Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe

Name: Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4 thin cutlets; 1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder; 2 tbsp flour, for dusting; 2 tbsp olive oil; 3 tbsp butter; 5 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup chicken broth; 3/4 cup heavy cream; 1/3 cup grated parmesan; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 2 cups baby spinach (optional); Chopped parsley, to serve

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 20 min Total: 30 min Servings: 4

Creamy garlic butter chicken in a skillet with pan sauce

This is the most-made recipe on our entire site, and one bite of the sauce explains why: golden-seared chicken cutlets in a garlic butter cream sauce that comes together in the same skillet, in the time it takes to boil the pasta you'll serve under it. Slicing the breasts into thin cutlets is the trick that keeps this honest — they cook in four minutes a side, stay juicy, and give you double the surface area for that sauce to cling to. Weeknight fancy, zero fuss.

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Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4 thin cutlets
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder
2 tbsp flour, for dusting
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups baby spinach (optional)
Chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

Season the cutlets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; dust lightly with flour.
Sear in olive oil over medium-high, 4 minutes per side, until golden and 160°F. Move to a plate.
Lower the heat, add the butter and garlic, and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
Pour in the broth, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer 2 minutes to reduce by half.
Stir in the cream, parmesan, and Italian seasoning; simmer 2–3 minutes until it coats a spoon. Wilt in the spinach if using.
Return the chicken and its juices to the pan, spoon the sauce over, and finish with parsley.

Ingredient Substitutions

Ingredient	Substitute	Notes
Chicken breasts	Boneless thighs	Sear 5–6 minutes per side; even juicier
Heavy cream	Half-and-half	Simmer more gently so it doesn't break
Spinach	Sun-dried tomatoes (1/3 cup)	Pushes it toward Marry Me chicken territory
Flour dusting	Skip it	Gluten-free; the sauce will be slightly thinner

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 3 days. The sauce thickens in the fridge — loosen with a splash of broth as it reheats.

Reheat gently, covered, over low heat. Cream sauces resent boiling and the microwave's high setting; use 50% power if you must.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cut chicken breasts into cutlets?

Press a palm flat on top of the breast and slice horizontally with a sharp knife, like splitting a bun. Slightly frozen chicken (15 minutes in the freezer) slices cleaner.

My cream sauce broke — what happened?

It boiled too hard. Add cream over medium-low, keep it at a lazy simmer, and stir in the parmesan off the direct boil.

What do I serve this over?

Pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice — anything that catches sauce. Start the starch first; the chicken takes exactly as long as a pot of pasta.

Can I make it dairy-free?

Full-fat coconut milk and nutritional yeast instead of cream and parmesan works surprisingly well with the garlic; use olive oil in place of butter.