My Creamy Garlic Chicken is ideal for busy weeknights, but so good you will also want to serve it on special occasions. The delicately flavoured chicken is cooked in a frying pan, then bathed in a creamy garlic and Parmesan sauce, flavoured with fresh thyme, parsley and Sicilian green olives. It is a delicious, comforting meal that the family is certain to love and a great addition to your quickly and easily prepared meals.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It is made from simple, readily available ingredients.
- The recipe is naturally nut-free and can be gluten-free by using the appropriate flour.
- Chicken Tenderloins are a perfect ingredient for quick, easy weeknight meals. There are many ways to prepare them, such as my Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Mediterranean Chicken Salad.
- It is made in one pan - and less washing up is always a bonus!
- A meal that you can have on the table in 30 minutes is a blessing on busy nights.
- Easy chicken meals are always popular.
Recipe Inspiration: our Creamy Lemon Chicken and Creamy Tomato Chicken are both popular dishes so we have adapted the recipes to provide another family friendly, quickly made delicious chicken recipe that is certain to become a family favourite.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Chicken tenderloins: sometimes known as chicken tenders, they are a versatile ingredient, and as the name implies, reliably tender.
- Plain/all-purpose flour: we use a small amount to coat the chicken before pan-frying. It also helps thicken the sauce. You can substitute for gluten-free flour if required.
- Dried oregano: In this instance I prefer to use the dried herb. The flavour is more subtle than the fresh herb and complements rather than dominates the ingredients.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper: for a flavoursome dish, it is essential to properly season your food.
- Unsalted butter: we use unsalted butter to pan fry the chicken tenderloins as well as to make the creamy sauce.
- Extra virgin olive oil: we use some olive oil when pan frying the chicken to prevent the butter burning.
- Garlic: fresh cloves of garlic add great flavour to the sauce.
- Heavy/thickened cream: also known as whipping cream, it has a milk fat content of at least 35% and makes a smooth, rich sauce.
- Fresh thyme leaves: add great savoury flavour.
- Sicilian green olives: also known as Castelvetrano olives, these delicious Sicilian olives have a mild flavour and a meaty, crunchy texture. Use the best quality you can find.
- Parmesan cheese: we use Parmigiano Reggiano, but you can use Grana Padano if you prefer; it has excellent flavour. Freshly grated cheese will give you the best flavour, and will melt into the sauce better. (Pre-grated cheese is often coated in thickeners to stop it from clumping.)
- Italian/flat leaf parsley: finely chopped, adds freshness to the pasta.
Variations:
Chicken tenderloin: if you prefer, you can use strips of breast meat.
Baby spinach: adding a small amount toward the end of cooking is a great way to include a green veg.
How To Make Creamy Garlic Chicken:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 - Prepare the chicken:
Mix flour, oregano, salt and pepper on a plate and toss the chicken in it to coat well. Tap off excess.
2 - Cook the chicken:
In a large frying pan, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until just cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
3 - Prepare the sauce:
In the same pan, add remaining butter and melt, before sautéing the garlic. Add in the cream and fresh thyme. Simmer until it thickens slightly.
Lower the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and olives. Stir well.
4 - Return the chicken to the sauce:
Return the chicken to the pan and turn off the heat. Serve with the finely chopped parsley.
Hint: for the best result, do not overcook the chicken. The suggested cooking time is a guide, but the time will vary depending on the heat you use and the thickness of the chicken. To be precise, we recommend a thermometer. The USDA recommends cooking chicken to 74 degrees C (165 degrees F).
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Yes, you can, but it is not as reliably tender as a tenderloin. It tends to become tough and dry if even a little overcooked.
It is best to serve this dish as soon as it is made as the creamy sauce may split when reheated. The cooking process is so speedy that I recommend you prepare the separate components a day ahead, and store in the refrigerator for when you are ready to cook.
Store cooled leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible. For safety reasons, if leftovers have been out of the fridge for 2 hours, discard them. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat very gently on low heat on the stovetop or in a microwave until the internal temperature registers 74 degrees C (165 F). Reheating slowly may prevent the sauce separating.
I don't recommend freezing this dish as the high dairy content may cause the sauce to separate when thawing.
Top Tip:
As the chicken cooks very quickly, you will need to have all your ingredients ready before you begin to cook. It will make for a smoother, quicker cooking process.
Serving Suggestions:
This Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken is so easy to make that it's ideal for any occasion, whether it's a family meal for busy weeknights or any time that you are sharing a relaxed meal with friends. It can be paired with many dishes; some suggestions are:
- Rice, pasta or our easy Spelt Focaccia are ideal to soak up the delicious sauce.
- Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots, Kale and Apple Slaw or Roasted Broccolini are great side dishes.
- Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables add bright colour and flavour.
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try.
Alex xx
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Creamy Garlic Chicken
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 500 g (1.1 lb) chicken tenderloins
- ¼ cup (40 g) all-purpose/plain flour - use gluten-free if needed See Note 1
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter See Note 2
- 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Creamy Garlic Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 large garlic cloves - finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups (310 ml) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 3
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - finely chopped
- ½ cup (90 g) Sicilian green olives - pitted, and sliced into three rounds
- ¾ cup (60 g) Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
- ¼ cup (15 g) flat-leaf parsley - finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste See Note 4
Instructions
- Have all your ingredients prepared before you start to cook.There is a small, white, tough tendon at the end of the chicken tenderloin. You will need to remove it with a sharp knife or a pair of scissors. There’s no need to remove it all; the tendon inside the meat is very thin and you won’t notice it after cooking but it is important to remove the larger, thicker piece. Don’t try to pull it out or the meat may fall apart.
- On a large plate, mix the flour, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in it so it is well coated. Tap off any excess flour.
- In a large frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
- In the same pan, over medium heat add the remaining butter and melt. Add in the garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, being careful to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Add in the cream and fresh thyme. Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens slightly.
- Lower the heat and add in the parmesan cheese and olives. Stir well. Check that the seasoning is to your liking.
- Return the chicken to the pan and turn off the heat. Serve with the finely chopped parsley.
Notes
- Gluten-free: adapt this recipe to gluten-free by using the appropriate flour.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each listed tablespoon.
- Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking - we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Proper seasoning is essential for a delicious dish that is well flavoured.
- Storage: cooled leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat gently at a low heat. As the sauce is cream based, reheating can cause it to split - adding a little additional cream can stop this from happening.
- Freezing: this dish is not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Kathryn says
Really delicious, easy and quick meal to prepare. The cream and parmesan make a lovely rich sauce with the oregano and thyme. Will definitely be making this again.
Alexandra Cook says
Hello Kathryn,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try 🙂
I am so happy to hear that it will be one you'll make again, and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
Alex xo