Creamy Garlic Sauce over delectable, tender chicken thighs is the BEST taste you’ll taste this year! Easy to do and an EYE and TASTE popping recipe for creamy garlic chicken thighs is perfect to serve your family, guests or a crowd!

wooden plate on top of white plate with chicken thigh, sauce and garlic cloves

Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

Why This Recipe Works

Contents show

Easy, fast, TASTY and Feeds a Crowd.
Uses an inexpensive cut of chicken but tastes like a Million Dollars.
Cooking in the Dutch Oven is quick and yields tender juicy chicken every time!

Here’s How It’s Done

STEP 1. Brown the chicken individually in the pan, it’s ok if it sticks a little. Then remove the chicken to a plate.

STEP 2. Add the garlic cloves and let those saute and become fragrant (few minutes).

STEP 3. Deglaze the pot with either wine or chicken stock, add the other ingredients.

STEP 4. Add the chicken back and then put the lid on a bake in the dutch oven until done. Let rest and make your sauce. YUM!

side view of mashed potatoes, creamy garlic chicken thighs on white plate with spoons

40 Garlic Chicken

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) about Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

How To Cook Chicken Thighs

It’s important to cook these chicken thighs a few at the time in small batches in order to sear in the flavor and also to add a TON of flavor to the dish!

A little bit of the chicken will stick to the bottom of the pan and when you deglaze those tasty bits with the wine and/or chicken stock, whoooweeee does that add flavor!!!

Chicken Thigh Recipes

This is truly one of my own personal favorite dishes on this website! There are some other chicken thigh recipes that are darn good too.

Personally, I enjoy the Jerk Chicken made with chicken thighs and the Creamy Tuscan Chicken. Wowee!!

How to Peel the Garlic for This Recipe?

The BEST way to peel garlic is to cut the root end off of the garlic bulb and then put the rest of it in a mason jar. Put the lid on and shake like crazy until it’s done!

Check out the video located in the recipe card and I show you how to do that! (OR you can just buy already peeled garlic, but that’s cheating! lol jk).

Do I HAVE To Use Wine?

No, you don’t have to use wine for this recipe, just substitute out chicken stock instead. That will be fine.

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead and Then Reheat?

Yes! You absolutely can! The trick is that you have to be VERY CAREFUL with reheating because you don’t want the chicken to boil or to become overdone and stringy.

Heat over low heat and be super careful. You might even want to consider reheating in a crockpot set on low for several hours.

Can This Dish Be Frozen?

You betcha! Simply freeze in a freezer safe container and it will keep for about 3 months.

How Do I Reheat Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

To reheat from frozen: thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, place into an oven safe dish and heat at 300 for 40 minutes.

To reheat from the fridge: Place into sauce pan on the stove top, add about 1/4 C chicken stock or water, heat over low until heated through.

Can I Use Chicken Breasts Instead?

Yes, you CAN BUT the thighs are more flavorful. To use breasts, get the boneless and skinless variety.

Follow the directions but only cook in the dutch oven for 15 minutes and then finish off in the sauce on the stove top. Remove from the heat AS SOON as the breasts are cooked through otherwise, they will be overcooked and stringy.

Can I Use Bone In or Skin On Chicken Thighs?

Yes, you can. You will need to allow a little longer in the dutch oven, probably about 30 minutes.

Remember that the skin will not brown and will be somewhat rubbery and you may want to remove it before you start cooking to avoid that.

Can I Make This in a Crockpot?

If made in a crockpot, it wouldn’t actually save you much work, but here are the instructions.
In a frying pan or stock pot on the stove top, follow the directions in the recipe through browning the chicken, sauteing the garlic, deglazing the pan and adding the other ingredients.
When you come to the part where the chicken should be added back to the dutch oven, instead, put everything into the crockpot and set on low to cook for 6 hours.
30 minutes before serving, add the cornstarch and water to thicken the gravy.

What Goes with Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs?

We love ours with Classic Mashed Potatoes, Rice or Buttered Noodles. You can’t go wrong with anything that tastes good with a gravy on top!

Then, consider Broccoli ( you can see mine cooking on the back of the stove in some of the photos), green beans or a salad.

Do I Need to Wash Chicken Before Cooking?

You do not need to do this, in fact, the USDA recommends against this. You can check that out here.

40 Garlic Chicken

If You Enjoyed This Recipe, You Might Also Enjoy…

How to Cook Lamb Shanks

Easy Chicken Pie

Easy Chicken Stock

Restaurant Style Chicken Fried Rice

Lemon Chicken Piccata

Garlic Ginger Paste

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

When browning the chicken, do not worry if some of it sticks. That creates tasty bits on the bottom of the pan that will deglaze with the wine and chicken stock creating a more tasty sauce!
You can skip the wine and just use all chicken stock instead, but you will be denying yourself some of the flavor. The wine cooks off and you don’t taste it, but it does leave a little tang that is quite delicious.
Feel free to substitute milk, almond milk or whatever milk substitute you like for the cream BUT I can’t promise about the results. Cream gives this dish a creamy and delicious gravy at the end. It’s entirely up to you.
If you are averse to using corn starch to make a gravy, leave that off, but the resulting sauce will be much thinner and not as enjoyable to spoon over mashed potatoes.
I have substituted melted cream cheese thinned with a little milk for the cream in the past, and that worked out quite well.
Remember that this is a very brown dish and you’ll need to serve something that offers a pop of color (any green vegetable works or roasted carrots are yummy too!).
Watch the video in the recipe card and I show you how to easily remove the peel from the garlic.

Can You Give Me A Hand?

Share this recipe with your friends and leave a 5 STAR Comment in the comment section below! That’s how the internet knows this is a great recipe! Thank you SO MUCH!

Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

Creamy Garlic Sauce over delectable, tender chicken thighs is the BEST taste you'll taste this year! Easy to do and an EYE and TASTE popping recipe for creamy garlic chicken thighs is perfect to serve your family, guests or a crowd!

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 10 minute pasta sauce, 40 garlic chicken, Creamy Garlic Chicken

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: servings

Calories: 467kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of Pepper
8 Chicken thighs no skin
40 cloves of garlic - whole peeled
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
¼ cup dry white whine
¼ Cup chicken stock
8 sprigs fresh thyme – tied in a bundle
1 sprig fresh rosemary
¼ cup heavy cream
3 Tbs Corn Starch
3 Tbs cool water
1 Tbs fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350
If your chicken thighs have skin, remove that and discard or save for another use. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and set them aside until ready for the next step.
On the stove top, on medium high heat, place olive oil in a dutch oven. Brown the chicken thighs over the medium high heat 2 at a time – allow about 2 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside in a separate dish.
Add the garlic cloves to the pan and heat until slightly browned – about 2-3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan by adding the wine all at once – allow to cook for 2 minutes then add the chicken stock.
Turn off the stove top heat. Add the dried and fresh herbs. Replace chicken back into the dutch oven and replace the lid. Put dutch oven into the oven on rack so that the dutch oven is positioned into the middle of the oven.
Cook x 35 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to rest x 10 minutes. Do not remove the lid.
After 10 minutes, remove the chicken to a plate and cover with an aluminum foil tent and replace the dutch oven onto the stove top on medium low heat
Add the heavy cream and allow to cook until the sauce in the pan has thickened slightly – about 5 minutes. Remove the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.
In a small bowl, add 3 Tbs Cornstarch and 3 Tbs cool water, mix well until resembles milk and has no lumps. Pour this into the gravy, stir and allow to cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. This will thicken the sauce. Add the chicken back to the sauce and heat for another 3-5 minutes.
Taste for salt and pepper and add as needed. If the dish doesn't have enough flavor, you probably need to add salt. Serve with sauce over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley or a few thyme leaves.

Notes

When browning the chicken, do not worry if some of it sticks. That creates tasty bits on the bottom of the pan that will deglaze with the wine and chicken stock creating a more tasty sauce!
You can skip the wine and just use all chicken stock instead, but you will be denying yourself some of the flavor. The wine cooks off and you don't taste it, but it does leave a little tang that is quite delicious.
Feel free to substitute milk, almond milk or whatever milk substitute you like for the cream BUT I can't promise about the results. Cream gives this dish a creamy and delicious gravy at the end. It's entirely up to you.
If you are averse to using corn starch to make a gravy, leave that off, but the resulting sauce will be much thinner and not as enjoyable to spoon over mashed potatoes.
I have substituted melted cream cheese thinned with a little milk for the cream in the past, and that worked out quite well.
Remember that this is a very brown dish and you'll need to serve something that offers a pop of color (any green vegetable works or roasted carrots are yummy too!).
Watch the video in the recipe card and I show you how to easily remove the peel from the garlic.

PRO TIP: As the garlic cooks, the flavor softens and isn't nearly as strong as what you think it might be. In fact, it becomes a little sweet. To give a more garlicky taste, feel free to add another 1-2 tsp of garlic powder to the gravy as you make it, but only if you truly love garlic flavors.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 467 Calories from Fat 306

% Daily Value*

Fat 34g52%

Saturated Fat 10g50%

Cholesterol 162mg54%

Sodium 139mg6%

Potassium 425mg12%

Carbohydrates 13g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin A 314IU6%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 83mg8%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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***This article was originally published to Loaves and Dishes on November 24, 2014 and has been updated completely with how to photos and steps, why this recipe works, FAQ’s, Tips and Tricks, updated recipe, recipe notes, recipe video, substitutions, equipment and nutrition information***

A VERSE TO SHARE

I’ve been struck lately with how many folks like to condemn “luke warm” Christians. Without fail, the person talking is judging others based on small incidents that they have observed.

Let me just say, the LORD is the only judge of your heart and He is the only one who knows the contents of your heart. Pray and seek his guidance and you won’t go wrong. There will be many false prophets, as the Bible plainly says.

Job 34: 3-4

For the ear tests words
as the tongue tastes food.
Let us discern for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.