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Garlic Butter Chicken is a rich and flavorful one-pan recipe that’s on the dinner table in just 30 minutes! Seasoned, tender chicken breasts are pan-seared and then nestled in a simple yet tasty garlic butter sauce.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crowd-Pleasing: This garlic butter chicken has the best flavor, yet it’s simple enough that even kiddos love this one!
- Easy to Prepare: No need to marinate the chicken! You’ll have this ready to serve in just about 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights.
- Budget-Friendly: If you’re looking for a restaurant quality meal that won’t break the bank, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients You Need to Make Garlic Butter Chicken
You probably already have most of the ingredients you need to make this garlic butter chicken recipe on hand. You will love how quickly it comes together! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Chicken Breasts: You’ll need four boneless skinless chicken breasts. Lightly pound them into thinner pieces so they cook evenly.
- Salt & Pepper: To really bring out the flavor of the chicken.
- Seasonings: We’re coating the chicken with a mix of parsley, oregano, and basil to add plenty of delicious herby flavor.
- Olive Oil: For cooking the chicken.
- White Wine Vinegar: Brightens the flavor and cuts the richness.
- Chicken Broth: Adds flavor to the sauce and makes the consistency just right.
- Butter: The butter creates a rich, delicious sauce, which will soak into the chicken for major flavor.
- Shallot: Adds onion flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients.
- Garlic: Minced garlic provides a wonderful depth of flavor.
How to Make This Easy Chicken Recipe
Whether it’s a busy weeknight or you’re hosting guests, this garlic butter chicken recipe is perfect. It’s super easy to make, and it tastes great! Here’s how it all comes together in one pan:
- Prep: Prepare the chicken breasts by pounding them with a meat tenderizer until they are about 1.5 inches thick.
- Mix Seasonings: Mix the salt, parsley, oregano, basil, and pepper in a small bowl, then rub the chicken breasts with the dried herbs.
- Sear the Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, until a golden crust has formed. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side.
- Make the Sauce: Remove the chicken from the pan, then add in the white wine vinegar, chicken broth, butter, and shallot. Saute until the shallot is tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Garlic: Add the garlic to the pan and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the Chicken to the Sauce: Reduce the heat to medium and then add the chicken back to the pan. Coat each breast with the garlic butter sauce mixture. Continue basting the breasts with the sauce until the chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken after 5 minutes to evenly cook. Remove the pan from heat and serve the chicken fresh with the sauce spooned over the top.
Tips for Garlic Butter Chicken
Your family is going to love this super flavorful chicken recipe, and I love how easy it is to make!
- Use Chicken Thighs: Chicken thighs can be used in place of breasts, if they are bone-in skip the tenderizing process.
- Type of Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter, just depending on your preference.
- Chicken Doneness: You want your chicken cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to be sure you have perfectly cooked chicken. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, look for the juices to run clear.
- Serving Suggestions: This chicken goes well with rice, orzo, spaghetti, or potatoes.
Storing Leftovers
Garlic butter chicken makes great leftovers! It stays garlicy and delicious for days!
- In the Refrigerator: Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze your leftovers in a freezer safe plastic bag or container for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat leftovers in the microwave until warmed through. Add a splash of chicken broth to add moisture if desired.
Make it a Meal!
One of my favorite things about this chicken recipe is that it pairs well with so many different sides! Here are a few of my favorites to make this a complete meal!
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Garlic Butter Chicken
Garlic Butter Chicken is a rich and flavorful one-pan recipe that's on the dinner table in just 30 minutes! Well-seasoned, tender chicken breasts are pan-seared and then nestled in a simple, yet tasty sauce made with vinegar, broth, butter, shallots and plenty of garlic.
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, minced, about ¼ cup
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 5-6 cloves
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken breasts by pounding them with a meat tenderizer until they are uniformly about 1.5 inches thick.
- Mix the salt, parsley, oregano, basil, and pepper in a small bowl and rub the chicken breasts with the dried herbs.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet and cook, undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, until a golden crust has formed. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan. Add in the white wine vinegar, chicken broth, butter, and shallot. Saute until the shallot is tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken back to the pan. Coat each breast with the sauce mixture. Continue basting the breasts with the sauce until the chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken after 5 minutes to evenly cook.
- Remove the pan from heat and serve the chicken fresh with the sauce spooned over the top.
Notes
Standard practice is to use unsalted butter, you can use salted butter in this recipe, just season to taste.
You can use chicken thighs in this recipe. Do not tenderize the chicken if it’s bone-in thighs.
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 49gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 992mgPotassium: 905mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 437IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This looks delish but I hate vinegar. I know it has its purpose in many recipes but in a sauce like this, I know for me, that it’s the main note I will taste. Would lemon juice be an acceptable substitute? Do you recommend some other substitute? Thanks for your help.
Hi Debbie, thank you for your question. Lemon juice will for sure work! You could also just leave it out altogether, in a sauce like this the vinegar or lemon juice adds brightness to the dish but leaving it out won’t affect the over all quality. Let me know what you decide and how it turns out!