This Creamy Garlic Chicken Skillet is the ultimate weeknight comfort food! Made with tender chicken thighs, juicy cherry tomatoes, hearty spinach, and loads of salty parmesan, this simple recipe is straight up irresistible!
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On any given weeknight a simple chicken recipe is my go-to choice. Feeding my family can be hard! Everyone’s got different preferences and tastes and I don’t have the time to cater to them all. I know all you busy moms out there feel me on that one.
So, when in doubt I bust out a pack of chicken thighs or breasts from the freezer and whip a quick bake or casserole like this one!
This Creamy Garlic Chicken Skillet is a quick and easy recipe made with less than 10 ingredients. Active cooking time is short and doesn’t require much effort on your part. Recipes like these make serving my family a wholesome, nutritious meal that much more accessible and delicious!
Ingredients
I pride myself on being able to turn out something tasty from simple, pantry-staple ingredients. It’s a skill I’ve practiced over the years so that I can share easy to make recipes with y’all!
Oven-baked garlic chicken thighs don’t require any fuss. Just follow my lead and you’ll be eating dinner in no time!
Here’s what you need:
- CHICKEN THIGHS
- YELLOW ONION
- CHERRY TOMATOES
- GARLIC
Wanna know what makes this recipe extra special? I’ll tell ya! Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup. Made with a smooth, rich combination of high-quality chicken stock, cream, and tender chicken, this pantry staple soup adds an almost indescribable flavor to this recipe.
Adding cream of chicken to the creamy garlic sauce is a great way to introduce an extra creamy, almost umami-like taste to this dish!
How to Pan Sear Chicken Thighs
When using any cut of chicken that still has its skin, it’s best to first sear it at high heat to form a crisp, browned exterior. Not only does this method add more flavor but it also helps to retain moisture.
To properly sear chicken thighs, you’ll need to first pat them dry and generously season them with salt and pepper. While you do so, preheat the skillet to a medium-high heat along with the oil. Sear the thighs skin-side down first for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is tight, shiny, and golden-brown around the edges. Flip and repeat on the second side.
Can I use Chicken Breasts?
Yes! I’m all about using whatever you’ve got on hand! This Garlic Chicken Skillet can be made with both chicken thighs and chicken breasts. Note that breasts (dependent on size) will take a longer time to cook all the way through. You can check for doneness using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature will reach 165 F.
How To Make Baked Garlic Chicken Skillet
- COOK THE BACON. First things first y’all, we need some smoky-salty, crispy bacon. Stay close and flip the bacon once to cook both sides evenly. Don’t discard the fat from the pan!
- SEAR THE CHICKEN. We’ll be using the bacon fat to sear both sides of the chicken. Brown both sides evenly, it’ll take about 10-15 minutes total. If the fat begins to smoke, or the chicken is browning too quickly, lower the heat a bit or remove the pan from heat for a moment.
- MAKE THE CREAMY GARLIC BASE. To the now very flavor infused pan add your diced onions and tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and translucent and the tomatoes are slightly blistered. Then stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Finally dump the rest of ingredients in the pan and stir! Once done, the spinach should be wilted and the cheese melted.
- ADD THE CHICKEN AND BACON BACK. Carefully place all the meat back in the pan and spoon some sauce over the top.
- BAKE, COOL, AND SERVE. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Let the dish cool for about 5 minutes, then serve!
What To Serve with It
You can serve up this garlic baked chicken recipe just about any which way you’d like! I prefer to serve mine over a bed of pasta, rice, or steamed vegetables. Even a simple side salad would make for a delicious, refreshing pairing!
What To Do With Leftover Chicken Thighs
If you’ve cooked more chicken than you need, or just want to store leftovers for later, here’s how you do it. Wait until the chicken has cooled to almost room temperature and then transfer it into an airtight container. Store the container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Note: Be sure to store the chicken away within 2 hours of cooking. Meat is highly perishable and should not sit at room temperature.
How To Reheat
Reheating creamy garlic chicken is pretty simple. Honestly, most of the time I just zap it in the microwave until nice and hot. This method will alter the texture of the chicken a bit though.
Alternatively, you can preheat the oven to 350 and place the chicken in an oven-safe dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Grandbaby Cakes Easiest Chicken Recipes!
Creamy Garlic Chicken Skillet
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone in and skin on
- kosher salt and fresh cracker pepper
- 4 thick-cut bacon slices
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 6 garlic cloves minced or finely sliced
- 1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 3 cup baby spinach
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
- red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Rinse and pat dry the chicken thighs. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the bacon down on the pan in a single layer. Cook, flipping once, until fully cooked and crisp.
- Lower the heat to medium, removing the pan from heat for a minute or so if it’s smoking. Add the chicken thighs to the pan skin side down and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 5-8 more minutes, or until fully cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan. Set aside.
- Add the onion and tomatoes and cook until the onions are tender and translucent and the tomatoes are slightly blistered, about 4-7minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, constantly stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cream of chicken, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and spinach to the pan. Mix to combine and continue to cook until the spinach is wilted and tender. Add in the parmesan cheese. Allow the sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce.
- Add the crumbled bacon and cooked chicken back into the pan; sprinkle with chili pepper flakes (if using), and spoon the sauce over each chicken thigh.
- Add the skillet to the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through then serve over pasta, rice or steamed veggies and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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This recipe was so good. Everyone loved it and wants it repeated.
YAY! So happy to hear that!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!! It came out perfectly as written! We enjoyed it this evening, had it with Jamine Rice and fresh steamed green beans. Perfect in every way. Lot of leftovers for us!!! Neither of us can wait for tomorrow, lol!
I am going to bake a nice artisan bread tomorrow to go with it.
This recipe is OUTSTANDING! I made it with tagliatelle pasta for my husband and he LOVED it! I had mine as it is since I’m doing keto and it was fantastic! Definitely adding this to my recipe collection.
This chicken recipe was delicious and easy to make. I paired it with ziti pasta. My husband loved it. Thank you for a great weeknight recipe!!
This is such a simple recipe but packed full of flavour. Perfect for busy weeknights.
The chicken indeed was super creamy and paired wonderfully with my basmati rice! Thanks
This looks really good, woah! Will try this tomorrow night with my mommah!
This was delicious! We really enjoyed both making and eating it!
We love this skillet garlic chicken. It’s so easy and my kids love it!