Description
A reliable recipe for creamy garlic chicken thighs, combining seasoned chicken and a rich garlic cream sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6–8 chicken thighs, bone-in skin-on (or 8 boneless)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1–2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil
- 1 tbsp butter (optional for flavor)
- 4–6 garlic cloves, minced (plus 2 whole cloves for gentle sauté)
- 1 small shallot or 1/2 small onion, minced (optional)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or 3/4 cup chicken stock (for deglazing)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1–2 tsp Dijon mustard or lemon juice (acid to balance)
- Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley)
- Optional: mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes
Instructions
- Pat the thighs dry and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Mince garlic and shallot. Gather cream and deglazing liquid.
- Heat skillet over medium-high until hot. Add oil, then place thighs skin-side down, pressing to ensure contact. Cook until skin is deep golden, about 6–8 minutes.
- Flip and sear the other side for 2–3 minutes before transferring to a plate.
- Lower heat to medium. Add butter if using. Sauté shallot until translucent, then add minced garlic and cook for 30–45 seconds.
- Deglaze with wine or stock, scraping browned bits (fond) from the pan.
- Return chicken to the pan skin-side up. Add cream and a teaspoon of Dijon or lemon, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover partially and simmer until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) for boneless or 175–180°F (79–82°C) for bone-in, about 8–12 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and acid. Add chopped herbs and let sit for 3–5 minutes before serving.
Notes
For a lighter version, use low-fat milk with a cornstarch slurry. Adjust seasoning according to taste after simmering.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Pan-Seering and Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 90mg