Amazing Garlic Butter Chicken in 1 Easy Skillet

By anna Boncoeur On November 29, 2025

If you’re tired of dishes that require endless pots and pans after a long day, listen up! This Garlic Butter Chicken skillet recipe is about to become your absolute weeknight hero. Seriously, the flavor packed into this one-pan wonder is unbelievable—tender chicken drowning in the richest, creamiest Parmesan sauce you can imagine. Hi, I’m Anna, and I’m a passionate food lover who thrives on sharing simple, flavorful chicken recipes designed to make everyday cooking easier and way more joyful. This dish proves you don’t need complicated steps for amazing results!

Table Of content

Assembling Your Ingredients for Garlic Butter Chicken

Before we even turn on the stove, let’s make sure we have everything ready for this quick Garlic Butter Chicken. Because this is a fast skillet meal, prep work is everything. If you have everything ready to go, the actual cooking time flies by! You’ll need two large chicken breasts, but we aren’t using them whole. I need you to slice them horizontally into four thin cutlets. This guarantees they cook evenly and quickly, which is key for a weeknight dinner.

For the flavor base, we need real ingredients for that deep, savory taste. Make sure you have six cloves of garlic ready to be minced—don’t skimp here, garlic is our friend! And listen, if you don’t have fresh parsley for garnish at the end, dried parsley works in a pinch, but fresh is always better for that bright pop of color. Remember, freshly grated Parmesan cheese melts so much smoother into the sauce than the pre-shredded stuff, so try to grate your own for the best result!

Chicken Preparation Details

The secret to perfectly cooked chicken in this recipe is uniformity. Take those chicken breasts and use a sharp knife to slice them right across the middle, creating what we call cutlets. If your breasts are super thick, you might even want to gently pound them a bit after slicing until they are about half an inch thick. This means they will sear beautifully in just a few minutes without drying out while you make the sauce.

Flavor Base Components

We are using Parmesan cheese in two different spots, so keep them separate! You’ll mix half a cup of grated Parmesan right into the flour for dredging your chicken—this gives us that golden, slightly crispy crust. Then, you’ll need another half cup of Parmesan for the sauce later on. For the sauce liquids, we are using chicken broth for deglazing and heavy cream to make it luxuriously creamy. Don’t forget that splash of lemon juice at the very end; it cuts through the richness perfectly!

Essential Equipment for This Skillet Meal

Since this whole amazing dinner comes together in one pan, we don’t need a mountain of dishes, which is the best part! Having the right tools makes the quick cooking process smooth and stress-free. You’ll need something substantial to handle searing the chicken and then holding the sauce without crowding everything.

Key Tools Required

A large, heavy-bottomed skillet—I prefer cast iron or stainless steel so the bottom bits really stick for deglazing.
A shallow bowl for mixing up our flour and Parmesan dredging mixture.
A good pair of tongs for flipping those cutlets safely.
A reliable instant-read meat thermometer. This is non-negotiable for chicken safety!
A whisk or sturdy wooden spoon for stirring up that gorgeous sauce.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Perfect Garlic Butter Chicken

Alright, it’s time to cook! This whole process moves super fast once you start, so keep your eye on the pan. We want maximum flavor development in minimum time, which is why this Garlic Butter Chicken is perfect for busy evenings. Follow the steps closely, and you’ll have dinner on the table in under 20 minutes!

Preparing and Searing the Chicken Cutlets

First, let’s get that coating ready. In your shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, the first half-cup of Parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Give it a good mix so those flavors are evenly distributed. Now, take those thin chicken cutlets and dredge each one thoroughly in the mixture. Don’t just dip them; press the coating onto both sides. When you lift a cutlet out, shake off the excess flour gently—too much coating will burn before the chicken cooks.

Heat your large skillet over medium-high heat. You need a mix of olive oil and half of your butter (2 tablespoons) to get a good sear going. Once that butter is melted and shimmering, carefully place the cutlets in the pan. Don’t overcrowd it! If you have too many pieces, the temperature drops, and they steam instead of sear. Cook them for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until they are beautifully golden brown. Once they look perfect, pull them out onto a clean plate and set them aside. They might not be fully cooked inside yet, but they will finish up in the sauce.

Building the Creamy Garlic Butter Sauce

Reduce the heat down to medium now—this is important! We don’t want to burn our garlic. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet. Toss in all that minced garlic and sauté it for just one minute. You’ll know it’s ready when your kitchen smells incredible, but watch it like a hawk! Garlic goes from fragrant to bitter in seconds flat.

Next, it’s time to deglaze. Pour in the cup of chicken broth and immediately start scraping up all those tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan—that’s pure flavor! Let that simmer for a minute, then pour in the heavy cream. Stir that gently until it starts to bubble lightly. Now, whisk in the second half-cup of Parmesan cheese and that splash of lemon juice until the sauce is smooth and silky. If it seems too thick already, add just a tiny splash more broth.

Finishing Touches and Temperature Check

Once the sauce looks like velvet, return your seared chicken cutlets back into the skillet. Nestle them right into that creamy garlic butter pool. Spoon some of that gorgeous sauce right over the top of the chicken pieces so they soak up the flavor while they finish cooking. This is the crucial safety check: use your instant-read thermometer to poke into the thickest part of one of the cutlets. We are looking for a solid 165°F (74°C) internal temperature. Once they hit that magic number, turn off the heat immediately. Give it a final sprinkle of fresh parsley for color, and dig in!

Tips for Absolute Garlic Butter Chicken Success

This Garlic Butter Chicken is so fast, which is wonderful, but speed means we have to pay attention to a few little details so it comes out perfect every time. Don’t worry if things seem to be happening too quickly once the cream goes in; that’s usually a sign you’re doing it right!

Managing Sauce Consistency

The heavy cream and Parmesan are going to thicken up surprisingly fast, especially if you like a very thick sauce. If you find that it’s turning into something closer to paste than a sauce before you get the chicken back in, don’t panic! Just grab a spoonful or two of extra chicken broth—or even a splash of water—and whisk it in off the heat. That extra liquid will loosen it right back up to a luxurious, pourable consistency. It’s all about adjusting on the fly!

Achieving the Best Sear

I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: pan overcrowding is the enemy of a good sear. When you place the chicken in the hot fat to brown it, you need space around every single piece. If you stack them too close together, the temperature of the pan drops immediately, and the moisture released by the chicken turns into steam. That steam prevents that gorgeous, golden-brown crust from forming. If you have a smaller skillet, do the chicken in two batches. It takes an extra minute, but that crust is what holds up beautifully against the creamy sauce!

Serving Suggestions for Your Creamy Dish

Now that you have this incredible, rich sauce coating tender chicken, the next big decision is what to put it on! You absolutely need something starchy on the side to soak up every last drop of that garlic Parmesan goodness. Trust me, leaving that sauce behind in the pan is a culinary crime! If you are looking for more one-pan dinner ideas, check out this delicious one-pan dinner.

Pairing with Starches and Vegetables

For a quick fix, simple white rice is fantastic because it acts like a sponge for the sauce. If you want something a little heartier, toss the chicken and sauce right over some freshly cooked linguine or fettuccine—it turns this skillet meal into an instant pasta dinner! If you’re trying to keep things lighter, don’t skip the green veggies.

Steamed or lightly roasted asparagus is wonderful because it adds a nice earthy crunch against the creaminess. Broccoli florets are another winner. Just steam them until they are tender-crisp, and then spoon that garlic butter sauce right over the top. It’s a perfect balance of rich and fresh!

Storing and Reheating Leftover Garlic Butter Chicken

Even though this Garlic Butter Chicken is so good you’ll want to eat it all in one sitting, sometimes we end up with leftovers! That’s okay, but because of the heavy cream and Parmesan, we have to be careful how we store and reheat it so the sauce doesn’t break or turn grainy. It’s simple, though, if you follow these steps!

Best Practices for Refrigeration

When you’re done eating, scrape any remaining sauce and chicken into an airtight container. Make sure you let it cool down a bit before sealing it up tight. This dish keeps really well in the fridge for up to three days. Any longer than that, and I worry about the texture changing too much, so try to eat it within that window.

Gentle Reheating Technique

Never, ever try to microwave the leftovers on high heat! That’s how you get separated, oily sauce. The best way to revive your Garlic Butter Chicken is back on the stovetop. Put the leftovers in that same skillet over low or medium-low heat. If the sauce looks too thick—and it probably will—add just a tiny splash of water or extra chicken broth. Stir slowly until everything is warmed through and the sauce is smooth again. Patience during reheating makes all the difference here!

Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe

I get so many questions about tweaking recipes, and that’s the fun part about cooking! While this recipe shines as written, I know sometimes you need to swap ingredients based on what you have on hand or dietary needs. Here are a few common things readers ask me about this creamy skillet meal. For more chicken inspiration, check out my collection of chicken recipes.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

You absolutely can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts! Thighs are naturally more forgiving because they have more fat, meaning they are much harder to overcook. Because they are often a bit thicker than cutlets, you might need to increase the searing time by a minute or two per side just to make sure they are cooked through before you take them out of the pan. Just follow the same rule: make sure they hit that 165°F (74°C) internal temperature before you finish them in the sauce!

How can I make this sauce dairy-free?

Making this creamy dish dairy-free requires a couple of swaps, but it’s totally doable if you choose the right substitutes. For the butter, you can use a good quality plant-based butter stick that measures 1:1. For the heavy cream, I’ve had success using full-fat canned coconut milk—the thick cream part from the top of the can works wonders for richness! Just be aware that coconut flavor is subtle but present, so you might want to boost the lemon juice just a tiny bit to keep that bright flavor profile balanced against the garlic.

Share Your Experience Making Garlic Butter Chicken

I truly hope this recipe brings some easy, amazing flavor to your table this week! I put so much love into developing this quick Garlic Butter Chicken skillet, and I can’t wait to hear what you think. Did you serve it over rice or pasta? Did your family love the creamy sauce? If you want to see more of my cooking adventures, follow along on Pinterest!

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Please take a moment to leave a rating right below this section and share your experience in the comments! Knowing how your version turned out helps me keep making recipes that fit your busy life. Happy cooking!