Creamy Herb Chicken
Updated Apr 02, 2025
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This one-pan, creamy garlic and herb chicken features tender pan-seared chicken breasts simmered in a rich sauce infused with garlic powder and dried herbs. It’s full of flavor and very easy to make in just 30 minutes!
Creamy Garlic and Herb Chicken
This creamy garlic herb chicken recipe is loaded with garlicky goodness, a blend of convenient dried herbs from the pantry, and melty cream cheese. Every bite tastes like comfort, especially served over Instant Pot rice or paired with fluffy dinner rolls to soak up the sauce. Best of all, I can have this cozy dinner on the table in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Like my creamy spinach chicken, pesto chicken, and creamy lemon chicken, everything cooks in one pan, so cleanup is super quick, too. Less mess means more time to enjoy your creamy chicken with herbs… and maybe a Nutella brownie (or two) for dessert! 😉
What You’ll Need
Below are the ingredients you’ll need for this easy herbed garlic chicken and cream sauce, along with suggested swaps. Find the full amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they’re quick-cooking. You can also use boneless chicken thighs or even turkey cutlets.
- Seasoning – I use fresh garlic in the sauce, and I season the chicken with garlic powder in addition to salt and pepper for even more garlicky flavor. You can swap garlic powder with onion powder or a small amount of granulated garlic.
- Olive Oil – For searing. You can also use avocado oil, canola oil, or even butter.
- Butter – Used to start the sauce and add flavor. This can be swapped with olive oil or ghee if needed.
- Fresh Garlic – I like to use fresh garlic cloves, but garlic paste also works, or use another ½ teaspoon garlic powder for the sauce.
- All-purpose Flour – Thickens the sauce for a creamy, silky texture. You can substitute with cornstarch (use half the amount), gluten-free flour, or arrowroot powder.
- 2% Milk – Creates a light, creamy base with the flour and butter (also called a roux, same as you’d use to make alfredo sauce). Swap with whole milk for a richer result, or use a mix of milk and half-and-half.
- Low-fat Cream Cheese – Cut into cubes so it melts easily. Cream cheese adds body, tang, and creaminess to the sauce. Full-fat cream cheese, Neufchâtel, or mascarpone are great alternatives.
- Dried Herbs: Dried basil, oregano, and thyme infuse the cream sauce with herby flavor. You can substitute the individual herbs with Italian seasoning, or use 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, and 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme instead.
- Parmesan Cheese – Optional. Freshly grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or Asiago are all great for finishing the dish.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley – Also optional. Fresh basil or chives work just as well.
Helpful Tips for This Recipe
- Even cooking. For uniform cooking and a perfect sear, pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before seasoning and searing them.
- Don’t rush the sear: Allow the chicken enough time to sear undisturbed on each side. This ensures a good caramelization and locks in the juices.
- Low and slow: When preparing the cream sauce, keep the pan on medium-low heat to prevent the dairy from curdling and becoming grainy.
- Rest before serving: It’s always a good idea to let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. This lets the juices redistribute so it stays tender and juicy.
What to Serve With Garlic Herb Chicken
While this recipe is packed with flavor, I love serving my creamy herb chicken with rice and a veggie side dish, like steamed broccoli, to make it a complete meal. Or, try these other serving suggestions.
- Rice variations: Serve over a bed of earthy, umami mushroom rice or Mediterranean rice for more flavor.
- Pasta: Pair it with Caprese pasta, or keep it lighter with this zucchini Carbonara.
- Bread sides: Nothing goes better with a saucy chicken dinner than butter swim biscuits or copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls to sop up the leftovers.
- Salad: Balance out the richness of this chicken with a fresh green salad, like this Mediterranean salad, or a farro salad.
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Creamy Garlic and Herb Chicken
This creamy garlic and herb chicken is a quick, flavorful one-skillet dinner made with pan-seared chicken breasts simmered in a rich, garlicky herb sauce.
Video
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For The Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 4 ounces low fat cream cheese, cut up into cubes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- freshly shredded parmesan cheese, for garnish, optional
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish, optional
Instructions
For The Chicken
- Prep. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness and then season them with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Sear. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook undisturbed for 6 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts and continue to cook for about 6 more minutes or until cooked through.
- Set aside. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
For The Cream Sauce
- Cook the aromatics and flour. Return the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and continue to stir constantly for 20 seconds.
- Make the sauce. Whisk in the milk. Add the cubes of cream cheese, and continue to whisk until the cream cheese melts.
- Season the cream sauce. Stir in the dried basil, oregano, and thyme, and let the sauce come to a slow simmer. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and continue to cook for 1 minute, or until heated through.
- Finish and serve. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Even Thickness: Pound the chicken breasts to the same thickness for consistent cooking and a great sear.
- Chicken Doneness: Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check for doneness and remove the chicken from the skillet when its internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
- Searing: Let the chicken sear without disturbance on each side to lock in juices and enhance flavor.
- Slow Cook the Sauce: Keep the heat at a medium or medium-low when making the cream sauce to avoid curdling and achieve a smooth texture.
- Store leftovers for 3 days in the fridge. If possible, store the sauce and chicken in separate containers.
Nutrition
Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 581mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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.
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How to Make Garlic and Herb Chicken
- Prepare the chicken. Start by pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness, then season them all over with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Next, heat olive oil in a skillet, and sear the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes per side or until done. Set the chicken aside for now.
- Melt and sauté. In the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté the garlic until fragrant.
- Make the sauce. Then, sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly for 20 seconds. Add milk while continuously whisking. Drop in the cream cheese cubes, whisking until melted and smooth. Stir in the basil, oregano, and thyme, allowing the sauce to simmer gently.
- Combine and serve. Lastly, return the chicken to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over, and let it heat through for a minute. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley before serving your creamy herb chicken with a side of green goddess salad. Or mashed potatoes! See above for more serving ideas.
Storing and Reheating
- Store the leftover chicken and sauce in separate airtight containers and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat slowly over medium-low heat on the stove, stirring occasionally.
thank you for your ideas. I didn’t have cream cheese so I used sour cream. didn’t get as thick but that didn’t matter. I didn’t have garlic so I used chopped onion and creole seasoning where applicable. this was an amazing dinner. cast iron skillet highly recommended, this was so perfect. sauce was also good when drizzled over asparagus. thank you
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Very flavorful, creamy, and delicious! We also made the suggested garlicky steamed broccoli and a pine nut couscous to go with it.
That’s great! I am very happy you enjoyed it! THANK YOU! 🙂
The idea of this dish was perfect… the taste not so much
This was delish!
I played around with it the second time of making it and added mushrooms, onions and fried bacon pieced to it and poured it over cooked Barilla Veggie Rotini nooodles and OMG it was so good! A couple of the fire guys came by the house to ask hubby a question and so I fed them too… they all loved it!
this has become one of my favorite dishes to make!! I’m not a fan of chicken so I’ve just been making it into pasta sauce! I add some spinach and extra of the seasoning and it is amazzzinngg!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
*I forgot to say i make this as a pasta!!! And that i add tomatoes too!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely fantastic. It was so easy and relatively quick to make, which I love. Even my 2 1/2 year old son gobbled it up. Because I made pasta to go with it, there wasn’t quite as much sauce as we would have liked, so next time I make it, I think I’ll make more of the sauce. Thanks for this delicious recipe. It’s a keeper!
This was so yummy, I shredded the chicken into the cream sauce and poured it over penne
Oh wow, that sounds SO GOOD! Very happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Delicious! I added a little chicken broth and a tad more seasoning to the sauce it was so yummy. Very quick and easy weeknight meal!
What a fantastic recipe! Made it this evening for dinner. My son, who only eats select foods gobbled it up! Next time, i will chunk up the chicken and double the sauce so I have enough for the rice. Definitely a make again recipe. Thanks for sharing!
One pan meals are my jam too! This looks delish and probably making this for dinner.