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Even better, it only takes 30 minutes to make. Plus, I have a sneaky suspicion you already have most of the ingredients on hand 😏 Follow me…ad will end in 4
Garlic Butter Chicken Breast
For this recipe, you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Butterfly the breasts right through to create 4 evenly sized pieces. This ensures the chicken cooks quicker and more evenly.
Room Temperature
To keep the chicken juicy, don’t cook it straight from the fridge. This can make the chicken seize up and turn chewy. Let the chicken come to room temperature before frying.
Dredge Through Flour
Dredging the chicken in seasoned flour is a nifty trick to ensure the sauce sticks to the chicken. When you fry chicken coated in flour, it turns nice and crispy. The sauce will then absorb into the thin coating of flour on the chicken.
Process shots: Mix flour, garlic powder, and s&p (photo 1), coat chicken (photo 2), add to oil & butter (photo 3), fry both sides until golden (photo 4).
Pan-Fried Garlic Butter Chicken
Pan-frying is the best method because you can start the sauce with the leftover flavors from frying the chicken. First, let’s look at the magic 4-ingredient sauce:
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to control the salt level in the sauce more efficiently.
- Stock: Chicken stock works best. It creates the base of the sauce and helps scrape off any leftover flavor from frying the chicken.
- Garlic: You’ll need 2 cloves, finely diced or minced.
- Parsley: Garlic and parsley is a classic combo that ensures the garlic shines without being overpowering.
Can I use other herbs?
Thyme or rosemary work great. They are stronger than parsley, so start with a small amount and adjust to taste. Always use fresh herbs, as dried herbs won’t infuse into the sauce properly.
Process shots: Fry garlic (photo 1), pour in stock (photo 2), melt in butter (photo 3), whisk to emulsify butter with stock (photo 4), add parsley (photo 5), add chicken back in (photo 6).
Serving Garlic Butter Chicken
Once you’ve added the chicken back in, give it a good baste, then plate up right away. Don’t leave it in the pan too long, or it will overcook.
Serve with a wedge of lemon. The sauce is rich, and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end cuts through that richness. Optional, but recommended 🙂
What to Serve with Garlic Butter Chicken?
Here, I serve with asparagus and Lemon Roasted Potatoes. Other sides that pair nicely include Roasted Broccolini, Roasted Baby Potatoes, or Mustard Mash.
And there we have it! All my top tips for the perfect garlic butter chicken.
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The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally, Chris and Lindsay.
Ingredients
This garlic butter chicken is perfect for a quick and easy midweek dinner. It's rich, garlicky and only requires 4 ingredients for the sauce!
Equipment:
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Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
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Shallow Dish (for dredging)
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Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
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Jug (for stock)
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Tongs
Ingredients (check list):
- 2x 9oz/250g Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp
- 1/4 cup / 40g Plain / All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup / 120ml Chicken Stock
- 6 tbsp / 90g / 3.2oz Unsalted Butter, divided into tbsp chunks (see notes)
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced/finely diced
- 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 Lemon, divided into 4 wedges (to serve)
Instructions
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In a shallow dish, combine 1/4 cup flour with 1 tsp garlic powder & salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
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Butterfly your chicken breasts right through the centre to make 4 even sized breasts. One by one dredge in the flour (press in the flour to get an even coverage), give them a shake then place to one side.
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Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the chicken breasts and fry until golden on each side and white/piping hot through the centre. Approx 3-5mins each side depending on thickness. Place to one side.
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Turn heat down to a medium and add garlic. Fry for 1-2mins until it just begins to brown, then pour in stock. Use your wooden spoon to scrape off any flavour stuck to the pan, then add in your remaining 5 tbsp butter. Swiftly whisk as it melts to bind with the stock, it should turn slightly cloudy. Sprinkle in parsley and season to taste with salt & black pepper.
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Allow to simmer for a few mins until it starts to thicken, then turn down the heat to low and add the chicken back in. Spoon over the sauce then serve up with extra sauce drizzled over and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste (optional - see notes).
Notes
a) Butter - I like using unsalted butter because you get so much more control over how salty it ends up. If you've only got salted just go easy when you season to taste and preferably use low-sodium stock if you've got it. Important to measure correctly (i.e not heaping tbsps) otherwise you'll end up with way too much butter.
b) Lemon - The sauce is quite a rich, so I like serving with a lemon wedge. A gentle squeeze over at the end cuts through the richness. Don't squeeze it straight into the pan or it'll break up the sauce. Lemon is optional.
c) Herbs - Parsley is the classic pairing with garlic butter and goes beautifully here. I have tried with thyme and rosemary, which both work nicely, but they're a lot stronger so just be aware of that. In all cases make sure you're using fresh herbs. Dried herbs won't have long enough to infuse the sauce.
d) Calories - slight over estimate as not all the flour is picked up. Whole recipe shared between 4.