AI-generated recipe illustration
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Total time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
This is the recipe we come back to more than any other, and one bite of the sauce explains why: golden-seared chicken cutlets in a garlic butter cream sauce that comes together in the same skillet, in the time it takes to boil the pasta you'll serve under it. Slicing the breasts into thin cutlets is the trick that keeps this honest — they cook in four minutes a side, stay juicy, and give you double the surface area for that sauce to cling to. Weeknight fancy, zero fuss.
Ingredients
How to make creamy garlic butter chicken
- Season the cutlets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; dust lightly with flour.
- Sear in olive oil over medium-high, 4 minutes per side, until golden and 160°F. Move to a plate.
- Lower the heat, add the butter and garlic, and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer 2 minutes to reduce by half.
- Stir in the cream, parmesan, and Italian seasoning; simmer 2–3 minutes until it coats a spoon. Wilt in the spinach if using.
- Return the chicken and its juices to the pan, spoon the sauce over, and finish with parsley.
Make it your own
| Ingredient | Swap | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breasts | Boneless thighs | Sear 5–6 minutes per side; even juicier |
| Heavy cream | Half-and-half | Simmer more gently so it doesn't break |
| Spinach | Sun-dried tomatoes (1/3 cup) | Pushes it toward Marry Me chicken territory |
| Flour dusting | Skip it | Gluten-free; the sauce will be slightly thinner |
Storage & leftovers
Refrigerate up to 3 days. The sauce thickens in the fridge — loosen with a splash of broth as it reheats.
Reheat gently, covered, over low heat. Cream sauces resent boiling and the microwave's high setting; use 50% power if you must.
A few helpful answers
How do I cut chicken breasts into cutlets?
Press a palm flat on top of the breast and slice horizontally with a sharp knife, like splitting a bun. Slightly frozen chicken (15 minutes in the freezer) slices cleaner.
My cream sauce broke — what happened?
It boiled too hard. Add cream over medium-low, keep it at a lazy simmer, and stir in the parmesan off the direct boil.
What do I serve this over?
Pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice — anything that catches sauce. Start the starch first; the chicken takes exactly as long as a pot of pasta.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Full-fat coconut milk and nutritional yeast instead of cream and parmesan works surprisingly well with the garlic; use olive oil in place of butter.
480 calories · 42g protein · 8g carbohydrates · 31g fat · 720mg sodium