Creamy garlic chicken is a one-pot recipe that can be made in under 30 minutes. The tender chicken is drowned in a delicious creamy garlic sauce, which is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. This creamy garlic chicken is best served over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.
All it takes to make this mouth-watering dish is a handful of ingredients and a pot or skillet. The sauce has an amazing depth of flavour, and the chicken is tender and succulent. This recipe is versatile and is a must-try dish.
Why this recipe works?
It is easy to make, low in carbohydrates and pairs well with most veggies. The chicken is tender and juicy; the creamy garlic sauce has a great flavour. It is best for a busy weeknight meal and is a great choice for those following a low carb diet. This recipe is adaptable as you can serve this dish with any side of your choice.
What do you need for this recipe?
- Chicken: This recipe uses chicken thighs with both and skin on.
- Heavy cream: You can use heavy cream or whipping cream to give a sweet and creamy base for the sauce.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and paprika.
- Chicken stock: Make sure to use good quality chicken broth for the best flavour.
- Fresh rosemary: Fresh rosemary adds an aromatic flavour to the dish.
- Garlic: This chicken recipe uses a lot of crushed garlic. You can add as much garlic as you like based on your taste.
- Olive oil: You may also use butter or vegetable oil.
How to Make this Creamy Garlic Chicken?
Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika.
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet on medium heat, then pan-fry the chicken thighs until they become golden brown and crispy from both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
Now, clean the skillet from the chicken fat, then add one tablespoon of olive oil and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Return the chicken into the pan and add chicken broth, heavy cream and rosemary. Lower the heat and let it simmer (for about 9-10 minutes) until the sauce reduces a little.
Garnish with some chopped basil and serve.
Top Tips
- A meat thermometer is a great way to check if the chicken is done. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165degrees.
- If you want this dish spicy, you can add extra paprika to amp up the flavour.
- Be sure not to burn the garlic as it would give a bitter taste.
- You can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth or chicken bone broth.
- Substitute chicken thighs with boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
- You may also substitute heavy cream with milk or half-and-half.
- You may garnish with grated parmesan cheese right before serving.
- Always cook your chicken skin side first as the fat from the skin will coat the pan; this way, you can avoid the other side from sticking.
- If the sauce isn’t thickening up, you can add some corn starch to the sauce; it will thicken the sauce. And, if you like your sauce a little thinner, add milk instead of heavy cream.
Recipe variations
- You can add some veggies to the creamy garlic sauce if you like.
- Swap the chicken with shrimp, chicken tenders, steaks or salmon. The creamy garlic sauce will pair perfectly with all of them. Make sure to adjust cooking time accordingly.
- Mushrooms: Adding mushrooms while cooking the chicken or add them to your sauce.
- Spinach: Add fresh spinach in the last 3-5 minutes of cooking the chicken, giving the dish a fantastic flavour.
- Use fresh or dried herbs, like thyme or basil.
- Add some sun-dried or cherry tomatoes for a great texture.
- You can add sliced artichoke hearts to the sauce.
Serving suggestions
This creamy garlic chicken is so versatile that it goes with all kinds of sides. The classic sides are mashed potatoes, veggie salad or roasted veggies. You may also serve them with:
- Taco pasta - one-pot recipe
- Pesto pasta - with homemade pesto sauce
- Mashed potato and onion pie
- Pasta al forno (italian baked pasta)
- Cheese pie
Recipe FAQs
Do I have to use chicken thighs?
This recipe uses chicken thighs with bone and skin on as they are moist and have extra flavour. But, you may also use chicken breasts boneless and skinless based on how you like them.
Can I bake this dish?
Yes, if you want to bake it, make sure to reduce the liquid by ⅓rd. Bake until the chicken is cooked.
How to store the creamy garlic chicken?
You can store the creamy garlic chicken for about 2-3 days in an air-tight container in the fridge. Leftover creamy garlic chicken makes a great filling for wraps or sandwiches.
Can I freeze creamy garlic chicken?
Yes, you can freeze the creamy garlic chicken. Make sure to freeze when it cools down, and use an air-tight container or Ziploc bag for freezing.
Can I use half-and-half instead of heavy cream?
Yes, you can use half-and-half or milk instead of heavy cream. The sauce will not be as thick when you use heavy cream.
Can I add garlic powder instead of crushed garlic?
Yes, you can add garlic powder to the sauce. But the sauce tastes best when you add fresh garlic cloves. You may also add garlic powder with fresh garlic. It gives that extra garlicky flavour to the delicious sauce.
Can I use full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream or milk?
Using full-fat coconut milk gives a great texture and a thick consistency to the sauce when compared to regular milk.
More Chicken Recipes
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 750 g chicken thighs , bones and skin on
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 6 cloves garlic , crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Heat the oil in a wok or skillet on medium heat, then pan-fry the chicken thighs until they become golden brown and crispy from both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- Now, clean the skillet from the chicken fat, add one tablespoon of olive oil and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Return the chicken into the pan and add chicken broth, heavy cream and thyme. Lower the heat and let it simmer (for about 9-10 minutes) until the sauce reduces a little.
- Garnish with some chopped basil, and serve.
Notes
- A meat thermometer is a great way to check if the chicken is done. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165degrees.
- If you want this dish spicy, you can add extra paprika to amp up the flavour.
- Be sure not to burn the garlic as it would give a bitter taste.
- You can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth or chicken bone broth.
- Substitute chicken thighs with boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
- You may also substitute heavy cream with milk or half-and-half.
- You may garnish with grated parmesan cheese right before serving.
- Always cook your chicken skin side first as the fat from the skin will coat the pan; this way, you can avoid the other side from sticking.
- If the sauce isn’t thickening up, you can add some corn starch to the sauce; it will thicken the sauce. And, if you like your sauce a little thinner, add milk instead of heavy cream.
Nutrition
If you have a question about this Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe, please leave a comment or contact me via the contact page. And if you make this recipe, don't forget to rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comment section below. Thanks for visiting my blog.
This recipe was so quick and easy. I used basil instead of rosemary, and I served it with mashed potatoes.
Thanks for this lovely recipe. I was looking for new chicken recipes everywhere.
I loved this recipe! It is very adaptable. I made this recipe, and it was great. I served it with white rice and some roasted veggies. Thanks so much for this great recipe!