Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe

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This creamy garlic chicken recipe might just become your new favorite dinner. Hear me out. Chicken with garlic sauce is a super flavorful and delicious meal that tastes like total comfort food – but of course, it’s healthy comfort food! My garlic butter chicken thighs are inspired by the Spanish pollo al ajillo, but I added cream, because in most situations, adding cream is always a good idea.

These garlic chicken thighs are pan-seared and then it’s time to make the garlic cream sauce, which is a drool-worthy combination of butter, garlic (obviously!), white wine, and heavy cream. YUM!

I used boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, but you could also use bone-in chicken thighs instead.

If you follow my stories on Instagram, you know we returned from a trip to Spain recently. I took a cooking class there, and among other things, we made gambas al ajillo. They were delicious and so simple! I’m planning to make a Spanish garlic ship recipe soon, but in the meantime, I was inspired to make a version of creamy garlic chicken thighs using a similar method.

What Is Chicken With Garlic Sauce?

This easy garlic chicken recipe was inspired by the Spanish pollo al ajillo, but I made a creamy version, which makes all the better in my opinion. 😉

So the base of this meal is chicken and garlic – is there a better combination? NO! The chicken thighs are pan-fried and then topped with a creamy garlic sauce for chicken. It’s SO good!

How To Make Garlic Chicken

I’m going to walk you through the best garlic chicken thighs in butter. It’s an easy chicken recipe that looks kind of fancy, but is simple enough for weeknight meals.

Here’s how to make garlic chicken with white wine cream sauce:

• Season chicken. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
• Brown chicken. Melt the butter in a large skillet or saute pan and sear chicken without moving, on both sides, until browned and cooked through.

• Set aside chicken. Place chicken on a plate or platter and cover with foil.
• Saute the garlic. Slice the garlic super thinly and saute until it’s golden brown.

TIP: If you don’t want as strong of a garlic flavor that comes with sliced garlic, you can crush it with a mortar and pestle instead. It will cook much faster this way, so watch it closely.

• Make garlic cream sauce for chicken. Add broth and wine to pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom (aka de-glazing). Add the bay leaf and simmer the garlic chicken sauce until the volume is about half.
• Finish sauce with cream. Add cream into the sauce and heat for a few minutes – don’t let it boil. Remove the bay leaf, add chicken back into pan and serve!

TIP: If you’d like a non-creamy version or dairy-free version, you can use ghee and omit the cream. (Simmer time may need to be reduced so that you have enough sauce.)

How Many Calories In Chicken With Garlic Sauce?

There are 293 calories per serving of chicken and garlic sauce. And, 2 garlic butter chicken thighs have just 1 gram carbs and 29 grams protein!

How To Store Garlic Chicken Thighs

Chicken with garlic sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Place chicken into the container and drizzle with any of the sauce.

Reheat just until hot in the microwave or oven.

How To Freeze Chicken With Garlic Sauce

This garlic chicken recipe can be frozen. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container or a freezer bag, removing as much as air as possible.

Remove from the refrigerator right before serving, and heat until hot in the oven or the microwave.

What To Serve With Creamy Garlic Chicken

There are so many good serving options for these garlic chicken thighs… especially with keto vegetables like…

• Cauliflower Rice – One of the most versatile side dishes, there’s little that doesn’t work with cauliflower rice. Serve the chicken over top so that none of that creamy garlic chicken sauce goes to waste.
• Keto Mashed Cauliflower – When you’re after a major comfort food meal (that’s still healthy!), this is it.
• Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms – These rich and flavorful mushrooms hold their own with the garlic butter chicken thighs.
• Oven Roasted Asparagus – If you’re looking for something green, try this roasted asparagus, which can be easily baked while the chicken is cooking.

• Pyrex Meal Prep Glass Containers – These glass containers make storing any leftover creamy garlic chicken easy to store and re-heat. Also perfect for meal prep.
• 8-Inch Chef’s Knife – This knife makes slicing all of that garlic for fresh garlic chicken easy work!
• Ceramic Nonstick Chef Pan – My favorite pans for just about any recipe, but especially this creamy garlic chicken recipe because it’s easy to scrape up all of the little bits of flavor.

5 from 32 votes

Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe

Garlic butter chicken thighs make a perfect low carb chicken dinner! This creamy garlic chicken recipe is fancy enough for guests, but easy enough for weeknights.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/3 lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs (~8 medium) ▢
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Smoked paprika ▢
• 1/8 tsp Black pepper ▢
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter (divided) ▢
• 1/2 head Garlic (peeled and sliced very thinly; ~6 cloves) ▢
• 1/2 cup Chicken bone broth (or regular chicken broth) ▢
• 1/2 cup White cooking wine ▢
• 1/4 cup Heavy cream ▢
• 1 medium Bay leaf ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon (30 grams) butter in a large skillet or saute pan, over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear for 5 to 7 minutes per side, without moving, until browned and cooked through.

3. Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil and set aside.

4. Add the remaining tablespoon (30 grams) butter to the pan. Add the sliced garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown.

5. Add the broth and wine to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom (this is called de-glazing).

6. Place the bay leaf into the pan and submerge. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8-12 minutes, until the volume is reduced by half.

7. Add the cream to the pan. Heat for just a few minutes (do not boil).

8. Remove the bay leaf and add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 2 chicken thighs with sauce, or 1/4 entire recipe

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 297

Fat 17g

Protein 30g

Total Carbs 1g

Net Carbs 1g

Fiber 0g

Sugar 0g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Spanish

Keywords: chicken with garlic sauce, creamy garlic chicken, garlic butter chicken thighs, garlic chicken recipe, garlic chicken thighs

Calories: 297 kcal

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