Creamy Garlic Chicken is the ultimate comfort dinner recipe! Tender, juicy chicken breasts are cooked to perfection on the stovetop in a creamy medley of garlic, spinach, white wine and more. This is a restaurant quality meal that’s so easy to make!
What’s in Creamy Garlic Chicken
You only need 8 simple ingredients to make this creamy chicken dinner. You likely already have most of them on hand!
- Chicken Breasts: You can either use 4 small breasts or 2 larger ones that have been cut in half lengthwise.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used to dredge the chicken and give it the best consistency.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter. That way, if I do want a saltier taste I can just sprinkle in a pinch.
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil can be used instead if preferred.
- Garlic: You’ll need a whole head of fresh garlic cloves for this supremely garlicky recipe!
- Wine: Use a dry white wine for the cream sauce.
- Heavy Cream: This is what gives the sauce the best creamy consistency. I don’t recommend swapping it with anything else.
- Baby Spinach: Make sure you’re really packing the 2 cups full of spinach. Don’t worry if it looks like you’re adding a ton, because it cooks down beautifully.
Pro Tip: If your garlic cloves are really big, cut them in half so they’re all roughly the same size and cut evenly.
What else can I add?
There are plenty of ways you can customize this creamy garlic chicken recipe! Here are just a few ingredients you may want to consider tossing into the skillet:
- A dollop of whole grain mustard.
- Fresh or dried herbs, such as rosemary or thyme.
- A spoonful of pesto.
- Mushrooms – one of garlic’s BFF’s!
- Sun dried or cherry tomatoes, for a pop of color and twist in texture.
I’ve used chicken breasts for this creamy garlic chicken recipe, they’re easy plus they sear nice and evenly. But you could also use boneless chicken thighs, they’re a flavorful cut and work great too.
It can be so easy to overcook a chicken breast, which dries it out in no time! A meat thermometer is a great way to check if your chicken is done.
The internal temp should be 165°F. If you’re careful with your internal temperature, your chicken will come out juicy and tender every time.
I only recommend using fresh spinach for this recipe if possible. It cooks down to the best consistency with the other ingredients.
How to Store and Reheat
Once your chicken cools to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Feel free to reheat in the microwave or right back on your stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed all the way through.
Because of the creamy sauce, I don’t recommend freezing this chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This garlic chicken is friendly with all kinds of sides. Pasta or mashed potatoes make it super hearty and take on the sauce nicely. Or, you can go lighter with a salad if you want.
Steamed or roasted veggies are also great, as is rice. A nice crusty bread to mop up that addictive garlic sauce is never a bad idea!
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 small chicken breasts or 2 large chicken breasts cut in half, lengthwise
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 head of garlic peeled
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.4 small chicken breasts
- Place flour on a medium plate. Dredge each chicken breast with flour, patting off any excess.¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Heat a large skillet with high sides to a medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the chicken breasts. Sear until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and sear until brown, another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and set aside on a plate. (Do not worry about cooking the chicken all the way through, they will finish cooking later.)1 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Add the remaining ½ tablespoon butter to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add all the peeled garlic cloves. Toast the garlic until light brown on all sides. Be careful to not burn the garlic.1 head of garlic
- Pour in the wine. Bring it up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half. Once the wine has reduced, pour in the cream. Again, bring the cream and wine up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the sauce, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.½ cup dry white wine, 1 cup heavy cream
- Once the chicken is cooked, add in the spinach. Shut the lid and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid and toss the spinach with the chicken and sauce until completely wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.2 cups packed baby spinach
Notes
- A meat thermometer is a great way to check if your chicken is done. The internal temp should be 165 degrees.
- If your garlic cloves are really big, cut them in half so they’re all roughly the same size and cut evenly.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, should last 3 days.
- You can sub in boneless chicken thighs if you like.
Steve Larson says
We loved this recipe, minor changes to make it with what I had in the house, but still wonderful.
Becky Hardin says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it so much!!
Lady J says
I made this last night for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! I have a large family and doubled the recipe and made fried rice to go with it! I will definitely be making this dish again
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for sharing!
Reina says
Absolutely loved this, my husband finished his plate and then mine! This will be one of my go to chicken recipes from now on
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for stopping by!
Cherie Levasseur says
I’ve made this several times. Feels like we are eating out at a restaurant. My family loves this!
I do add 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan and mushrooms
Becky Hardin says
That’s great! Thanks for stopping by, Cherie.
Deanna f says
This sounds like an excellent recipe and so easy. Is there anyway I can use chicken broth instead of the white wine? Will it really change the flavor that much? I look forward to your comment. Thankyou
Becky Hardin says
Yes you can! It won’t change things much. You can also use cooking wine. Either way would be great 🙂
Deborah says
This was such a good recipe
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for stopping by!
Donna says
Tried this recipe last night. Delicious! Didn’t have heavy cream but used milk and thickened it with flour. Will make again and again. Thanks.
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Donna!
Gunter Davilla says
I made this recipe for dinner. I did make some changes. Instead of wine I used chicken broke because I didn’t have wine. I didn’t have whipping cream so I used about 3/4 of a can of cream of chicken soup mixed in the broth. I cut back on the rosemary. I used thighs instead of breasts. I will make this again without the changes because it sounds so good as written. I will rate it when I make the recipe as written.
Becky Hardin says
Sounds delicious!
Dale Deonas says
This recipe is so tasty, all 4 times I had to make it for family.
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for sharing, Dale!
Linda says
I love this recipe, delicious, easy to make for week night, full of flavor. This will definitely be on my favorite list! The only problem I had is that I could not pin this to pinterest. thank you!
Becky Hardin says
Definitely try with a different browser!