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Savor the rich and comforting taste of our Baked Garlic Butter Chicken. Juicy chicken breasts basted in golden garlic butter, seasoned with rosemary, and topped with melted Italian cheese.
Juicy Baked Garlic Butter Chicken
When it comes to comfort food recipes, my Baked Garlic Butter Chicken stands out from the crowd. Chicken dinner recipes are a dime a dozen, I know, but this garlic chicken stands tall amongst them. It’s simple yet incredibly delicious, and that’s mostly thanks to the garlic butter sauce. Made with a stick of butter and minced garlic, it creates a beautifully golden and flavorful crust with a tender and juicy interior.
The aromatic rosemary adds another layer to the flavor profile, while the shredded cheese gives it a melty, luxurious finish. Every bite is a combination of flavors – the juicy chicken, the savory garlic butter, the fragrant rosemary, and the melty cheese. What’s more, is that there’s no way we can mess this up. There’s like 5 ingredients we’re working with, and garlic and butter are the stars. 👌
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Chicken
- Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts
- Butter
- Garlic
- Fresh Rosemary
- Shredded Cheese
Perfect Oven Baked Chicken
Achieving a perfectly juicy baked chicken breast is easier than you think. The key is in the seasoning – a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper – and the cooking technique.
- Arrange the seasoned chicken breasts in a buttered baking dish.
- Melt butter in a skillet, add garlic, and sauté until lightly browned. Stir in rosemary.
- Pour the garlic butter over the chicken and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Add cheese and bake for another 3 minutes until melted.
- Let it rest for a bit, then serve with some of the garlic butter sauce spooned over top.
The oven does most of the work here, baking the chicken breasts to tender perfection. You’ll know your chicken is done when the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Remember to let it rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.
Substitutions
Substitutions can change the dish’s flavor profile, so consider this when choosing alternatives.
- Herbs: If you don’t have or don’t like rosemary, other herbs like thyme or parsley will also work well in this recipe.
- Cheese: You can replace the Italian cheese with another variety like mozzarella or even a sharper cheese like cheddar or Parmesan, depending on your preference.
- Butter: If you’re looking to reduce saturated fat, you can use olive oil or ghee instead of butter. It won’t have quite the same richness, but it can still work well with the garlic and herbs.
- Chicken Thighs will also work, but please remember that they require a longer cooking time, especially if they are also bone-in.
Tips for Success
- Ensure that the chicken is fully cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165˚F using a meat thermometer. This ensures food safety and can prevent overcooking, keeping your chicken juicy and tender.
- Rest the Chicken: After baking, allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving. This helps to redistribute the juices, resulting in a more flavorful and moist chicken.
- Don’t Burn the Garlic: Be careful not to burn the garlic when sautéing. Burnt garlic can impart a bitter taste. Keep the heat to medium and stir frequently.
I hope you’ll make this Baked Garlic Butter Chicken as soon as you get to your kitchen! And I hope you’ll love it!
Quick Baked Chicken Recipes
- One Dish Chicken Bake
- One Pot Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
- Easy Baked Chicken Breasts
- Garlic Brown Sugar Baked Chicken Breasts
ENJOY!
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Baked Garlic Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic,, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
- ½ cup shredded Italian cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Lightly grease a baking dish with a pat of butter.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; arrange the chicken in a single layer in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
- Add butter to a skillet and melt over medium heat.
- Stir in the garlic and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring very frequently. DO NOT burn the garlic.
- Stir in the rosemary and remove from heat.
- Pour the prepared garlic butter over the chicken breasts.
- Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until the chicken's internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Sprinkle with cheese and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to serving plates; spoon garlic butter sauce over the chicken and serve.
Notes
- Switch up herbs like thyme or parsley if you’re not a fan of rosemary.
- Choose from cheeses like mozzarella, cheddar, or Parmesan, and consider olive oil or ghee as healthier alternatives to butter.
- You may use chicken thighs instead of breasts but adjust cooking time as they take longer. Check the internal temperature (165˚F) for doneness.
- Be sure to sauté garlic on medium heat, stirring often to avoid a bitter taste.
- Check the chicken’s doneness by ensuring it reaches 165˚F with a meat thermometer to keep it juicy and safe to eat.
- Let the chicken rest after baking for a more flavorful bite.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Just made this tonight with thighs – loved it and I even forgot to add the cheese at the end! Will definitely be added to our rotation!
What sides to do you suggest serving this with? Potatoes? Pasta?
Also, I noticed someone else asked about doing this recipe in a crock pot. I did not see a reply.
What do you think?
Thanks.
How long do you bake the chicken for and what temp? Frustrated that I couldn’t find this on the recipe
Hi Wendye! Very sorry you’re having issues with viewing the recipe! What browser are you using and do you see the recipe card? The very first line says to preheat oven at 375F, and on line #8 it states to bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until chicken’s internal temperature is 165F.
How much garlic from a jar would I use in place of fresh? Thanks
Hi Dorothy! 1 fresh garlic clove equals to about a teaspoon of minced garlic. But if you can get fresh garlic, I’d say to use that instead of the jarred garlic for this recipe. It does not taste the same, not even close, with the already minced garlic. Just my own two cents. ๐
What are the nutritional facts of the chicken? Im trying to eat healthier and id love to try this out but i dont want a massive amount of calories.
Hi Victoria! There are 390 calories per serving in this chicken. I did have the nutritional facts on there, but they disappeared once I changed to the new recipe card. Thanks for letting me know! I added them again.
Could you sub rosemary for thyme? Looks amazing!
Hi Amber! Yes, absolutely. You can use whatever fresh herbs you like or have on hand.
Hi, My husband says he HATES Rosemary. I just started really liking it so making this with the Rosemary worried me that it might not go over well with him. Even if I only put it over my chicken pieces. BUT I through caution to the wind and mixed Rosemary along with Tarragon AND I also used thighs instead. I’m so happy… HE LOVED IT!!!!! Thank You for such an awesome recipe. Also wanted to mention what sides I used. Mashed potatoes and corn for hubby and I had Mixed Greens. (He refuses to eat those still.)
MEN! ๐ LOL!! I’m so happy to know that you both enjoyed it! LOVE that you used thighs…mmmmmm!
When in doubt, use Herbed de Provence!
I made this last night and the chicken was pretty good. I felt horrible about dumping all that extra herbed garlic butter, so I didn’t! What I did was spoon the rest into a silicon ice cube tray and froze it. I popped them all out, and stuck them in a bag. Then I can either melt them down for the next time I make this or just grab a couple for the next time I need garlic and butter for a recipe.
That is the best idea of evvver!! I LOVE IT! Thanks so much for sharing your tip!
I just hate wasting food ๐ Hopefully others can benefit from this tip! Just had the leftover chicken for lunch and it reheated quite well ๐
Two thumbs up Ashley. That was a fantastic idea about the leftover garlic butter. Just printed this recipe off and will make in the next couple of days. Will definetly be saving and freezing the garlic butter.
Your recipes here are saying it serves 1 but I doubt one person would eat 4 chicken breasts. Perhaps this is an oversight.
Hi Deborah!! This new recipe card I’ve been using isn’t completely perfect and it has a mind of its own – it erases things (servings, nutritional facts, etc), randomly. ๐ I have had to fix sooo many recipes because of this glitch. SO sorry about that. This serves 4.
This looks fantastic! Would I be able to make this in the slow cooker? Do you have any tips or tweaks to make this recipe work in the slow cooker? Thank you for sharing!!!
This looks so good!