Garlic Parmesan Chicken in a rich, silky sauce, but without heavy cream! It’s a cozy, one-skillet meal with plenty of sauce for tossing with pasta or spooning over vegetables.
Creamy, Cheesy Sauce is the Star of this Chicken Dinner
For weeknight dinners, I’m always searching for something easy and comforting that plays well with anything I have stashed away in the fridge. One recipe I turn to time and again is garlic Parmesan chicken. Nothing is easier than a one-pan, stovetop chicken breast dinner. And as far as comfort, if left to my own devices, I could tear through a whole baguette to sop up every last bit of the creamy garlic and Parmesan pan sauce.
If it seems like there’s a lot of sauce for the amount of chicken, that’s because every time I make this recipe, I scale up the sauce since there never seems to be enough. It’s rich from the chicken stock, creamy and savory from the Parmesan, brightened with lemon juice, and packed with irresistible garlic flavor. Using a little flour as a thickener and melting in the Parmesan at the end creates a creamy, unctuous sauce without the need for cream.
The generous amount of sauce makes this especially versatile for busy weeknights. I use it to revive leftovers, from roasted vegetables to baked potatoes. If I don’t have any leftovers, I spoon it over pasta or steamed or roasted vegetables.
Key Ingredients
This garlic Parmesan chicken relies on just a few classic ingredients for big flavor. Be sure to use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the smoothest, most flavorful sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken breasts: Pan-seared boneless, skinless chicken breasts are lean but juicy. Feel free to substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Extra virgin olive oil is essential for browning the chicken and carrying flavor in the sauce.
- Garlic: Minced garlic infuses the sauce with savory depth.
- All-purpose flour thickens the sauce to a creamy consistency without the need for heavy cream. You can substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, but you may need to add a little more liquid to adjust the texture.
- Italian seasoning: This flavorful blend of dried herbs perfumes the sauce with herbaceous complexity.
- Chicken stock: When using store-bought instead of homemade chicken stock, remember to ease off the salt, especially since the stock concentrates during cooking.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: freshly grated Parmesan cheese melts into the sauce, making it creamy, rich, and savory.
- Lemon juice adds bright acidity that livens up the sauce and balances the Parmesan’s richness.
- Parsley: A sprinkling of chopped parsley adds a fresh herbal flavor and a pop of green color.
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Season generously on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, and cook until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and set aside. They do not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Make the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic, flour, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock in small splashes, whisking to incorporate fully before adding more stock. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened and slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Slowly add the grated Parmesan, whisking constantly to melt the cheese into the sauce. Whisk in the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Finish and serve. Nestle the chicken breasts into the skillet along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Make It Your Own
- Add greens: When the chicken goes back into the sauce, toss a large handful of baby spinach or baby chard into the sauce and let it wilt while the chicken finishes cooking through. Heartier greens, such as chopped kale or Swiss chard, need to braise longer, so add them just after incorporating all of the chicken stock.
- Add cherry tomatoes: Along with the chicken in step 4, add a large scattering of cherry tomatoes to the sauce.
- Add Castelvetrano olives: Add a handful of buttery Castelvetrano olives and a tablespoon of brine along with the chicken in step 4.
Tips and Tricks
- Taste for salt after reducing and thickening the sauce. Different brands of chicken stock have varying salt contents, and reducing the stock will make the sauce saltier. It’s best to taste and adjust salt just before adding back the chicken.
- Use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or choose a pre-grated option that’s 100% cheese. Many grated cheeses include anti-caking ingredients that will prevent the cheese from melting smoothly into the sauce.
- For the smoothest, creamiest sauce, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese slowly into the simmering sauce while whisking constantly. This gives the cheese a chance to melt and incorporate into the sauce fully.
What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Chicken
For my favorite weeknight meal with this garlic Parmesan chicken, I cook pasta and toss it in the extra sauce, serving slices of the chicken on top. The finishing touch is a garnish of parsley, extra grated Parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Other than pasta, try rice, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or torn pieces of baguette to soak up all the delicous sauce.
This dish is also one of my go-to methods for revitalizing leftovers. No matter what I have in my fridge, it tastes new and exciting when served with this savory garlic-Parmesan sauce.
More Chicken for Garlic-Lovers
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Lemon Garlic Chicken
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Spanish Garlic Chicken (Pollo al Ajillo)
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Chicken Kofta Kebabs with Harissa and Garlic-Mint Yogurt
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Garlic Dijon Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (600ml)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (2 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Season generously on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, and cook until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and set aside. They do not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Make the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic, flour, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock in small splashes, whisking to incorporate fully before adding more stock. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened and slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Slowly add the grated Parmesan, whisking constantly to melt the cheese into the sauce. Whisk in the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Finish and serve. Nestle the chicken breasts into the skillet along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
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