Our creamy garlic chicken is a delicious and easy one-pot dish that takes only 30 minutes to prepare, making it perfect for a busy weeknight. The chicken is coated in a creamy, buttery, garlicky sauce, which is also perfect for pasta. The extra sauce is also best to drizzle on your mashed potatoes and green beans.

I live in a multicultural country mainly comprised of Malay, Chinese, and Indian. It has also been colonized by several European countries, which has enriched our culinary culture and made it multifaceted. As a result, non-Asian foods with cream sauce are equally popular, even among average families. This article will show you how to prepare our creamy garlic chicken.

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Chicken breast or thigh?

Creamy garlic chicken can be made with either chicken breasts or chicken thighs. If you use chicken thighs, remove the bone and flatten it, as boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook quickly when pan-fried. 

Alternatively, if you opt for chicken breast, which I am using in this recipe, it’s important to slice it thinly with a sharp knife. If you don’t make it as thin cutlets and try to pan-fry it, the middle may not cook properly, even if the outside is golden brown. In most cases, slicing the chicken breast horizontally in half should make it thin enough to cook through when pan-frying.

The next step in preparing the chicken breasts is to pound them with a meat mallet. If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can use the spine of a cleaver to do the same. This process helps mechanically tenderize the meat and ensure its consistent thickness, allowing it to cook evenly. 

1. Prepare the chicken for pan-frying

Once the chicken is pounded, season it with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder. Garlic powder is preferable to chopped garlic for marinating or seasoning meat since the former adheres better to the meat, whereas the latter tends to fall off during pan frying.

Coat the chicken breast meat with all-purpose flour before pan-frying. First, season the flour with salt and pepper and mix well. Then, dredge the chicken slices into the flour mixture, ensuring they are thoroughly covered with flour. Shake off any excess flour and set aside.

2. Pan-fry the chicken

Add olive oil to a pan or a large skillet to pan-fry the chicken. If you prefer, you can use butter or a combination of olive oil and butter. Place the chicken in the pan to pan-fry over medium heat, ensuring it is not overcrowded. 

Initially, the chicken may stick to the pan, but it will release after a minute. Check the color of the first side; if it has turned golden, turn it over to pan-fry the other side. The color will normally start to change after 2-3 minutes. 

Keep the flame low to medium, and be patient while cooking. High heat can burn the surface quickly while the internal of the chicken is still uncooked.

If you are unsure whether the chicken has cooked through, you can use a meat thermometer to check its internal temperature. It should reach around 80 degrees Celsius.

3. Prepare the sauce

We are now moving to the next step of the cooking process.

1. Once you’ve removed the cooked chicken, you can use the remaining oil in the pan to sauté the chopped onion. Halfway through, add the garlic cloves to the pan and mix them with the onion. Continue sautéing until the garlic cloves turn slightly golden brown.
2. Next, add the chicken broth to deglaze all the browned bits in the pan after the garlic turns brown and fragrant. You may also include some herbs of your preference. I usually use Italian seasoning, a blend of dried herbs, but feel free to add any fresh herbs you like.
3. Add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the pan to make the garlic sauce creamy. You can substitute the heavy cream with lighter cream or milk for a lighter sauce.
4. Parmesan cheese is a crucial ingredient in this recipe, so remember to add a few tablespoons to the sauce. Cheese is salty, so it’s best to do a taste test before adding salt.

Note: Some recipes suggest using chopped garlic instead of garlic cloves. I recommend chopped garlic if you prefer to infuse the sauce with a garlic taste but don’t want to eat it. In this recipe, though, I like using whole garlic cloves. They are tasty after absorbing all the flavors from the gravy.

4. Mix the chicken with the sauce

1. Lastly, return the tender chicken breasts to the pan and coat them with the creamy sauce. At this stage, I also add a small piece of unsalted butter to make the sauce even creamier. 
2. If the sauce is drying out, add more chicken stock or water. For a more luxurious version, add white wine. Cook it down until you reach the desired consistency, and then remove it from the pan.
3. Place the chicken pieces on a serving plate. Drizzle the cream sauce on top, sprinkle some fresh parsley to garnish, and fried garlic for extra garlic flavor.

It is best to serve with garlic bread and salad for a balanced meal.

If you like my creamy garlic chicken breasts recipe, you will love the other related recipes on this blog.

• The chicken chop is a delicious homegrown Western dish that has become popular in Malaysia. It is prepared with boneless chicken thighs grilled and served with a savory brown sauce.
• Chicken karaage is made with boneless chicken meat marinated in Japanese soy sauce, ginger juice, and other ingredients, then deep-fried until golden brown. This dish has a distinct Asian flavor.