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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.
I’m definitely trying this tonight, but honestly, the video, ingredients, amounts, etc are very clear… You can add and subtract to your needs and likings… And if you can’t print it, it’s not a complex recipe, WRITE it down… use math for the conversions, they have sites to help… Or just open this back up and scroll if you can’t write or remember it.
Ladies, let us not look so… ummm… clueless. Let the writer post other great recipes instead of asking questions like we’ve never been in a kitchen. Some if the questions embaressed me…. my 13 year old son made it with zero questions and they do not teach home-economic classes anymore…and he’s pretty much only made pre-boxed macc-n-cheese…
C’mon… not to sound rude, but reading some of them were almost embaressing and I think I lost a few brain cells…
Maybe you should use spell check before you make such rude comments.
Good one!
This is a rude comment.. not everyone knows their way around a kitchen, myself included,, I have expertise in other aspects of life,, and this comment, coming from someone that doesn’t know how to spell (embarrassing). I think I just lost a few brain cells myself. People come on recipe sites to learn how to cook. No question is a dumb question, didn’t your teachers ever teach you that?
Great easy recipe! One tip I would add is to poke holes in the chicken with a fork before pouring the garlic butter over. It will get that yummy stuff into the meat so the flavor is all the way thru. I also added some halved fingerling potatoes to the dish. Why waste all of that butter?
I was pleased with this recipe. It was Easy and quick to prepare. I made some minor changes – just personal preference stuff – I added fresh thyme with the rosemary. I did not add the cheese (personal preference). I did surround the chicken with diced yukon potatoes. It smelled wonderful towards the end of cooking, and looked beautiful. Most importantly, yum! A repeat in our house.
Made and is super yummy and so moist!
This was so good and very easy to make. I took someone else’s advice and used a cast iron skillet, melted the butter, added minced garlic (from a jar – 1/2 tsp equals a clove according to the jar) put the chicken in and then turned them over so both sides got the butter/garlic. I am not a fan of rosemary so I figured since it had Italian cheese I would use dried Italian seasoning. Popped it into the oven and cooked it. One pan. This was just so good. As for remaining butter/garlic after eating the chicken – it was hard to throw it away. I think maybe next time I’ll have bread rolls with it and dip them in the butter sauce.
Made this tonight and my husband was already expecting something delicious from the aroma…so after he took a couple bites I asked, how is the chicken? He said, “Phenomenal!”
Made last night…yummy. Super easy. I don’t use fresh garlic anymore but use chunky garlic in a tube. We loved the recipe and will make it again!
Absolutely yummy and easy to make! It’s a household favourite and bi-weekly meal.
Amazing flavor! My chicken was rubbery though 🙁 Supposed to be fancy Whole Foods “air-chilled” breasts. Maybe my oven temp is off?
Great recipe. I added fresh juice from half a lemon which really enhanced the flavors. Also, contrary to popular belief, fat is good for you. Use full fat cheese. Also make sure to use unsalted butter to control the salt level in the dish. You can always add more, you can’t take out.