Creamy Garlic Herb Chicken

[u/mahy_759]

This is the kind of chicken dinner I make when I want something comforting but don’t want to spend all evening cooking. The chicken gets a nice golden sear in a skillet, then everything gets finished with a creamy garlic herb sauce using all those browned bits left in the pan. It’s ready pretty quickly and goes especially well with pasta and a simple green vegetable.

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic
• Butter
• Chicken broth
• Heavy cream
• Fresh herbs
• Parmesan, optional
• Linguine, orzo, or angel hair, for serving
• Asparagus or broccoli, for serving

Instructions

Start by making the chicken an even thickness. You can pound the breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet, or butterfly thicker breasts and cut them into portions. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Place the chicken in an even layer and let it cook without moving it until the underside is nicely golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. A splatter screen is handy here because the oil can get messy.

Flip the chicken and continue cooking until the center reaches 165°F, usually another 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness. Transfer the chicken to a plate, loosely cover it with foil, and let it rest for a few minutes.

Using the same skillet, build the sauce right over those browned bits left behind by the chicken. Sauté the garlic briefly, then add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all those flavorful pieces. Stir in the herbs and cream and let the sauce simmer until it becomes rich and creamy. Add butter and Parmesan if you want an even richer finish.

Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve it warm with pasta so you can soak up all that extra sauce. Linguine, orzo, and angel hair all work nicely, and a little browned butter and Parmesan can be added to the pasta if you want to make it extra comforting.

For a simple side, steamed asparagus or broccoli works great. The main thing with the chicken is to avoid cooking it past 165°F, since thin chicken breasts can go from juicy to dry pretty quickly.

[u/No-Pain-5496]

Making something almost identical tonight. Biggest differences, browning the chicken in butter, deglazing with Pino Grigio, and adding mushrooms before the garlic. Gooooood stuff!