Spread the love

    

Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe

This garlic butter chicken recipe is a new take on my old pan-seared chicken breast. Both meals cover a delicious chicken breast with a savory pan sauce made with butter and garlic. But this one includes more butter and garlic, as the name suggests. It’s three of my favorite things all in one place. This is for all you garlic lovers out there!

Why You’ll Love My Chicken Recipe with Garlic Butter

The sauce, which is made with savory garlic butter, is what makes this meal. This sauce is light, buttery, and herby instead of heavy or creamy like the ones in my chicken Florentine or marry me chicken. And of course, it’s very garlicky. It’s great for drizzling.

You know I wouldn’t do it any other way than juicy, tender chicken. The sauce helps with this, but you may get even juicier outcomes by following my advice below.

This garlic butter chicken breast is quick and easy to make. It only takes me 20 minutes, and I don’t have to dredge or bread it. Also, it’s easy to clean up because I can create the sauce in the same pan. It’s the best chicken supper for those busy weeknights!

Simple ingredients—just some basic things you probably already have in your fridge or cupboard. This dish is also naturally gluten-free and low in carbs.

Garlic Butter Chicken: A Simple Dinner in 20 Minutes

This simple garlic butter chicken recipe is a staple for weeknights! In about 20 minutes, you can make delicious chicken breast with butter, garlic, and herbs.

• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes
• Total time: 20 minutes

Things You Need and What You Can Use Instead

I talk about the ideal components for my garlic butter chicken dish, what each one accomplishes, and what you may use instead. Check the recipe card for the measurements.

• Chicken: I normally use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you may also use boneless chicken thighs to prepare my recipe. Pick pieces that are around the same thickness so they cook at the same time.
• Oil: I start by searing the chicken with olive oil because butter would burn at that point. You can also use avocado oil. Don’t worry, we’re definitely adding butter as well. 😉
• Butter: I usually like unsalted butter better because it lets me manage the amount of salt, but you may use salted butter and just add less salt in the recipe.
• Garlic: The main ingredient in my garlic butter sauce for chicken. I do use bottled minced garlic for a lot of recipes to save time, but I always use fresh for this one. It tastes a lot better, and I like the texture of a coarser mince more here. I don’t think you should use garlic powder instead of this because it’s a main element.
• Chicken broth: makes the sauce thicker and more flavorful. I suggest using reduced-sodium broth because it cooks down and regular broth would make your sauce too salty. I like this brand when I’m in a hurry, but my own chicken broth or bone broth makes the chicken taste even better. You might also use white wine to change the taste.
• Dried herbs: I normally use a mix of dried herbs to make it easier and more interesting. These include dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, and parsley. If you prefer to use fresh herbs instead, triple the amount (I used fresh rosemary for these photographs). I also cooked this butter garlic chicken using only Italian spice mix, which is my favorite combo of herbs. Add crushed red pepper flakes if you want some heat.
• Black Pepper with Sea Salt

Items

Tap on the underlined ingredients to see which ones I use.

• ◯ 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that weigh 8 ounces each
• ◯ 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• ◯ 1/2 tsp. of black pepper
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• ◯ 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• ◯ 1/2 tsp of dried parsley
• ◯ 1 tbsp Olive oil
• ◯ 3 tablespoons of butter without salt
• ◯ 1/2 cup of chicken broth with little salt
• ◯ 5 cloves of garlic, chopped up

The Tools I Used for This Recipe

I like stainless steel skillets for garlic butter chicken for two reasons. It lets me see the color of the sauce (so I don’t burn it) and I don’t have to worry about scratching it as I do with dark nonstick pans. (I still think you should use a wooden spoon just in case.)

Meat Thermometer: To make sure your chicken is always cooked precisely. You can get mine at Amazon or Target.

How to cook chicken with garlic butter

To help you picture the recipe, I offer step-by-step pictures here. The recipe card has all the details, including the amounts and temperatures.
To start a kitchen timer, tap on the timings in the instructions.

1. Season and dry the chicken. Use paper towels to dry the chicken. Add salt, pepper, and dried herbs to taste. This helps keep the moisture in and gives you that golden sear.
2. Sear till golden. Put the olive oil in a big pan (ideally one that is stainless steel like this one) and heat it over medium-high heat. Put the chicken in a single layer and cook it for 4 to 8 minutes on each side, or until it is golden brown and just barely cooked through (see my tips below). If it starts to brown too much, turn the heat down to medium. Move it to a platter and cover it to keep it warm.
3. Get rid of the glaze on the pan. It’s time to prepare this sauce that I can’t stop talking about! Put the chicken broth and butter in the skillet. While the butter is melting, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the tasty bits from the bottom.

4. Put in the garlic. Turn the heat down to low. Add the garlic and cook for approximately a minute, or until it smells good. 😉
5. Mix the sauce and chicken together. Put the chicken back in the pan. Turn once or twice to cover with sauce. If you need to, heat it for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it’s warm. When you serve the garlic butter chicken breast, don’t forget to spread the sauce over it. It’s the best part! Put the pan juices over the garlic butter chicken before serving.

VARIATION: Try making chicken with lemon, garlic, and butter!

Add 1–2 tablespoons of lemon juice and/or a teaspoon of lemon zest to the sauce at the end, before you put the chicken back in the pan. This will give the sauce a lemony flavor. This tastes a lot like my lemon garlic chicken, but the buttery pan sauce makes me think of my lemon butter sauce.

My Tips for Recipes

• Before searing, heat up the pan with oil. If you don’t do this, the chicken will soak up the oil and adhere to the pan. When the oil is hot enough, it will slide about the pan easily. I like to test it by adding a drop of water; if it sizzles, it’s ready.
• Sear the chicken until it’s almost done. The main trick to juicy chicken breast is always the cook time, so I test for doneness using my trusty meat thermometer. When the chicken reaches 160–163 degrees F after searing, I usually take it out of the pan. While I make the sauce, it rises to 165 degrees F while it rests covered in foil. If it doesn’t achieve that internal temperature, I finish cooking it in the sauce for a few minutes at the end. This is a lot better than drying it out first!
• If the chicken is golden but not fully done, turn down the heat. To get the outside brown, I start at medium-high, but I sometimes have to turn it down so it doesn’t burn. Depending on your pan, stove, and how thick your chicken is, you might not need to do this.
• You may brine chicken to make it even juicier. You don’t have to do this, because garlic butter chicken is already juicy (as long as you don’t overcook it). But when I plan ahead, I brine it the same way I do my roasted chicken breast. Read the post to find out how.
• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces to make it cook even faster. This cuts the time it takes to sear by roughly half. I don’t typically bother because I’d have to spend time cutting up the chicken instead, but it can be worth it if you do it ahead of time. It’s like my recipe for chicken bits.
• If you want to use the sauce as a side dish, double or triple it. The sauce that comes with my garlic butter chicken recipe is just right for the chicken. If you double or triple it, you can use it on your side dishes too. Look at the suggestions below!

How to Store

• Store: Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to four days in a container that doesn’t let air in.
• Reheat: I like to reheat this garlic butter chicken by baking it at 350 degrees F, covered in foil so it stays moist. You can use a skillet on the stove, but it’s hard to keep the chicken warm without letting it dry up or the sauce burn. You can use the microwave, but it will dry out.
• Freeze: Put the servings and sauce in zip lock containers and freeze them for up to four months. Take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge overnight.

Ideas for serving

Garlic butter chicken goes well with a lot of different sides, but especially ones that soak up the sauce. Here are some of my favorite things:

• Mash—There’s nothing better than mash to soak up that garlic butter sauce! You can prepare standard mashed potatoes, but I like them better with mashed cauliflower or even sweet potatoes.
• Rice or noodles: These taste much better if you double or triple the sauce, like I said above. Mix the sauce with your favorite rice, cauliflower rice, pasta, spaghetti squash (my favorite), or zucchini noodles, and then put the chicken on top.
• Roasted Veggies: I prefer to put these in the oven before I start making the garlic butter chicken so that my main dish and side are ready at the same time. My smashed Brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, roasted green beans, or roasted asparagus go well with this chicken.
• Simple Salads: If you want something lighter to pair with the substantial main dish, try a fresh salad like my spring mix salad or avocado Caprese salad.

Spread the love