Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Breasts are a great family meal that can be on the table within 30 minutes. The recipe is cooked in one pan and uses chicken breasts for an easy meal. Keep the chicken moist and tender with our top tips, and then make a deliciously creamy, garlicky cheese pan sauce. Perfect for serving over pasta or rice, mashed potatoes, or with roasted veggies. This is a great, weeknight meal idea.
Lay the chicken breast flat on a chopping board and pat it dry so it doesn't slip.2 chicken breasts
Use a large sharp knife, and keeping it parallel to the board cut sideways through the breast. (see bulk of post for pictures)
Carefully cut through until you have two plump fillets. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
If you find they are not an even thickness, you can use a meat mallet (or a heavy pan) to bash the plumper end down.
Add the flour to a shallow dish.¼ cup/ 35g all-purpose flour
Season the chicken fillets on both sides with salt and pepper, then coat them lightly in the flour. (don't discard the leftover flour yet)½ tsp kosher salt½ tsp black pepper
To cook the chicken
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet or frying pan, over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the butter and the chicken fillets to the pan.2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp butter
Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the fillets to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.
To make the sauce
Turn the heat on the pan to low (don't wash it out), add the butter and the finely chopped garlic, stir well and cook for 2 minutes until softened but not colored.2 tbsp butter6 cloves garlic
Add two tablespoons of the remaining dredging flour to the garlic and stir to coat. (see note 4)
Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and sherry (if using).¾ cups/ 180ml chicken broth/stock2 tbsp dry sherry – optional
Bring to a simmer and cook gently for a minute.
Add the heavy cream, mustard, salt, and pepper to the pan and stir well. Bring to simmer then add in the grated parmesan cheese.1 ¼ cups/ 300ml heavy cream½ tsp Dijon mustard¼ tsp salt¼ tsp black pepper½ cup/ 50g grated parmesan
Add the chicken back into the pan, plus any collected juices. Simmer together for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened, and the chicken is cooked through.
Season to taste and serve.
Garnish with extra parmesan and chopped parsley. grated parmesan fresh parsley
Notes
Using larger chicken breasts will make this process easier. Feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs; instead, they will need to be cooked for 15-20 minutes instead of 8.
You can replace the dry sherry with white wine or masala if you have that on hand instead. If you don’t consume alcohol then just leave it out.
I use Dijon mustard, but you can use grain mustard, hot English mustard, or sweet American mustard.
Don’t worry about using the flour that has touched the raw chicken; it is going to be cooked out and will be perfectly safe. Once you have added the flour to the sauce, the remaining flour needs to be thrown away.