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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.
Super quick and delicious! We used heavy cream and I eyeballed the seasonings. We served this over buttered noodles with green beans and it was amazing! I will be adding this to the cookbook. (:
I tried it over butter noodles and IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! 100/10 would cook again!
Great recipe. I wanted to add pasta to it so I doubled the milk/cream and starch but not the herbs. Turned out great. Wish I could post a picture lol
Thats a geeat idea! I love having extra sauce so I’ll try doubling the milk and starch
Excellent! Cooking three times a day for months on end has really burned me out. Tired of uninspired dinners, I found this recipe at 5 pm and was delighted that I had every ingredient on hand (except the parsley so I used dried) and had dinner on the table in no time! It was so nice having a creamy sauce made with 2% milk. Definitely will make again and have shared it with friends. Thank you!
Great recipe for when the cupboard is bare. I needed a simple recipe as I didn’t have any cream and just some chicken to use up. This was quick and easy to make and very delicious. I added a bit of mustard to add some depth to the sauce but otherwise didn’t need to make adjustments. I served it over some fettuccine.
This recipe was so simple, quick and delicious. My extremely picky husband – who only ate 2 chicken dishes prior to this – told me, “You hit a home run with this one!” I have to admit I used heavy cream (omitted cornstarch), but it was worth it. Next time I’ll try using half and half. Thank you.
This went down so well with the whole family, even my 7 month old! And it was super easy to prepare. We had it with roast potatoes this time but thinking rice next time. 5 star
This was so good! My kids always bring home their friends after practice, so the night I made this I decided to x4 the recipe just in case. Initially I had 3 extra teenagers, but by the time we cleaned dinner up I had 9. I served it with mash potatoes and steamed vegetables. The sauce over mash potatoes were incredible! The kids could not get enough of it and have begged me to make it again, which I plan to do tonight.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I had cooked my chicken in the instant pot earlier during they day and was ooking for something to use it for. I came across this recipe and it looked good so I just doubled the sauce recipe and served it over my instant pot chicken and mashed potatoes and it was so good! Thank you so much for sharing such a great tasting sauce! Hubby loved it too! It went in our “do over” list.
Heidi try mixing flour and milk really goód in a glass until smooth and then pour it in and mix constantly until desired effect
Cooked this up because I barely had anything in the pantry and it turned out great. I subbed in a flour and water mixture as per one of the comments and maybe I didn’t stir it in fast enough but it did clump a little in a way I don’t think corn starch would have. I also dumped in some shredded parm, and served roasted carrots and peas on the side.
Overall, SUPER simple dish I’ll for sure be making again. Big hit at dinner tonight.
This was wonderful. I stuck to the recipe but made one and a half times the sauce so there would be plenty for leftovers and added 2 packets of sazon sin anchiotte to the sauce. I also used crushed garlic rather than whole cloves because that was all I had. It was great and everyone loved it. Thank you for the recipe … it’s a keeper and VERY easy!!!