Description
Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs combine tender, juicy chicken thighs with a rich and flavorful garlic butter sauce, featuring the lusciousness of butter, aromatic garlic, and creamy textures. This quick and easy comfort dish results in moist, succulent chicken simmered in a silky sauce, perfect for any weeknight meal or special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare and Season the Chicken: Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season generously with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to ensure every bite is flavorful from the inside out.
- Sear the Chicken: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, then add the chicken thighs skin-side down. Let them sear undisturbed until the skin is golden and crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Flip and sear the other side briefly for even color and flavor.
- Sauté the Garlic: Remove the chicken and set aside. Add minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to burn it.
- Create the Creamy Sauce: Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream, scraping any browned bits from the pan bottom. Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Simmer the Chicken in Sauce: Return the chicken thighs to the skillet, spooning sauce over them. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is luxuriously creamy, about 10-15 minutes.
Notes
- Use skin-on thighs for the crispiest skin texture by cooking skin-side first without moving the chicken too much.
- Patting chicken dry before seasoning helps it brown evenly and crisp better.
- Use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder for the best and brightest garlic flavor.
- Deglaze the pan with broth to lift flavorful browned bits and enrich the sauce.
- Simmer the sauce gently to maintain a creamy texture without curdling.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Pan-searing and simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh with sauce
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
Keywords: creamy garlic butter chicken, chicken thighs, garlic butter sauce, creamy chicken recipe, easy chicken dinner, comfort food, gluten free chicken
