My 30-minute creamy garlic chicken recipe is so quick, easy, and delicious! Juicy pan-seared chicken breasts swim in the dreamiest white sauce, made with white wine, heavy cream, fresh spinach, and lots of toasted garlic. These beautiful garlic cream chicken breasts are simple enough for busy weeknights, but still elegant enough for dinner guests!
Top Reader Reviews
I have made this three times now. It is the best. Easy and so good! Thank you. I did t change a thing. The white wine is a Must addition.
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This recipe is HUGE hit in my family!!! And I have very picky younger eaters. To my surprise the WHOLE family loved this and wanted it again this week!! Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe
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Chicken Breasts in a Garlicky White Cream Sauce
One of my favorite ways to spice up some simple pan-seared chicken breasts is to add a rich and creamy sauce, so I’m always looking for new ideas. Inspired by my favorite white wine chicken, I went with a luscious garlic cream sauce that’s a little bit simpler and even more perfect for chicken breasts.
Since I’m all about quick and easy meals, I want them to taste more complicated than they are. And this creamy garlic chicken recipe hits the mark: 30 minutes, simple ingredients, and incredible flavor. This is my favorite white sauce for chicken because it’s deliciously simple and tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant!
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🙈 Learn from my mistake!
Originally, I added the cream and wine to the pan at the same time, but quickly realized that wouldn’t work. The cream separated and turned clumpy from the heat, and the wine didn’t reduce. The consistency and flavor was totally off!
💡Lesson Learned: Give the white wine time to simmer on its own before adding the cream. The wine needs to reduce to a more syrupy consistency first, and release some of its harsher flavors. This simple trick will give you a smoother, more balanced white sauce.
Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (*)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 head garlic (peeled)
- ½ cup dry white wine (**)
- 1 cup heavy cream (room temperature)
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- kosher salt (to taste)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, ground black pepper
- Place flour on a medium plate.¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Dredge each chicken breast with flour, patting off any excess.
- Heat a large skillet with high sides to medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.1 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon 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.
- Add the remaining ½ tablespoon butter to the pan.0.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Lower heat to medium, and add peeled garlic cloves. Toast the garlic until light brown on all sides.1 head garlic
- Add wine. Bring it up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half.½ cup dry white wine
- 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.1 cup heavy cream
- Add the chicken back to the sauce, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked, add in the spinach. Cover with a lid, and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.2 cups packed baby spinach
- Remove the lid and toss the spinach with the chicken and sauce until completely wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.kosher salt, ground black pepper
Notes
- If your garlic cloves are really big, cut them in half so they’re all roughly the same size.
- For a mellower garlic flavor, roast the whole head in the oven at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or in the air fryer at 370°F for 15-18 minutes
- A dollop of whole-grain mustard will add some tanginess to the white sauce.
- Additions: mushrooms, onions, or sun-dried tomatoes make great additions to this dish. Simply add them in with the garlic when making the sauce.
- Fully cooked chicken breasts should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
Watch one of our trusted recipe testers make this!
Kristina shows us how easy it is to sear the chicken breasts and make that silky cream sauce. Yum!
Foolproof Tips
- Use butter AND oil. When cooking this dish, using both types of fat is key. Butter adds extra rich flavor to the chicken, but since we’re searing over higher heat, we need oil to help prevent the butter from burning. It’s an unbeatable duo!
- Use room temperature cream. Adding fridge-cold cream to a hot pan usually leads to curdling. No good! Simply let the heavy cream sit on the counter while prepping to help temper it, so it mixes into the sauce smoothly.
- Toast the garlic. Toasting the garlic cloves in the pan with butter for just a few minutes does wonders for the final taste of this chicken dish. It mellows the initial bite, but ultimately brings out a greater range of flavor. Trust me, don’t skip this simple step!
How to Make Creamy Garlic Chicken with White Sauce Step by Step
Season and Dredge the Chicken: Season 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. I use about 1 teaspoon per pound. Next, place ¼ cup of all-purpose flour on a medium plate. Then coat each chicken breast in flour, patting off any excess. This helps create a crisp texture on the outside, and helps the cream sauce adhere.
Melt the Butter: Heat a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The butter is for flavor, and the olive oil helps prevent the butter from burning.
Sear the Chicken: Once the butter has melted, add the flour-coated chicken breasts. Sear until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Then flip and sear the other side until browned, another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and set aside on a plate. The chicken breasts should not be cooked through at this point. They will finish cooking later on.
Toast the Garlic: Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of unsalted butter to the pan. Then lower the heat to medium, and add 1 head of peeled garlic cloves. Toast the garlic until light brown on all sides, but be careful not to burn it.
Make the Garlic Cream Sauce: Add ½ cup of dry white wine to the pan. Bring the heat up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and continue cooking until the liquid reduces by half. Once the wine is reduced, pour in 1 cup of room-temperature heavy cream. Again, bring the mixture up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. It’s important to use room temperature heavy cream so the warm pan doesn’t shock and curdle the cream.
Combine the Chicken and White Sauce: Add the seared chicken back to the garlic cream sauce, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
Wilt the Spinach: Once the chicken is fully cooked through, add 2 packed cups of baby spinach on top.
Cook Down: Cover the pan and steam for another 1-2 minutes, then remove the lid and toss the spinach with the chicken and sauce until it’s completely wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve: Serve creamy garlic chicken breasts over pasta, rice, or potatoes to soak up all that yummy sauce!
How to Store and Reheat
Store chicken and garlic cream sauce in an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed all the way through. I add a splash of heavy cream while reheating to make the sauce nice and creamy again.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish because cream sauces tend to break down and become grainy when reheated.
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