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This healthy creamy garlic chicken is an easy high-protein dinner made with juicy chicken breasts and a rich, creamy garlic sauce made without heavy cream. Cottage cheese creates a smooth velvety texture while Parmesan adds savory depth. This comforting one-pan meal is perfect for busy weeknights and meal prep!
If you love creamy, comforting dinners but want something that feels a little lighter, this recipe is for you! The chicken cooks up juicy and tender, and the garlic sauce is rich, smooth, and full of flavor. This is an easy and delicious dinner you will want on repeat!
For another creamy, lightened-up sauce made with cottage cheese, try our cottage cheese Alfredo sauce next!
Why You Will Love This Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe
- Lightened Up: This is a healthier take on classic creamy garlic chicken, made with just a light spray of olive oil, a small amount of butter, and no heavy cream.
- Delicious Flavor: This creamy garlic chicken is packed with delicious flavor in every bite. Tender chicken is smothered in a luscious creamy garlic sauce.
- One Pan Meal: Everything cooks in one pan for easy prep and minimal cleanup.
- Quick and Easy: This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy nights.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced lengthwise for even cooking.
- Flour: All-purpose flour for lightly dredging the chicken.
- Salt and Pepper: Used to season both the chicken and the sauce.
- Olive Oil: A light spray to sear the chicken.
- Milk: Helps create a smooth and creamy sauce.
- Cottage Cheese: Cottage cheese is blended into the sauce for richness without heavy cream.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grated Parmesan adds a savory, cheesy flavor.
- Butter: A small amount of light butter for sautéing.
- Onion: Diced and cooked until soft.
- Garlic: Crushed garlic cloves for delicious flavor.
- Parsley: Top with chopped fresh parsley for freshness and flavor.
- Cornstarch: Optional, but helps thicken the sauce if needed.
Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Milk Options: Use 1%, 2%, or fat-free milk to keep this recipe lighter. Or, for a richer option, you can use whole milk.
- Cottage Cheese Options: We used fat-free cottage cheese to lighten up this recipe, but low-fat or full-fat will also work.
- Parmesan Cheese: We recommend using freshly grated Parmesan cheese or high-quality pre-grated Parmesan cheese for the best flavor.
- Onion Options: Diced white onion or sweet onion both work well.
- Cornstarch Option: For a thicker sauce, whisk equal parts cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the sauce over low heat until thickened.
How To Make Healthy Creamy Garlic Chicken
Step 1: Slice the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create cutlets. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper, then dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour mixture.
Step 2: Lightly spray a large nonstick pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked and golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a cutting board.
Step 3: Add the milk, cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Set the sauce aside.
Step 4: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the light butter to the same pan. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Then, stir in the crushed garlic and one teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley and sauté briefly until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Step 5: Lower the heat to low and slowly pour the blended sauce into the pan, stirring gently to combine. For a thicker sauce, stir in a cornstarch slurry made with 1½ teaspoons cornstarch and 1½ teaspoons cold water.
Step 6: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Let everything warm together over low heat for a few minutes, just until heated through. Make sure to heat the dish over low heat so the cottage cheese doesn’t separate, and so the sauce stays smooth and creamy.
Step 7: Serve warm, sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley, and add additional grated Parmesan if desired.
Expert Tips
- Blend the Sauce: Thoroughly blend the cottage cheese, milk, and Parmesan until completely smooth before adding it to the pan. This helps ensure a creamy sauce with no lumps or curds.
- Don’t Burn the Garlic: Sauté the onions in the butter first, then add the garlic. Adding the garlic after helps prevent it from burning.
- Low Heat: Once everything is cooked, add the blended sauce to the pan over low heat. This helps prevent the cottage cheese from separating and keeps the sauce smooth and creamy.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some of our favorite ways to serve creamy garlic chicken!
- Enjoy On Its Own: Enjoy this creamy garlic chicken on its own with freshly chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.
- With Sides: Enjoy this dish with some sides such as our crispy air fryer green beans, cauliflower potato salad, or air fryer red potatoes.
- Serve With Bread: We love toasting some bread in the oven. This creamy garlic chicken is absolutely incredible with crusty bread for dipping.
- Add Pasta: You can cook your favorite pasta and add it to the pan with the creamy garlic chicken. Use your pasta of choice.
- Pasta Alternatives: You could add your pasta alternative of choice. Some options are Carba Nada, Palmini, and zucchini noodles.
- Mashed Potatoes: Serve it over cauliflower mashed potatoes, slow cooker mashed potatoes, or cottage cheese mashed potatoes for even more creamy goodness!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover creamy garlic chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. We don’t recommend freezing this dish, as the creamy sauce can change texture once thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Creamy Garlic Sauce Made Of?
Traditional creamy garlic sauce is usually made with heavy cream, butter, and garlic. This lighter version uses cottage cheese, milk, light butter, fresh garlic, and Parmesan cheese to create the same rich, comforting flavor with less fat.
Is Creamy Garlic Chicken Healthy?
Yes, this creamy garlic chicken is lightened up without sacrificing flavor. It uses just a light spray of olive oil and a small amount of light butter, while cottage cheese and milk replace heavy cream. The result is a satisfying sauce that tastes like full-fat cream sauce, but is lighter!
Is Creamy Garlic Chicken Gluten-Free?
Yes, with a simple swap. To make this recipe gluten-free, dredge the chicken in gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour. The creamy garlic sauce itself is naturally gluten-free.
More One Skillet Recipes to Try!
- One Skillet Cream Of Mushroom Chicken
- Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe
- French Onion Chicken Skillet
- Ground Turkey Enchilada Skillet
- Marry Me Chicken Skillet
- Enchilada Egg Skillet
If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating, ★★★★★, letting us know how it turns out for you.
Healthy Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 light spray of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon light butter
- 1/3 cup diced sweet or white onion
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 4 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
For The Creamy Garlic Sauce
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups fat-free cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch, for an even thicker sauce, optional
Instructions
- Slice the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create cutlets. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper, then dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour mixture.
- Lightly spray a large nonstick pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked and golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a cutting board.
- Add the milk, cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Set the sauce aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the light butter to the same pan. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Then, stir in the crushed garlic and one teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley and sauté briefly until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Lower the heat to low and slowly pour the blended sauce into the pan, stirring gently to combine. For a thicker sauce, stir in a cornstarch slurry made with 1½ teaspoons cornstarch and 1½ teaspoons cold water.
- Return the cooked chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Let everything warm together over low heat for a few minutes, just until heated through. Make sure to heat the dish over low heat so the cottage cheese doesn’t separate, and so the sauce stays smooth and creamy.
- Serve warm, sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley, and add additional grated Parmesan if desired.
Video
Notes
- Cottage Cheese to Use: We used fat-free cottage cheese to lighten this recipe up. Low-fat and full-fat cottage cheese will also work.
- Parmesan Cheese: High-quality pre-grated parmesan cheese or freshly grated parmesan cheese will work in this recipe.
- Storing: Store any leftover creamy garlic chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was very good & flavorful. May want to do the prep work first so things don’t start burning!
Hello, I am so happy you enjoyed the creamy garlic chicken! Thank you for leaving a review, yes, always good to do the prep work first, I will try to make that more clear, thanks for the suggestion!
This creamy garlic chicken is one of our go-to dinners. It’s comforting and full of flavor, but still feels light. The chicken is juicy, the sauce is velvety, and you’d never guess it’s made without heavy cream.