Cream Cheese Chicken
This recipe turns rich cream cheese into a savory sauce.
Serves4
Prep10 minutes
Cook18 minutes to 23 minutes
As perfect as a bagel slathered in cream cheese is, that’s only the beginning of what this tart and creamy ingredient can do. Cream cheese ups the ante in both sweet and savory recipes — this one-skillet dinner is proof. It turns the stellar ingredient into a savory sauce that enrobes boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a high-protein dinner that’s on your table in less than 30 minutes.
Substitution Ideas
Cream cheese chicken is great served with rice, noodles, or vegetable sides like mashed potatoes or green beans, but it’s also an adaptable one-pot dish if you don’t want to make something else. Sauté mushrooms before adding the onions and garlic or finish by stirring in a few handfuls of spinach, another chopped leafy greens, or small broccoli or cauliflower florets before placing the lid on to cook the chicken.
How to Make Cream Cheese Chicken
You’ll start by pan-searing chicken breasts until golden and then remove them to a plate while you make the cream cheese sauce. The chicken won’t be fully cooked here, but this is the key to tender, moist chicken breasts. Lock in the juices and build flavor with a nice sear, then once the sauce is ready, return them to the pan and gently finish cooking them in sauce so the meat doesn’t overcook.
What Cut of Chicken Should I Use for Cream Cheese Chicken?
While any cut of chicken suits this creamy sauce, we love pairing the richness of the sauce with fast-cooking and lean boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe
This recipe turns rich cream cheese into a savory sauce.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 18 minutes to 23 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
small yellow onion
- 4 cloves
garlic
- 1 small bunch
fresh dill
- 8 ounces
cream cheese
- 4
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
- 3/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more as needed
- 4 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup
dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups
low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons
Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
Instructions
Finely chop 1 small yellow onion and peel and mince 4 garlic cloves. Pick the fronds from the 1 small bunch fresh dill and coarsely chop until you have 2 tablespoons. Cut 8 ounces cream cheese into 8 pieces. Pat 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate (it will not be cooked through).
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant and golden-brown, about 1 minute more. Pour in 1/2 cup dry white wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until almost evaporated, about 1 minute.
Pour in 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth. Add the cream cheese, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, until the cream cheese is melted and combined. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring back to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the dill and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.