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!
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.
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.
- 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!
annamarie dodge says
this looks and sounds amazing and i cant wait to buy some chicken and make this for my family!
Jean says
I made this last week for my husband and his family! It was SO good and flavorful 🙂
IG: @jeanjiyoon
Anna Kim says
I have not tried this recipe yet but it looks so good. I just got a bottle of heavy cream and have thawed chicken thighs in the fridge which will be perfect for this recipe.
Kelsey F says
I am just starting to get into cooking and was really nervous about giving this one a try. I will say it didn’t look exactly like yours, but the flavors were on point! Can’t wait to try another one out soon!
Lucy says
So much flavour for not a very complicated recipe. Love these one pot meals
Jennifer Cheng says
This was delicious! I can’t wait to make it again!
Martina says
Love this recipe! Soooo yummy! Gonna try to swap out the half and half for coconut milk next time!
Loveena Gahunia says
This was so easy and delicious to make! Def going to be a weeknight staple 🙂
Ginger says
I only had bone in skin on chicken thighs so it took a looong time to cook but well worth it! The cumin adds a nice flavor.
Michelle says
This recipe is so convenient for lazy days and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!
Laura says
This was amazing. The entire family loved it.
Cook With Dana says
Ahh great to hear Laura!!
Samantha says
This recipe is pretty straightforward and very flavorful. My family loved it, will definitely be making it again and again.
Cook With Dana says
Awesome, so glad it worked well Samantha!
Jenn says
I made this tonight for my family of 7!!! No left overs what so ever!!! This dish was by far the best we’ve had in a long time!!!
Cook With Dana says
Thanks Jenn! I am so happy you and your family enjoyed the dish ◡̈
Yolanda Denise Barton says
Going to make this for dinner tonight 😋 thanks.
Keena Mcrae says
It looks very delicious 😋