Garlic Butter Chicken is a quick and easy recipe that combines chicken and baby potatoes with fresh garlic, butter, and mozzarella cheese. It pulls together quickly, making it an ideal protein-packed weeknight meal.
This delicious, easy chicken recipe is one of my son’s favorites and perfect for busy weeknights. The chicken is moist, tender, and flavorful. For the perfect meal, serve with a side of roasted asparagus, sauteed green beans, or garlic butter mushrooms.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
- Baby potatoes: I use Melissa’s Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
- Butter: Unsalted or salted. If using salted butter, cut back on the amount of added salt.
- Red pepper flakes: If you have a delicate palate, skip the crushed red pepper and go for something milder like rosemary, thyme, or Italian seasonings.
- Cheese: Mozzarella, Italian blend cheese, or any combination of these.
How to make Garlic Butter Chicken
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and place them in a casserole dish. Top with potatoes.
- Cook the garlic in the melted butter. Move the skillet off the heat and let the butter mixture cool for a few minutes.
- Pour it over the chicken and lightly sprinkle with red pepper flakes and dried parsley. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Top the chicken with an Italian blend and mozzarella. Place back in the oven and bake until the cheese is fully melted. Turn the broiler on for the last minute of cooking and lightly brown the top.
Preparation Tip
- Make sure you do not overcook the garlic. It only needs a minute or so in the butter on low heat. Minced garlic cooks very quickly and burns easily. Burnt garlic tastes bitter.
- You can increase the cheese or decrease the cheese depending on your taste. Try a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese right before serving.
- Cooked chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees.
- For a low-carb meal, skip the baby potatoes and replace them with bite-sized pieces of veggies like zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower.
What To Serve With Garlic Butter Chicken
- Salad: Italian salad, tomato salad, or Asian cucumber salad
- Vegetables: Creamed spinach, Bacon wrapped asparagus, or Roasted cauliflower
- Bread and Rolls: drop biscuits, beer bread, or hush puppies
More Chicken Recipes
Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe
This quick and easy garlic butter chicken combines chicken breasts and baby potatoes in a fresh garlic butter sauce topped with mozzarella.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 467kcal
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- I lb. baby potatoes if larger than one-inch slice in half
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup shredded Italian blend cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and place in a single layer in a casserole dish. Top with baby potatoes.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour garlic butter over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle with half the crushed pepper and half the dried parsley.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked through. Top evenly with both kinds of cheese and the rest of the red pepper flakes and dried parsley. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Turn the broiler on for the last minute of cooking to lightly brown the tops but stay close by as broilers are unpredictable.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power until warmed through.
- To freeze, first cool completely. Then add it to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat at reduced power in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 487mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 1008IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 1mg
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Dian
If using thighs, do you need to increase the baking time?
Beth Pierce
Yes you do by about ten minutes.
Kathryn
Winner winner how about this chicken dinner?! But how can you go wrong smothering anything in garlic butter and cheese?? Broccoli on the side soaking up that butter too. Thanks Beth!
Jacqueline
Going to prepare this for my parents when they visit at the weekend. Will parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes before baking as I find this always works and the potatoes get nice and fluffy. Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Jacqueline! The pleasure is all mine, I sure hope your parents enjoy the recipe.
Heidy
This Garlic Butter Chicken must be off the chain with all these awesome comments I am reading. I was reading and thinking that I love how you use healthy ingredients and provide excellent tips. I really have enjoyed so many of your wonderful recipes and cannot wait to make this tomorrow!! Have a great day!
Ana F.
What a delicious recipe! The combination of flavors turned out delicious. It’ll be on rotation for weeknight dinners for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
Alisa Infanti
You had me at garlic and butter. This dish was absolutely delish!
Pam
What an easy sounding recipe, but delicious too! I can’t wait to try it.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Traci! I love a dish that smells good. I hope you like it!!
Angie
To keep it kid friendly I left out the red pepper flakes, but otherwise made it as written. I did like it but felt like it was *begging* for lemon to go with the butter/garlic sauce. Will definitely add that next time. For leftovers, my son loved having it heated up and eaten as a chicken burger with a side of potatoes – just add a bun !
Beth Pierce
Thanks Angie! So glad that you liked it and thanks for the tip!
Audrey Kinee
I definitely want to make this recipe. Should I double the butter part of I want to put this over pasta? I just don’t want the pasta to be dry
Beth Pierce
Yeah I think that I would.