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Quick And Easy Creamy Herb Chicken filled with so much flavor, ready and on your table in 15 minutes? YES!
This Creamy Herb Chicken will become your favorite chicken recipe! WITH no heavy cream and dairy free options and just over 300 calories per serve! How much easier could it get?
For another quick, delicious option, check out my butter shrimp with garlic recipe.
Creamy Chicken Recipe
Accidentally, this recipe is low-carb AND gluten-free, with just under 5g carbs per serving! What did I do? Picture this: Juicy, tender chicken breasts simmered in a flavourful, creamy herb sauce with a hint of garlic, HELLO! An easy weekday meal.
The BEST Sauce
So thick and creamy, this creamy herb sauce pairs perfectly with rice, pasta, or my personal favorite: mashed potatoes. To keep the entire meal low-carb, try it over cauliflower mash!
Creamy Chicken With Herbs: Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Choose high-quality chicken breasts and pound them to 1/2-inch thin for even cooking and tenderness. Fresh, organic chicken tends to have a better flavor and texture, making them perfect for absorbing the delicious sauce in this recipe.
- Garlic: Both fresh minced garlic and garlic powder add depth and aromatic richness to the sauce. Look for firm, plump garlic cloves with tight skins. Fresh garlic will give your dish a more vibrant flavor.
- Parsley: Fresh, chopped parsley adds a burst of color and a fresh, herbaceous note that balances the creaminess of the sauce. Opt for bright green, crisp parsley. Avoid any bunches with yellowing or wilting leaves.
- Thyme and Rosemary: These dried herbs bring a warm, earthy flavor to the dish. Thyme and rosemary are classic companions to chicken and contribute to the aromatic complexity of the sauce. Ensure your dried herbs are fresh and aromatic, not musty or dull.
- Cornstarch: Used as a thickening agent, cornstarch ensures the sauce has a smooth, creamy consistency without the need for heavy cream. Make sure to mix it well with water until smooth before adding to avoid any lumps.
Note: See the recipe card for the full list of measurements and ingredients
Additions And Substitutions
When it comes to Creamy Chicken With Herbs, don’t stress; there are plenty of alternatives that will give you the same flavors.
- Swap Chicken Breasts for Thighs: If you prefer, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. Thighs are more forgiving and stay juicier, adding an extra level of tenderness to your dish.
- Add Fresh Ingredients: Toss in a handful of fresh spinach during the last few minutes of cooking. The spinach wilts into the creamy sauce and adds a nutritious touch. Add some fresh herbs too, like basil or tarragon.
- Experiment with Mushrooms: Sauté some sliced mushrooms along with the garlic for an earthy taste. Mushrooms add my favorite thing to add texture and depth to the dish without overpowering the main ingredients, similar to what happens when cooking the marry me chicken pastry recipe.
- Use Dairy-Free Milk Alternatives: If you’re dairy-free, swap out the milk for almond milk, coconut milk, or another preferred non-dairy alternative. These options keep the sauce creamy while catering to dietary preferences.
How to Make Creamy Chicken
First, you’re going to season you chicken in ALL the herbs. For this recipe, I chose:
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Parsley.
You can use Tarragon, or Basil with Oregano if you prefer. Don’t forget the salt and pepper!
Fry the chicken breasts in a skillet or pan over medium-high heat, then remove them from the pan, make the creamy sauce, and finally lick your fingers. See? E.A.S.Y.
I do not recommend using spreadable herb cheese for the creamy sauce. Make the sauce from scratch it’s very easy.
Sauté the aromatics in the same pan with extra virgin olive oil. This will take around 1 minute since the pan is already heated. Stir the milk (or heavy cream), season, and once it’s boiling, add the cornstarch to thicken the cream.
What To Serve With
This creamy herb chicken is a straightforward meal for a busy weeknight. Once you get the hang of making the sauce in the skillet, you can easily change the ingredients for other dinners. You can stir in Dijon for a creamy mustard chicken or deglaze with wine and mushrooms to make a creamy marsala.
If you prefer a lemon profile, you can use the same pan to make a quick garlic caper piccata or a simple lemon francese. The basic cooking steps are practically identical, so it saves a lot of time during the week.
Recipe FAQ’s
You can use almond milk, coconut milk, or any other non-dairy milk alternative. These options keep the sauce creamy and cater to dietary preferences
Cook the chicken breasts until they are opaque and no longer pink inside. Using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 165°F (75°C)
Yes, this recipe is gluten-free as long as you use cornstarch and check that all other ingredients are gluten-free certified.
While the chicken itself can be frozen, the sauce may not hold up well to freezing due to the dairy content. It’s best enjoyed fresh or refrigerated for a few days.
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Creamy Herb Chicken
Ingredients
For The Chicken:
- 4 chicken breasts pounded 1/2-inch thin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley fresh, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to season
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper to season
For The Sauce:
- 4 cloves garlic minced, or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon parsley fresh, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup milk or half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water until smooth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper to taste
Instructions
- Coat chicken breasts with the onion and garlic powders and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken breasts until opaque and no longer pink inside (about 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness). Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- To the same pan or skillet, heat another 2 teaspoons of olive oil and sauté garlic, with parsley, thyme and rosemary, for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Stir in milk (or cream); season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; add the cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, quickly stirring, until sauce has thickened slightly.
- Return chicken to the skillet. Sprinkle with extra herbs if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you don’t like thyme or rosemary, substitute these with basil and oregano, or use tarragon.
- For a dairy free option, I find cashew milk the best in flavour. You can also use almond milk or rice milk. Yes, heavy cream can be substituted!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is amazingggggggggg!!! I added diced tomatoes and This is for sure gonna be a recipe I use for life ! Probably would’ve been really good with pasta noodles ! I didn’t have rosemary but it still turned out so good . 10/10
This was a winner! First of all, I *LOVE* that you can modify recipe size right here on the site! What a time saver! I had cream, so that’s what I used and it was amazing. I did, in fact, try to follow the recipe (at least on the first try, haha!). To my surprise, it was NOT too much thyme or rosemary to use in both the sauce and on the chicken, as directed. I used dried parsley instead of fresh – again, it’s what I had. Served over mashed potatoes. And, WOW! Easy, delicious, and we WILL have it again. Thanks so much!
Yes, so versatile. I added Parmesan to the sauce and shallots (went well with the herbs and cream).Had it with sauté potatoes and green beans, so nice and very Italian! Try that next time ☺️
Absolutely delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight and my kids were done eating in about 5 minutes flat and raved about how delicious it was!
I made this as a meal prep recipe and it was fabulous. My husband adored this recipe and wanted to lick the sauce out of the pan afterward. I used heavy whipping cream. Only thing is, next time I’ll make more sauce because I used a bunch when I ate the first chicken breast and I won’t have nearly enough for the other three.
It was amazing I would make again but I think it needed some bacon and seasoning salt other than that perfect
Made this for dinner last night with mashed potatoes and it was SO GOOD! The sauce was delicious over the potatoes as well! Definitely on my “make again” list.
Can you use boneless pork chops for this recipe?
Very good, easy meal! I happened to have all the makings and and wanted to try something different, so I gave it a whirl. My sauce was brown though…maybe because I used olive oil? Served with mash potatoes. Awesome!
Yes – I think I will try this with pork chops. That sounds wonderful.
Thumbs up on this recipe. I cut down on the herbs in the onion and garlic powder (though it may have been overpowering) I also reduced some white wine before adding cream (no milk) for a richer sauce. Thank you for the recipe, its a keeper.
This was delicious! My husband is very hard to please and he said this was restaurant quality. I made it with mashed potatoes. Perfectly seasoned. Thank you for an excellent recipient!
This was so easy and soooooo good! I will definitely make this again! My husband and kids all agreed this is something you’d get at a quality restaurant. Thank you!
I made this recipe a few nights ago and it was absolutely delicious! We will be making this again & often!!
I did not have parsley but used dried basil instead, also added a tablespoon of dijon mustard with the milk, and did not have cornflour so used flour which thickened it just fine (mixed 2 teaspoons of flour with 2 teaspoons of cold water, it will turn into a type of paste).
Great tasing recipe! We added a 1/2 cup of white wine at the end because I thought it needed a “little something more.” My hubby said it was restaurant quality!
Wow. So easy so quick so delicious. It’s cool because if I don’t want to go to the store I can just substitute a few herbs. The rest is all about the sauce. So so so good! High five. Used it for mother’s day dinner and blew her away