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- What Is Chicken With Garlic Sauce?
- How To Make Garlic Chicken
- How Many Calories In Chicken With Garlic Sauce?
- How To Store Garlic Chicken Thighs
- How To Freeze Chicken With Garlic Sauce
- What To Serve With Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Tools To Make Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe
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. đŸ˜‰
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.
Tools To Make Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- 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.
Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe:
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Reader Favorite Recipes
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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.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
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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.
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Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil and set aside.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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Add the cream to the pan. Heat for just a few minutes (do not boil).
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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
Video Showing How To Make Garlic Chicken:
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57 Comments
Martina
I like the easy prep method. Made my life easier. Thanks!
Bonnie
A huge family hit. Delicious.
I used chicken broth in place of the wine.
Desarae
I don’t have cooking wine. Will white wine vinegar work?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Desarae, If you don’t have white wine on hand, you can just use chicken stock. I do not recommend using vinegar because it will throw the flavor of the sauce off.
Rosemary White
Delicious. My grateful (keto dieting) husband is enjoying his chicken thighs with garlic sauce as I write. I didn’t have white cooking wine so I used cooking sherry which worked quite well. If I use it again, I’ll cut back on the salt on the chicken to make up for the added salt in the cooking sherry. The bay leaf is a lovely touch. We served it with cauliflower rice, flavoured with lots of butter and a few shakes of freshly grated parmesan. Great recipe!
P
Where is the list of ingredients?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi P, The recipe instructions and ingredients are located on the recipe card. If you cannot locate it on the page, feel free to use the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of the page. It will bring you to the correct location. Enjoy!
Luzette
Absolutely fabulous recipe. I struggle to find recipes that my kids will eat and this one gets a big thumbs up from them.
Liana
Super easy and delicious. I did add a sprinkle more of Paprika, not sure it needed it. Next time I’ll add more garlic. Love the flavor that the sliced garlic brings to the sauce. Thanks again for a great recipe.
Paula
Made this for the family! It was easy and they loved it had one picky eater that didn’t want the gravy but ate two pieces of chicken!!! Will make this again
Jessica
This was very simple to make. It was so delicious that I wanted to lick the plate! I will definitely be making this more often.
Charlene Tuttle
I already made this twice in 2 weeks. It is definitely going to be in the weekly meal rotation. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Lindsay
I made this dish for the 2nd time last night – everyone cleaned their plates! Not always easy to find a meal that a grown man, an 8 year old, and a 6 year old agree on… but everyone loves this dish!!
Eileen
This was so easy and really yummy! Will definitely make again!
Lisa
This was absolutely delicious! My chicken thighs were extraordinarily HUGE, so I needed to add about 3 minutes cooking time on each side. An easy but elegant dish…I’ll make it often!
Allison
This was amazing! One of the best meals I’ve ever made.
Maria
I do not have fresh garlic can I use chopped garlic instead?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Maria, Yes, that will work fine.
DAwn
This was quick and easy and oh so tasty! I added sliced white mushrooms and baby spinach when i put the wine and broth in. Such good flavor! I cant wait to see how it is tomorrow for lunch. Love your recipes!!
Maureen K Hilderbrand
So easy to make, was delicious. I made a few very minor changes. I used skinless boneless chicken breasts, they butterfly them on request. So nice and thin. As we love wilted spinach. Before adding cream, I put fresh spinach into skillet for about 1 minute. And then later added cream. Served the chicken over the spinach. Will be adding to my regular rotation of dinner meals. Thanks so much, it is so tasty.
Nikki
Is it possible to make this in a crockpot?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Nikki, I think it would work fine in a crockpot. I would not add the cream until the end, as you don’t want it to boil.
Valeria
I tried this recipe today and omg I love it! This was delicious I’m adding to my favourite recipes.
Kattia
This recipe was delicious! I did not have the cooking wine, but it still came up great! Thanks a lot!
Shawn
What a great, simple recipe that is so rich in flavor! Kudos to creating the obvious because we had all missed it. I used bone broth and the sauce was that much richer, but it will be a regular in my home from now on. <3
mariska
Absolutely delicious!! A plate licker!!
Karen
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds so delicious!!
BONNIE
Delicious! I make this last night; my husband loved it.
I followed the recipe; but next time I might add sliced mushrooms. Thanks so much for offering us great low carb recipes!
Terri
I made this & it was fantastic, but 1/4 teaspoon of the smoked paprika was barely enough to rub on both sides of one thigh. That flavor is wonderful, and I can’t imagine 1/4 tsp has any effect on the final results. Is 1/4 tsp really the correct amount? I think I ended up using over a tablespoon & it was not overwhelming.
Nancy
Chicken thighs are my favorite part of the chicken. They’re always juicy and flavorful, so I’m always looking for new ways to use them. The sliced garlic is an amazing addition. I had no idea it would make such a difference!
Thank you!!
Trish Tilley
how would you use ghee to make this non-dairy?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Trish, Substitute the butter for ghee in the same amount as listed. Omit the heavy cream. The sauce is done once all ingredients have been added and the liquid volume reduces by half.
Joe
This was incredible! We added chopped sun-dried tomatoes, extra cream and stock and topped a plate of cauliflower fettuccine. This is definitely a winner, thanks!
Winter Kelly
Amazingly delicious, yet quick & simple! I didn’t have a bay leaf so I substituted a pinch of dried thyme. The subtle smokiness & warmth that comes from combining the paprika with the garlic …pure delight. Melts in your mouth. I’m eager to make this again. My husband can add mushrooms in the future whereas I’ll stick to this exactly as written. Possibilities are endless!
Wendy
Hi. I’m wanting to make this for dinner but my husband doesn’t tolerate heavy cream in the evenings. Is there something else I can use?
Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Wendy, You could sub the heavy cream with coconut cream.
Leann Kisnorbo
Wine has sugar which wine are you recommending , can’t work out your figures .
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Leann, Any white cooking wine or dry white wine will do. It’s mostly used to brighten up the creamy sauce.
Heather
Hi! Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Heather, Yes, that is fine. Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, they may take a little longer to cook than the time listed in the recipe. Enjoy!
Amanda Counts
Ooh, we loved this one tonight! I minced the garlic instead of slicing and I used whatever wine was around. Other than that, cooked just as directed. Made this with the brussels sprouts au gratin recipe from your site.
Rachel Wright
There is no recipe card? I would love to make this but…
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Rachel, The garlic chicken thighs recipe card is right above where you left your comment. đŸ™‚ There’s also a “jump to recipe” button at the top.
Mary C Ekroos
Thanks for another great recipe! your ingredients sy 2 Tbsp butter, divided into: 1Tbsp, 1 Tbsp & 2 Tbsp, so does that make the total 4 Tbsp? instead of 2? Or should some of those Tbsp be teaspoons? Thanks Again for all your wonderful recipes and suggestions!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Mary, Sorry about that! It’s 2 tablespoons total, one for sauteing the chicken and one for the garlic later. I updated the recipe card to clarify. Thanks for noticing!
Monique
Can this be done in a slow cooker version?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Monique, I haven’t tried that but I think you’d need a pretty different recipe since the wine wouldn’t cook away the way it does on the stove top.
Robert
This recipe looks great. However, you ask to add the “broth”, and it even shows in the video. But there is none listed in the ingredients. From the picture it appears to be about 1 or 3/4 of a cup. But I am unsure.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
So sorry about that, Robert! The recipe card has been fixed.
Keri
Can this chicken be prepared without the cooking wine?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Keri, Is there a reason you are wanting to exclude it? It evaporates.
Jessica
I don’t have wine on hand can I use something else?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jessica, If you don’t have white wine on hand, you can just use chicken stock.
Janice
The directions (#5) say add broth and wine to pan. Ingredients do not list broth. How much broth is used?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Janice, So sorry about that! I fixed it on the recipe card.
Keb
Can you use sherry instead of white wine?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Keb, Yes, you could do that! The flavor will be a bit different.