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This is one of my most requested recipes when I’m cooking for family! Super easy to throw together but loaded with flavor, tender and moist chicken breasts are swaddled in a delicious garlicky butter sauce. My husband’s favorite meal ever.

Overhead view of a garlic butter chicken breast sliced diagonally into strips on a skillet.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Rich, savory garlic-butter sauce and tender, juicy chicken breasts – this is one recipe that almost everyone in your house is guaranteed to love! My family requests it for dinner ALL the time, and I’m pretty certain that, out of everything I’ve made, this is my husband’s favorite meal.
  • This is a super simple one-pan recipe, so it’s especially great for busy weeknights or when you just don’t have the energy to go all-out. You don’t need to hunt down any hard-to-find ingredients, either. Odds are pretty good you’ve got everything you’ll need in your fridge and pantry right now. The garlic butter sauce only uses 4 ingredients!
  • It’s super versatile! The main flavors here are garlic and butter, which go with just about everything you can think of. Serve your chicken with mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, zucchini noodles, or any of your favorite veggies.

Chef’s Tips

  • Be careful not to overcook the chicken! If you’re using chicken breasts that are particularly large or thick, or if they’re dramatically uneven, I recommend halving them into cutlets or pounding them with a meat tenderizer until they’re an even thickness. Cook just until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°-162° Fahrenheit, then set them aside to rest. They’ll finish cooking during that time.
  • I keep things simple when I make garlic butter chicken, just using salt, fresh garlic, and garlic powder so those flavors really shine. Feel free to add your favorite poultry seasoning or even just red chili pepper flakes to add even more flavor.
  • If you don’t cook with wine, don’t worry. Chicken broth will work just as well. Whatever you do, don’t substitute juice. That’ll work instead of wine in some recipes, but not here.
Overhead view of a whole garlic butter chicken breast in garlic butter sauce in a silver skillet.

More Incredible Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Garlic Butter Chicken


Prep 15 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Easy and full of flavor, this savory garlic butter chicken is going to be a favorite for your family. It is for mine!
4 servings

Equipment

  • medium mixing bowl
  • Large spoon
  • Large skillet
  • Tongs
  • Plate
  • rubber or silicone spatula

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter softened but not melted
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2-2 ½ pounds total
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
  • ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional

Instructions

  • In medium mixing bowl, stir together softened butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, and salt until ingredients are fully incorporated. Set aside.
    Overhead view of garlic butter sauce mixture in a white bowl with a wooden spoon.
  • Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add avocado oil and swirl skillet to coat evenly.
  • When oil is hot and shimmering, add chicken breasts. Sauté chicken 4 to 5 minutes or until golden, then flip and sauté another 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked-through and no longer pink internally. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Note: if chicken is not cooked-through and firm by this point, reduce heat to low and cover skillet with lid. Cook chicken another 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked-through and firm.
  • Reduce heat under skillet to low. Carefully pour in wine to deglaze skillet and use spatula to scrape up any browned bits of chicken that may have stuck to skillet. Bring liquid to low boil, then cook until liquid has reduced by 50%. There should be roughly ¼ cup liquid left in skillet.
  • Add garlic butter mixture and chopped parsley (if using) to skillet. Stir well until garlic butter has melted completely, then return cooked chicken to skillet. Spoon garlic butter sauce over chicken breasts, then plate chicken with desired sides and serve immediately.
  • Serving Suggestions: Rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, spinach casserole, or a small salad.
  • Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftover garlic butter chicken in an airtight container up to 5 days. To reheat, slice chicken and add to skillet with leftover garlic butter sauce. Cover skillet and heat over low heat until chicken is completely warmed through.
  • Make it Dairy Free: Use a dairy-free butter.
  • Make it Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter.
  • Make it Whole30: Use ghee instead of butter and chicken broth instead of white wine.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 552calProtein: 49gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 206mgSodium: 593mgPotassium: 881mgTotal Carbs: 1gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.3gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 861IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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