Garlic Butter Chicken Breast - A Quick and Easy Midweek Dinner


On a hectic weekday, are you looking for a great and hassle-free supper option? Look no farther than this recipe for chicken breasts in garlic and butter! It's the ideal option for a quick and excellent meal because the sauce only requires four basic ingredients and cooks in 30 minutes. You probably already have the majority of the components in your cupboard as well!

Butterfly the Chicken for Even Cooking

To ensure that the chicken cooks evenly and quickly, it's best to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and butterfly them. This involves cutting through the middle of the breast to create four even-sized pieces. This not only shortens the cooking time but also guarantees even cooking of the chicken.

 

Bring the Chicken to Room Temperature

To achieve juicy and tender chicken, it's important not to cook it straight from the fridge. Cooking cold chicken can cause it to seize up and become chewy. To prevent this, allow the chicken to come close to room temperature before frying it. This will help the chicken to cook more evenly and retain its moisture.

 

Dredge the Chicken in Seasoned Flour

One handy trick to make sure that the sauce sticks to the chicken is to dredge it in seasoned flour. This creates a thin coating on the chicken that turns crispy when fried. The sauce soaks up into the flour coating of the chicken as you pour it over it, giving it a great flavor.

Process shots show how to fry chicken by coating it in flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper (picture 1), adding it to oil and butter (photo 2), then frying it on both sides until golden (photo 3). (Photo 4).

 

Pan-Fry for Maximum Flavor

The best cooking technique for this recipe is pan frying since it enables you to preserve the chicken's frying characteristics and add them to the sauce.

There are only four basic ingredients needed for the sauce:

1.  Unsalted butter: You can regulate the amount of salt in the sauce by using unsalted butter. Chicken stock: Chicken stock forms the base of the sauce and also helps to scrape off any leftover flavors from frying the chicken.

2.  Garlic: Finely diced or minced garlic adds a rich and aromatic flavor to the sauce.

3.  Parsley: Parsley is a classic herb that pairs well with garlic and adds a fresh and vibrant touch to the sauce. Other herbs like thyme or rosemary can be tried as well, but be sure to modify the dosage because they are stronger than parsley. Fresh herbs are recommended for maximum flavor, as dried herbs may not infuse properly into the sauce.

4.  Process Shots: Garlic and butter are fried together in photo 1, chicken stock is added in photo 2, butter is melted in photo 3, parsley is added in photo 4, and chicken is then added back in (photo 6).

Serve and Enjoy!

Give the chicken a thorough basting and plate it right soon after you've placed it back into the pan with the sauce. The chicken should not be left in the pan for too long or it may overcook. For an extra burst of flavor, serve the garlic butter chicken with a wedge of lemon to cut through the richness of the sauce. It's optional but highly recommended for a perfectly balanced and satisfying meal.

 

In conclusion, this garlic butter chicken breast recipe is a simple yet delicious option for a quick and easy midweek dinner. You may surprise your family or friends with a tasty and juicy chicken dinner by following a few simple steps. Bring the chicken to room temperature, coat it in seasoned flour, and pan-fry it until it's golden and crispy, and you'll have a delicious and filling supper in no time!


How to make Garlic Butter Chicken (Full Recipe)

Equipment:

  •  2x 9 oz/250g Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp

  • 1/4 cup / 40g Plain / All Purpose Flour

  • 1/2 cup / 120ml Chicken Stock

  •  6 tbsp. / 90g / 3.2oz Unsalted Butter, divided into tbsp. chunks (see notes)

  •  

  •  2 cloves of Garlic, minced/finely diced

  •  1 tbsp. finely diced Fresh Parsley

  •  1 tbsp. Olive Oil

  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder

  • 1 tsp Salt, plus more to taste

  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, plus more to taste

  • 1 Lemon, divided into 4 wedges (to serve)

 

Instructions:

  1. In a shallow dish, combine 1/4 cup flour with 1 tsp garlic powder & salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

  2. Butterfly your chicken breasts right through the center to make 4 even sized breasts. One by one dredge in the flour (press in the flour to get an even coverage), give them a shake then place to one side.

  3. Add 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the chicken breasts and fry until golden on each side and white/piping hot through the center. Approx. 3-5 mins each side depending on thickness. Place to one side.

  4. Turn heat down to a medium and add garlic. Fry for 1-2 mins until it just begins to brown, then pour in stock. Use your wooden spoon to scrape off any flavor stuck to the pan, then add in your remaining 5 tbsp. butter. Swiftly whisk as it melts to bind with the stock, it should turn slightly cloudy. Sprinkle in parsley and season to taste with salt & black pepper.

  5. Allow to simmer for a few mins until it starts to thicken, then turn down the heat to low and add the chicken back in. Spoon over the sauce then serve up with extra sauce drizzled over and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste (optional - see notes).

 

Notes:

a) Butter - I like using unsalted butter because you get so much more control over how salty it ends up. If you've only got salt, just go easy when you season to taste and preferably use low-sodium stock if you've got it. Important to measure correctly (i.e not heaping tbsps) otherwise you'll end up with way too much butter.

b) Lemon - The sauce is quite rich, so I like serving it with a lemon wedge. A gentle squeeze over at the end cuts through the richness. Don't squeeze it straight into the pan or it'll break up the sauce. Lemon is optional.

c) Herbs - Parsley is the classic pairing with garlic butter and goes beautifully here. I have tried with thyme and rosemary, which both work nicely, but they're a lot stronger so just be aware of that. In all cases make sure you're using fresh herbs. Dried herbs won't last long enough to infuse the sauce.

d) Calories - slight overestimate as not all the flour is picked up. Whole recipe is shared between 4.

 


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