Cream Cheese Chicken (Printable)

Tender chicken breasts in a rich cream cheese and Parmesan sauce with garlic and Italian herbs.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lb)

→ Dairy

02 - 7 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 1/4 cup milk
04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
05 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

06 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 2 tbsp fresh chives or parsley, chopped

→ Pantry Staples

09 - 1 tbsp olive oil
10 - 1/2 tsp salt
11 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
12 - 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs

# How To Cook:

01 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken breasts evenly with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the skillet and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a golden-brown crust forms. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
02 - In the same skillet, add the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 additional minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
03 - Add the softened cream cheese, milk, and grated Parmesan to the skillet. Whisk continuously until a smooth, uniform sauce forms with no lumps remaining. Stir in the dried Italian herbs until evenly incorporated.
04 - Return the seared chicken breasts to the skillet, nestling them into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over each piece to coat evenly. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and simmer gently for 15 to 18 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and is fully cooked through.
05 - Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle the chicken generously with fresh chives or parsley. Serve immediately while hot, spooning additional sauce from the pan over each portion.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce basically makes itself while the chicken finishes cooking, so you look like a genius with almost no effort.
  • It is naturally gluten free, which means everyone at the table can dig in without a second thought.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully and taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to mingle.
02 -
  • If the cream cheese is cold when it hits the pan it will seize into lumps that no amount of whisking can fix, so plan ahead and let it soften.
  • Do not skip the step where you remove the chicken before making the sauce, because the fond left behind in the pan is where all the deep savory flavor lives.
03 -
  • Let the chicken rest for two minutes after simmering before slicing so the juices redistribute instead of running out onto the plate.
  • A splash of chicken broth instead of milk in the sauce adds another layer of savory depth without extra fat.

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