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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My 16 year old son found this recepi on Pintrest and said, mum will you help me make this, so we did last night while my partner took care of the chips and rice, wowser this was delish and there was nothing left over, will make again, thanks for sharing and hope you´re having a nice Sunday, greetings from Manchester :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad your 16 year old son found this on Pinterest and you decided to give it a try and that you’ll make this over and over again!
Greetings from San Diego as well!
This was fast, easy and delicious!! Thank you!! Didn’t change a thing!
This was fast, easy and delicious!! Thank you!! Didn’t change a thing!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was fast, easy, delish, and you didn’t change a thing!
I’m assuming you drain the olive oil before deglazing the pan?
No because by the time you’re at the point of deglazing, there’s really not much to “drain”. It’s all been used or absorbed into the chicken or into the pan and the point of deglazing is to loosen up all the crusty and dried out bits on the bottom of the pan and that’s what you have in this recipe if using a nice stainless steel pan (never nonstick for a recipe like this).
I love this recipe! I have tweaked it a little for my liking but the process is the same and it always comes out juicy and delicious!
Found this in a search last minute. It was so good. I made it as the recipe calls, I used the chicken broth because I did not have wine on hand (but will try with the wine next time) Family loved it, thanks so much!
Found this in a search last minute. It was so good. I made it as the recipe calls, I used the chicken broth because I did not have wine on hand (but will try with the wine next time) Family loved it, thanks so much!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you found this at the last minute and loved it, even without the wine!
My husband who is a very picky eater really enjoyed this recipe! I will be making it again z
My husband who is a very picky eater really enjoyed this recipe! I will be making it again z
Thanks for letting me know and glad it was picky eater approved and you’ll make it again!
I love your butter chicken very tasty and easy to make
Dr Salim
I love your butter chicken very tasty and easy to make
Dr Salim
How do I print the recipe? I downloaded the app but whenever I click print I get redirected to another site and the recipe does not print.
You click on the big aqua PRINT button within the recipe card section, and it should open in a new window or tab and you can print easily from there.
How much of each ingredients do you use??
Scroll down to the recipe card section and everything is listed.
I’ve recently made your, Orange Chicken! And, it was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I’ve recently made your, Orange Chicken! And, it was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
That’s so great to hear, thank you!
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!!