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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 was amazing!! Kids loved it. I made 8 pieces. (There is 6 of us and 4 are teenaged boys) Cooked 4 at a time then put them all in the sauce and tossed them. Served with seasoned noodles and cooked carrots. This will be added to the keep recipes. Thank you for sharing!
This was absolutely stunning! And super quick and easy to make. Didn’t have the garlic or onion powder, so I made some the night before. Also cooked the chicken breasts a little bit longer (10 minutes on each side on medium heat) as they were very big ones.
Instead of the rosemary and thyme, I used fresh parsely and coriander. And then we had it with roast potatoes and sauteed bell peppers and broccoli.
Definitely going to make this again!
You made garlic and onion powder the night before? How did you do that? I’d love to know how to make it myself.
Thanks!
Your recipes are wonderful. Could you also include some low-fat recipes, thank you 🙂
This was awesome! My picky eaters loved it. Quick to make too. I did change recipe a bit. I used thin chicken breasts, and poultry seasoning. I also added herbed cream sheese and added it to the half and half. Not good if you are watching calories or fat intake. The sauce was so good that next time I’m doubling the amounts.
YAY! That is exciting! I am so glad that you loved it and made it your own! Thanks for sharing your substitutions!
This was so good! Made it twice in the past week! Used fresh basil and tomatoes when cooking the sauce. Came out great! Thank you!
My picky kids loved it!
Made it exactly as the recipe was listed and it was fantastic! I thought us sounded a bit boring but these spices were great together. When the kids go back for seconds you know it’s good. Served with an grautin potatoes and green beans. May double the sauce next time and serve with rice. Yum!
Delicious recipe–but I really wish that this and other recipes included more specific information about weight of ingredients, I bought 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts at my supermarket at a weight of 2.4 lbs–way more than 2 servings for most families, and generous for 4. I split them lengthwise for this recipe and still couldn’t get them to fit comfortably in a 12 inch skillet–so half the number of chicken breasts, and two iterations in the skillet. It’s the same thing with pork recipes–a single pork chop can be anywhere from 4 to 16 ounces–hubs and I love to grill one of those large ones and split it.
Holy cow! This recipe was SO good! I made this for my family last night and it came out amazing! I love that it was a recipe I already had the ingredients for and it only took like 30 min. It was good with mashed potatoes, but I could also see it going great with pasta! Thank you! Two thumbs up!
What all do the nutrition facts include? Just the chicken breast and sauce?
It was super freaking delicious and I plan on making it a lot!
Thanks!