauce.
- Add in some vegetables like spinach or mushrooms to enhance your one pot meal!
Mary Crosby says
Hands down one of the best chicken garlic cream sauces we have done! The unique spices the chicken was flavored are really nice. They were wonderful in scrapped into the sauce. We substituted some of the half and half with skim milk for less calories still creamy with the cheese. We doubled the garlic, just because we like garlic. LOL The cilantro on the top is a lovey bright flavor burst that was not over powering. Creamy sauce, flavorful chicken, easy to do. We will do this recipe, again.
Dana says
Thanks Mary for giving this recipe a try! This is one of my favorite recipes and I’m so happy you liked it!