Unlock the Secret to Keto Creamy Garlic Chicken: Quick, Easy & Irresistibly Delicious!

If you're looking for quick and easy weeknight dinners, you're going to be obsessed with this one-pan creamy garlic chicken. This keto creamy garlic chicken is savory, decadent, and completely gluten-free. Just five simple ingredients, easy to make, and ready in less than 15 minutes, this is one recipe you'll want to make again and again. A common struggle with trying to get a homemade dinner on the table every night is time, right? Everyone wants to eat at home, but when it comes down to it, we're so short on the one thing we all wish we had more of: time.

The Promise of a Quick and Delicious Dinner

What if I told you it was possible to make a delicious dinner in the same amount of time it takes for you to pick up a pizza? You would probably think I'm crazy, but it's absolutely true. This one-pan creamy garlic chicken uses just five ingredients (I'm counting salt and pepper together!), and is ready in just 15 minutes. It cooks quickly, and tastes delicious. Not only that, it's low carb and gluten-free too. I know, it just keeps getting better!

The Secret: Chicken Cutlets

The secret is in slicing the chicken breasts into cutlets. This takes a literal minute, and yet helps the chicken breast cook through in a flash. Just 5 minutes on the first side, and 3-5 minutes on the second, and you're ready to rock and roll. No pre-made sauces, no heavily processed ingredients. All you need is just a few staple ingredients and you're ready to make this keto creamy garlic chicken.

Ingredients You'll Need

Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe. You can also use thinly pounded boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Garlic: You can't have creamy garlic chicken without garlic, right? You'll need about 4-5 cloves. Use fresh garlic cloves. While it is incredibly convenient, using jarred pre-minced garlic is not suitable for this recipe. Since it is the primary flavor in this one-pan creamy garlic chicken recipe, it's essential we use fresh garlic to impart that particular flavor. Jarred minced garlic or garlic powder will not yield the same results.
Butter: Everything is better with butter, and this is no different. Using butter adds a savoriness to the sauce and browns the chicken perfectly. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
Heavy Cream: Rather than creating a roux-based sauce, heavy cream is used. This keeps it simple and works great for keto, gluten-free, and low-carb diets. You can substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream in this recipe. Have your heavy cream ready. Since we don't want the garlic to burn, it's essential that the heavy cream is poured in immediately after the garlic has become fragrant. There isn't enough time to go grab it from the fridge first, since garlic burns very easily. Have your heavy cream at the ready and pour it in very quickly.
Salt and Pepper: Just a little bit of salt and pepper to season the chicken and we're ready to go!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the Chicken: Cut your chicken breasts in half widthwise, making two thinner pieces with each breast. This has the added benefit of helping your dinner to stretch to 4 servings, rather than 2. If you're not familiar with how to do this, you can see this tutorial from Serious Eats on how to cut a chicken breast into cutlets. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper to your taste.
Sear the Chicken: Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until the pan is hot. It's essential to use a heavy-bottomed skillet to ensure your chicken does not burn. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter and swirl with a wooden spoon or a pair of tongs until completely melted. Add the chicken breasts in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then, flip your chicken cutlets using tongs and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until each chicken breast reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165ºF at its thickest spot. Remove the fully cooked chicken breasts from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
Create the Creamy Garlic Sauce: Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Swirl to melt. Add in the garlic cloves and sauté just until fragrant; 30 seconds to 1 minute. Watching garlic closely. As mentioned, garlic can burn very quickly. It really should only cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute (at the maximum), and then immediately have the heavy cream added in. It's important that you don't walk away from your pan during this time, as garlic is not very tasty when burned. If you notice a bitter flavor, it's likely that you overcooked the garlic.
Deglaze the Pan: Pour in the heavy cream and use the bottom of the wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. This will incorporate those caramelized and flavorful elements into your cream sauce and is just amazing. Typical deglazing is done with wine or broth, but in order to get a nice, thick, and creamy sauce (no roux or flour needed), we deglaze the pan with heavy cream. Simply use the bottom of your wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits and stir them into the simmering garlic cream sauce. Once most of the browned bits are scraped up, return the skillet to the heat.
Thicken the Sauce: Simmer for 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the skillet and stirring the sauce, until it has thickened. This normally takes just a few minutes, but may take a little more time if your temperature is a bit lower.
Combine and Serve: Remove the sauce from the heat and add the chicken breasts back into the skillet. Spoon the sauce over them, or toss to coat with the garlic cream sauce. Garnish with parsley for a special touch, and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

During the time that the chicken breasts are cooking, you can prepare a quick side to go with it. Serve with steamed or roasted veggies, cauliflower rice, cooked rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, crudités, roasted potatoes, pasta, or a quick and simple tossed salad. I think my Instant Pot frozen broccoli would be a delicious and simple side dish that requires just a few minutes of hands-on time. You could also do an easy tossed salad, or some raw crudités and dip on the side. We like to serve this Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken with some steamed green beans and then we drizzle the extra sauce over the top. It makes them taste very similar to our creamy garlic parmesan green beans, but you’re getting chicken with it!

Variations to Explore

I've tried this easy skillet chicken recipe with so many different options, and I hope to share many of them here on Dash for Dinner over the next several months (and years, as I try new versions).

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Mushroom Chicken: Use just 1 minced garlic clove and ½ of a pound of sliced mushrooms. Brown the chicken on both sides, remove from the pan, and add the mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft. Then, stir in the heavy cream and let the sauce thicken.
Rosé Chicken: Use just 2 garlic cloves, and add 2-3 tablespoons of good quality tomato paste at the same time as the garlic. Sauté until fragrant, then stir in the heavy cream. Top with parmesan cheese and minced fresh parsley.
Red Pepper Chicken: Reduce the garlic to 2-3 cloves and stir in chopped roasted red peppers after the sauce has thickened. Find the full recipe and instructions in my recipe for Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken.

Tips for Success

Slicing into cutlets: The chicken breasts are cut in half widthwise in order to help them cook more quickly and evenly.
Deglazing the pan: Simply use the bottom of your wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits and stir them into the simmering garlic cream sauce.
Watching garlic closely: As mentioned, garlic can burn very quickly.

Dietary Considerations

The recipe as written is keto, low carb, and gluten-free, so no adjustments needed! Creamy Garlic Chicken is naturally gluten-free and very low in carbs.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can store the chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. You can definitely freeze this garlicky chicken recipe for an easy dinner down the road. Store it in an airtight container and it will last for 3 months. If you’ve made this recipe ahead of time and want to reheat the entire four servings, this is best done in the oven (350 degrees F for 7-8 minutes).

Dice up any leftover chicken and store it with the cream sauce. Sauté a bunch of vegetables in a skillet and then pour the chicken and cream sauce over the top and let everything heat through. This is a delicious way to get two meals out of one!

Essential Tools

Heavy-Bottomed Skillet or Dutch Oven: This is essential for even cooking and preventing the chicken from burning.
Wooden Spoon: For stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Meat Thermometer: I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is fully cooked! Easy for beginners & absolutely worth the low cost. Just stick it in the thickest part of the meat to check for doneness. This thermometer is also magnetic so it’s easy to store right on the side of the fridge or oven for easy access!

Common Questions

What is garlic parmesan sauce made of? Our garlic parmesan sauce is made with butter, garlic, heavy cream, cream cheese, and shredded Parmesan. We also add in sauteed onion and spinach for texture and flavor.
How to thicken or thin sauce? If you want to adjust the consistency of the garlic Parmesan sauce you can easily do so. To thin it out, add a bit more heavy cream. You could also add some chicken broth. For a thicker consistency add more Parmesan or cream cheese.
How long to cook chicken? It’ll mostly depend on the thickness of the chicken breast and how hot you get the pan. We use thin cut chicken breast so it only takes about 4 to 5 minutes to cook through to a safe internal temp of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness!

Other Chicken Recipes to Explore

If you’re always looking for more chicken recipes, this mayo parmesan chicken has been a big hit in my house lately too. Chicken is such a wonderful protein for a keto diet.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole: This is one of the easiest casseroles to assemble, and it keeps the chicken perfectly juicy!
Slow Cooker Zesty Ranch Chicken: This is the best meal prep recipe because this chicken is so versatile. Make tacos, nachos, quesadillas, and so much more!
French Onion Chicken: Super cheesy, super flavorful, and super easy.
Keto Chicken Wings: This is such an easy meal, perfect when cooking for a crowd or game day!
Chicken Caprese: This chicken is so incredibly flavorful and is great for an easy summer dinner!
Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower: is a delicious low carb, one pan meal!
Chicken with Chipotle Cream Sauce: is a spicy, rich, and cheesy dish. The chipotle peppers add a touch of smokiness and the perfect amount of spice, while the added spinach makes this a complete meal on it’s own.
Chicken Diane: is a spin off of the classic recipe for Steak Diane. It's made with tender sautéed chicken breasts and a creamy mushroom sauce. While this dish has a reputation of being more fancy, it's easy enough to make even on busy weeknights.

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tags: #keto #creamy #garlic #chicken