How To Make Garlic Butter Chicken
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
Chicken – I usually use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can make my recipe with boneless chicken thighs as well. Choose pieces that are similar in thickness, so they cook at the same rate. Oil – I use olive oil to sear the chicken at first, as butter would burn during that step. Avocado oil also works. Don’t you worry, we’re definitely adding butter, too… 😉 Butter – There it is! I almost always prefer unsalted butter so that I can control the salt content, but you can use salted and just use less salt in the recipe. Garlic – The star of the show in my garlic butter sauce for chicken! I’ll admit I use jarred minced garlic for many dishes to save time, but for this one I always use fresh. It tastes so much better, plus I actually prefer the texture of a coarser mince here. Since this is a main ingredient, I don’t recommend substituting garlic powder, either. Chicken Broth – Adds volume to the sauce and makes it more savory. I recommend reduced-sodium broth, because it cooks down and regular broth will make your sauce too salty. I like this brand when I’m in a rush, but my homemade chicken broth or bone broth makes the chicken taste even better. You can also substitute white wine for a different flavor. Dried Herbs – I usually use a mix of dried herbs for variety and to make it easy: dried thyme, dried oregano, dried rosemary, and dried parsley. Triple the amount if you want to substitute fresh herbs (I actually used fresh rosemary for these pictures). I’ve also made this butter garlic chicken with just Italian seasoning mix, a.k.a. my go-to herb blend. If you want some heat, throw in some crushed red pepper flakes, too. Sea Salt & Black Pepper
If you like a lemony flavor, add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and/or a teaspoon of lemon zest to the sauce at the end, before you return the chicken to the pan. This tastes a lot like my lemon garlic chicken, but with a buttery pan sauce that reminds me of my lemon butter sauce.
Let the pan and oil get hot before searing. Otherwise, the chicken will just soak up the oil and stick to the pan. The oil is hot enough when it slides around the pan easily, but my easy way to test is to add a drop of water — if it sizzles, you’re good to go. Sear the chicken until just barely done. The main trick to juicy chicken breast is always the cook time, so I test for doneness using my trusty meat thermometer. After searing, I usually remove the chicken from the pan when it hits 160-163 degrees F. Then, it comes up to 165 degrees F while it rests covered in foil as I cook the sauce. Worst case, if it doesn’t reach that internal temperature, I finish cooking it in the sauce for a couple of minutes at the end. Much better this way than drying it out upfront! If the chicken is golden but not cooked through, reduce the heat. I start at medium-high to get that browned exterior, but sometimes need to turn it down so it doesn’t burn. You may or may not need to do this depending on your pan, your stove, and the thickness of your chicken. For extra juicy chicken, you can brine it. This is totally optional, as garlic butter chicken already comes out juicy (as long as you don’t overcook it). But when I’m planning ahead, I brine it just like I do for my baked chicken breast — read the post for how to do it. For even faster cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. This cuts the searing time by about half. I don’t usually bother since I’d have to spend the time dicing the chicken instead, but it can be worthwhile if you do it ahead of time. It’s similar to my recipe for chicken bites. Double or triple the sauce to use for your side. My garlic butter chicken recipe makes the perfect amount of sauce for the chicken itself, but if you double or triple it, you can toss your side dishes with it. See ideas below!
Mash – Nothing beats mash to soak up that garlic butter sauce! You can make regular mashed potatoes, but I actually love it with mashed cauliflower or even mashed sweet potatoes. Rice Or Noodles – These work particularly well if you double or triple the sauce like I suggested above. Toss your favorite rice, cauliflower rice, pasta, spaghetti squash (my personal favorite), or zucchini noodles with the sauce, and serve the chicken on top. Roasted Veggies – I like to pop these in the oven before I start the garlic butter chicken recipe, so my main dish and side are done at the same time. This chicken pairs well with my smashed brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, roasted green beans, or roasted asparagus. Simple Salads – If you want a lighter side to balance out the rich main, go with a fresh salad, like my spring mix salad or avocado Caprese salad.
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