Simple Garlic Butter Chicken — Tender, juicy chicken bathed in a rich garlic butter sauce with a splash of wine for extra flavor!! This QUICK and EASY stovetop chicken recipe is ready in 15 minutes and will become a family FAVORITE!!
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Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe
If you’re in need of a fast and easy 15-minute chicken dinner, this comforting garlic butter chicken breast recipe will be a new family favorite. It’s made in one skillet, which is great because there’s less cleanup.
The chicken is pan-fried on the stove-top and is so tender, juicy, rich and buttery tasting with plenty of garlic to provide that extra punch of flavor.
Serve this chicken with rice on the side or a nice salad, and you’ve got yourself a winning chicken dinner.
Garlic Butter Chicken Ingredients
For this fast garlic butter chicken dinner made with common fridge and pantry ingredients, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 21 Salute Seasoning (or poultry seasoning)
- Salt
- Pepper
- White wine or chicken broth
- Butter
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley, optional
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Garlic Butter Chicken
To make this quick and easy chicken with garlic sauce, simply pound the chicken to an even thickness and then heat up a skillet!
- To a large skillet, add olive oil, chicken breasts seasoned with 21 Salute Seasoning, salt, pepper, and sear on the first side for about 5 minutes.
- Flip chicken oven and cook on the second side for about 5 minutes.
- When the chicken is done and cooked through, remove it from the pan and allow it to rest on a plate.
- Deglaze your pan with a splash of wine, add the butter, garlic, and cook for one minute, or until the butter has melted and the garlic is fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the pan, toss it in the garlic butter sauce, garnish with parsley, and serve.
I told you this chicken in garlic sauce was fast and easy!
Tips for Making Garlic Butter Chicken Breasts
This is a super quick and easy chicken dinner that comes together in just 15 minutes. However, there are a few key things I wanted to highlight for chicken-cooking success!
Tip 1: Pounding the Chicken Breasts
You need to pound your chicken to an even thickness so that it cooks evenly. Chicken breasts have a thick side and a thin side and you want to pound the thick side so it’s not as thick.
Pounding also breaks down muscle fibers so the finished chicken is more tender.
Tip 2: Searing the Chicken Breasts
When you’re searing the chicken, just let it be. Don’t touch it, move it, peek on it, just let it sear.
After 5 minutes, check on it, and if it needs a little more time, go for it, and then flip it over and allow it to remain undisturbed as well while searing on the second side.
Tip 3: Deglazing the Pan
After searing, your pan (if using a stainless steel or cast iron pan) is going to have lots of chicken bits and cooking juices stuck to it. This is where deglazing comes in. Meaning, you add either wine (or chicken broth) to the pan to remove the stuck-on bits of food.
Adding wine or even chicken broth to a very hot skillet will cause the liquid to bubble up with lots of ensuing steam. Be careful!
Recipe FAQs
Use whatever dry white wine you have open or on hand. Chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, or even a dry rose is fine. Just make sure it’s not sweet. Whatever white wine you buy, make sure it’s one you’d happily drink and NOT a wine labeled as “cooking wine.” (Those just taste awful).
If wine isn’t fitting for you, use chicken broth instead. Note that the alcohol in the wine burns off and what you’re left with is a richer flavor in the garlic butter sauce.
I used Trader Joe’s 21 Salute Seasoning, which is mixture of oregano, thyme, rosemary, and more. Use poultry seasoning or a mixture of those spices if you don’t have 21 Salute. Readers have also said that Costco’s Signature Organic No-Salt Seasoning is a dupe for the Trader Joe’s spice blend.
The flavor of the seasoning is going to be masked by the garlic anyway. Garlic always wins!
Yes! This stove-top chicken recipe works with both chicken breasts and thighs. I prefer using boneless skinless chicken breasts, but use whichever you have. Just note that chicken thighs may have a different cook time. Use your eyes and not the clock!
I prefer using fresh garlic that I mince with a garlic press when making this easy chicken recipe, but jarred minced garlic works just as well. I prefer fresh garlic since the flavor is, well, much fresher — but use what’s easiest for you.
Technically, yes. But I specifically designed this recipe to be quick, easy, and made in a single skillet in about 15 minutes.
Adding veggies would complicate the cooking process and prolong the cook time. If you’d like vegetables with your garlic chicken, I recommend steaming or roasting some in another pot. That way, everything cooks at the same time!
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Garlic Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness (4 average-sized breasts)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons 21 Salute Seasoning or poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ cup white wine* or chicken broth, or as necessary
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, or more if you want extra sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced; or to taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, pounded chicken, evenly season with 21 Salute, salt, pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Do not touch, move, or disturb the chicken while it is searing. After 5 minutes, flip chicken over. It should have a medium golden color. For thicker/bigger chicken breasts, sear for 6-7 minutes.
- Allow chicken to cook on the second side for about 5 minutes, or until done and cooked through. Again, do not disturb the chicken while it's searing.
- Remove chicken with a slotted spatula and place it on a plate to rest.
- Using caution, deglaze your skillet by adding wine (or broth) and allow the liquid to bubble up and steam violently for a few seconds.
- Add the butter and allow it to melt, about 1 minute; stir continuously until melted.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes; stir continuously.
- Turn the heat off, add the chicken back into the skillet, flip it around in the garlic butter sauce, and spoon the sauce over the chicken.
- Optionally garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Could I make this somehow without the garlic? If so, what could I replace it with? My daughter can’t have garlic or onion. Thanks!
Since this is GARLIC butter chicken, I don’t think this is a wise recipe to try to modify without garlic – there’s not that much going on to just omit it and still be left with a really tasty dish.
Instead, I would make a similar recipe such as https://www.averiecooks.com/lemon-butter-dijon-skillet-chicken/ or https://www.averiecooks.com/creamy-parmesan-dijon-skillet-chicken/ which is creamy, and just omit the garlic called for in the recipes.
this was a very good and easy dinner. I made a side diced carrots and rice…made extra broth to make gravy (since my dad likes gravy with his chicken), and some small biscuits. Thanks and this one is a keeper.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Jolene, and the extra gravy/sauce sounds delish especially with rice. Glad this is a keeper!
Made this recipe last night whole family loved it. I did add some chopped shallots prior to deglazing the pan with chicken broth. We will definitely keep making this recipe. Easy and delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Jodi, and I am glad your whole family loved it and that you’ll make it again! Shallots sound like a great touch, too!
Absolutely delicious! My kids told me best chicken recipe I have ever made.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad your kids said this was the best chicken recipe you’ve ever made! Now that’s some high praise!
My husband doesn’t care for chicken. He asked me to make it again. Will keep this recipe handy.
Well this is certainly high praise if Mr. Doesn’t Like Chicken liked this chicken recipe! Thanks for taking the time to write because comments like these make my day!
Tastes soooooo good
Thanks for the 5 star review, Peyton, and glad this was a winner for you!
Tasty, quick and easy!
Thanks John for the 5 star review and I’m glad you enjoyed this!
I made this tonight and it was delicious and it’s ready in no time. I love the sauce.
Garlic Butter Chicken
Thanks Jennie for the 5 star review and I am glad it was delish and ready in no time!
WOW! so so good, my family devoured it :) thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am so glad your family loved and devoured this recipe!
My go to “throw it together” chicken. Both of my kids and husband love!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I love hearing that this is your throw together chicken meal and the family loves it!
Absolutely delicious. So easy, fast, and tastes great. Was a big hit with everyone. The chicken was so moist.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am so glad this was a big hit with everyone and absolutely delish!
I have made this several times just the way it was written. The whole family loves it.
I have made this several times just the way it was written. The whole family loves it.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that your whole family loves this exactly as written!
What if you only have red wine no white?
Then it will have a much deeper flavor. If you don’t mind a heavier tasting dish, you can give it a try.
Hi Averie,
Thank you so much for the Holiday recipes! My husband really liked the Turkey because it was not dry. He really liked the mashed potatoes because they were creamy and I really liked the cranberrysauce recipe ( non- alcohol one). I am going to keep trying your recipes!
I really wanted to read the reviews that other people left but don’t see anywhere to do so. Bummer!