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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This was a big hit with the family, especially my daughter who is really picky. After she actually ate all her food, she asked for more later. Really good!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was a hit even with your daughter!
this was delicious. it will be a staple in may house full of man-boys, for sure!
this was delicious. it will be a staple in may house full of man-boys, for sure!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that this is going to be a staple in your house!
Oops, Averie (sorry MS it)
Avery, can I bake this chicken too? I need to make a large batch and it’ll save me time to bake them while making other things.
Love
Your
Food
So delish!
#houstontx
Thanks so much!
And yes, you can bake this too.
Almost 3,000 sodium PER serving??? That has to be calculated wrong. Where is the majority of the sodium coming from? I used salt free poultry seasoning and no salt added chicken broth.
Yes it’s a computer-generated program that’s a courtesy estimate and not always perfect. I’m sure this is high. You can calculate by hand to know a more precise count if needed.
Omg this was so delicious!!! The only thing I added was lemon juice, so flavorful!! I will be making this again!! I paired it with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli with lemon pepper..
Omg this was so delicious!!! The only thing I added was lemon juice, so flavorful!! I will be making this again!! I paired it with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli with lemon pepper..
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was so delicious and that you will make it again!
I made this earlier in the day to serve at night. should i reheat in the sauce or once its turned in the sauce then put in a separate pan without the sauce?
I made this tonight and everyone loved it! I added a squeeze of some fresh lemon at the end, and everything tasted great!
I made this tonight and everyone loved it! I added a squeeze of some fresh lemon at the end, and everything tasted great!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad everyone loved it! Fresh lemon juice is always a great way to finish off a dish, too!
I made this earlier in the day to serve at night. should i reheat in the sauce or once its turned in the sauce then put in a separate pan without the sauce?
I would reheat it over low heat in a skillet with all the sauce so that it doesn’t dry out. Keep it all together is my advice.
The final product was delicious and I was praised by the family. However, I made a huge error in not reading through the recipe before cooking. I didn’t pound the chicken breast pieces to make them of even thickness!! Near disaster as I had to hover over the cooking chicken to make sure they were done. This made the sauce very dark. Plus, I used a cast iron skillet that I thought was clean, but there was a dark residue. I will try your other recipes and promise to read thoroughly!
The final product was delicious and I was praised by the family. However, I made a huge error in not reading through the recipe before cooking. I didn’t pound the chicken breast pieces to make them of even thickness!! Near disaster as I had to hover over the cooking chicken to make sure they were done. This made the sauce very dark. Plus, I used a cast iron skillet that I thought was clean, but there was a dark residue. I will try your other recipes and promise to read thoroughly!
Thanks for the 5 star review and yes always good to read in advance the recipe you’re making but sounds like you prevailed and all came out great! I am very very thorough in my writing and leave nothing to guesswork or chance but yes you have to read it all first :)
I made this tonight for our family and was delicious! We made it with a side of rice. The sauce was a little watery, but great flavor, so we put some on the rice as well. My thighs were thick, so took a little longer to cook, but we will make this again for sure!
I made this tonight for our family and was delicious! We made it with a side of rice. The sauce was a little watery, but great flavor, so we put some on the rice as well. My thighs were thick, so took a little longer to cook, but we will make this again for sure!
I am glad it was delicious and that you will make it again for sure!