Seared chicken thighs are finished in a rich, unctuous white wine garlic sauce — no cream needed! This easy garlic chicken recipe takes about an hour to make and is perfect for serving alongside potatoes, orzo, or rice and your favorite roasted vegetables.
I first made a version of this garlic chicken waaaaay back when I first started blogging. (Basically in the dark ages.) It was good, but knowing what I do now about flavor and cooking techniques, I knew I could make it even better and really up the ante.
It doesn’t hurt that I have a husband who spent a decade working in fine-dining kitchens making lots of chicken in a variety of white wine sauces to give his two cents.
Between the two of us, we put our heads together and made a one-pan main dish that’s pretty simple and incredibly flavorful. It’s the kind of recipe you can make for a weeknight dinner or serve to guests—you know we love to see it!
One-pan creamy garlic chicken
There are two things I really love about this recipe:
- It comes together in one pan. The chicken is seared, then you make the sauce, and finally you finish it all in the oven. One pan, less cleanup. (We all know how much I would rather cook than clean.)
- The sauce is rich without any cream. Not because I have a problem with cooking with heavy cream (I don’t), but because I rarely have it on hand. Somehow it’s an ingredient I regularly forget to pick up at the store. But no problem—this sauce is similar to a gravy (but so much better) and is rich and unctuous, all without a drop of cream.
The sauce for this chicken is really where the magic lies. It uses an entire head of garlic—yes, a whole head! The flavor of the garlic gets layered with white wine, Dijon and stone ground mustard, and fresh herbs.
The result is sauce that is rich but not heavy, with a sharp, herby flavor. It is incredible with the chicken as well as poured over a side of potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Stephie’s testing notes
- Don’t skip the mustard. Sure, garlic is the star here, but the addition of Dijon and stone ground mustard really rounds out the flavor of the sauce. I tried this recipe with just Dijon mustard and it was good but not quite there yet. Adding in a bit of stone ground mustard rounded things out just right, so don’t be tempted to skip it.
- You can use bone in, skin on chicken, but you don’t need it. There are times when bone in, skin on chicken is the way to go, but this sauce is so rich and flavorful that you don’t miss anything by using boneless skinless chicken.
- Fresh herbs really make a difference here. We like using a combination of fresh rosemary and thyme in the sauce. Again—they don’t overpower the garlic, but rather complement it, making for a well-rounded dish. If you have it, a bit of marjoram would also be lovely.
- If you have them, this would be a great recipe for featuring garlic scapes or young spring garlic. Both have a milder flavor than traditional garlic cloves, but would be absolutely delicious in this garlic chicken recipe.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
For full measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
- Garlic: Use an entire large head of garlic. Yes, it sounds like a lot, but the flavor is less pungent than you’d think after being sautéed and then simmered in the sauce.
- Chicken: I prefer boneless skinless thighs, but chicken breasts will also work. If using chicken breasts, keep in mind that they typically cook faster than dark meat does.
- Olive oil and butter: For searing the chicken and creating the base of the sauce.
- Flour: To create a roux that will slightly thicken the sauce.
- Dry white wine: I prefer to use Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. This can be omitted if necessary, but the acidity cuts through the richness of the sauce.
- Mustard: A combination of Dijon and stone ground.
- Fresh herbs: A combination of rosemary and thyme. If you only have dry on hand, use 1/3 the amount.
- Chicken stock: I prefer stock to broth, as it tends to be more flavorful and unctuous. Bone broth would work well, too.
And of course, we can’t forget plenty of fine sea salt and black pepper! We’ll season the chicken and sauce as we cook, creating layers of seasoning for a more flavorful end results.
Making this easy garlic chicken
Prep the garlic by separating and peeling the cloves, then give them a rough chop. You could also slice the cloves if you prefer—I’ve done both and just prefer the less fussy method of roughly chopping when I’m short on time and energy.
Sprinkle all sides of the chicken with most of the salt, then sear in olive oil in a large skillet until golden brown on both sides. I find a 12-inch skillet to be best—make sure it’s oven-safe, because we’re going to transfer the whole pan to the oven later. I’ve used stainless steel and cast iron and both work great.
The chicken will not be fully cooked after searing it. That’s ok! It’ll finish cooking in the sauce later. Just set it aside on a plate for now.
Add the butter and the garlic to the pan and sauté until the garlic is golden.
Add the flour and cook for another minute or two to create a roux. Deglaze the pan with the wine, making sure to get any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add in the mustards and herbs, then the chicken stock along with the rest of the salt and the black pepper.
Once the sauce is well combined, return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Transfer the whole thing to a 400°F oven and bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. This takes about 20 minutes for chicken thighs.
After taking the pan out of the oven, I like to give the sauce a little stir and a final taste for seasoning. Feel free to garnish with a sprinkle of additional fresh thyme or even fresh parsley. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up even more if you’d like!
Serving suggestions
Let the chicken and sauce rest for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to tighten up.
Serve the tender chicken with the sauce alongside mashed or roasted potatoes, buttered orzo pasta, sweet corn risotto, or even rice pilaf. Add your favorite roasted veggies and maybe some rosemary focaccia and you’ve got the perfect full meal!
Storage tips
This easy garlic chicken makes for great leftovers. Store the leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
I don’t recommend freezing, though, as it can cause the sauce to split.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes?
If you love this easy garlic chicken recipe and are in search of more easy dinners, I’ve got you covered.
Sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is a savory favorite that makes perfect use of one of my favorite ingredients: tangy, lightly sweet sun-dried tomatoes.
Remember how I hate the clean-up portion of cooking? Just like this garlic chicken recipe, my one-pot enchilada pasta keeps cleanup simple.
We love making yogurt-marinated chicken skewers and serving them alongside tzatziki and some pita for a super simple dinner!
Easy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large head garlic
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided use
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Separate the garlic cloves, then peel and roughly chop the cloves. Set aside.1 large head garlic
- Season the chicken on all sides with 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- Place a large (12-inch) oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, carefully place the chicken in the pan. Allow to cook, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes, or until golden. Flip the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes on the second side. The chicken will not be cooked through.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Remove the chicken to a plate. Do not wipe out the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned.2 tablespoons salted butter
- Add the flour to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, then add the wine, both mustards, and the herbs. Whisk to combine, making sure to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¾ cup dry white wine, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ tablespoon stone ground mustard, 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- Whisk in the chicken stock, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Once the sauce is well combined, return the chicken to the pan, nestling the pieces into the sauce.½ teaspoons fine sea salt, 1 ½ cups chicken stock, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.
- Stir the sauce and taste, adding additional salt and/or pepper if desired. Allow the chicken and sauce to rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to tighten up. In addition to being delicious on top of the chicken, the sauce is excellent with roasted or mashed potatoes, rice, orzo, etc.
Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used in place of thighs. Since white meat generally cooks faster than dark meat, the chicken may not need to bake as long, so start checking for doneness after about 15 minutes.
- If you only have dry herbs on hand, use about 1/3 the amount in place of the fresh herbs since dry herbs are much more potent.
- The wine can be omitted if necessary. If omitting, add the chicken stock along with the mustard and herbs.
Nutrition
About Stephie
Stephie is the creator of Stephie Cooks, a food blog that focuses on creating memories around the food we share, with family recipes at the site’s heart. Stephie lives in Central Illinois with her husband, daughter, and a menagerie of cats and dogs. When she’s not in the kitchen or at her computer writing, you can usually find her curled up with a book or working on one of her many grandma-esque hobbies. Learn more >