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Slow Cooker

Creamy Garlic Chicken

by:
June  7, 2021
4
31 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham. Food Stylist: Amelia Rampe. Prop Stylist: Amanda Widis.
  • Prep time 35 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 2 to 3
Author Notes

If you have time to marinate the chicken, it will be that much more tender (but you don’t have to). You can let the chicken marinate for anything from 30 minutes to up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can also marinate the chicken, and freeze the marinade and chicken together. That way, when you’re ready to cook, simply brown the garlic in butter, throw in the frozen chicken and marinade (skipping the step where you sear the chicken), and just cook it in the Instant Pot.

You can double up on the sauce ingredients, and save some of the extra sauce to serve over asparagus or other steamed vegetables. You could add in a cup or so of mushrooms to this dish and have a more complete meat and vegetable dish in one go. If you are dairy-free or kosher, use coconut milk or coconut cream for the cream, and coconut or olive oil for the butter. If you are vegetarian, use a hearty vegetable like butternut squash or even turnips instead of the chicken. If you don’t have herbes de Provence, sub Italian blend herbs or even Greek blend herbs for a slightly different taste.

Last thing: Go easy on the salt in this recipe. Start with the 1/2 teaspoon specified and add more as needed. —Urvashi Pitre

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Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 8 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
  1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade (from the herbes de Provence to the minced garlic), using a wire whisk to emulsify the oil and vinegar together.
  2. Add in chicken thighs and allow to marinate at room temperature 30 minutes. If you need to marinate for longer, put in the refrigerator.
  3. When ready to cook, heat a heavy-bottomed pan. When it is hot, add the butter and allow it to melt. Add chopped garlic and sauté 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken, leaving behind as much of the marinade as you can. (Do not discard the marinade!) Cook the chicken thighs so they can lightly brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the marinade and 1/4 cup water. Cover the pot and allow the thighs to cook 10 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
  5. Remove the chicken to a plate and add 1/4 cup cream into the pot, mixing well with the liquid. As soon as the sauce thickens, pour it over the chicken thighs and serve with rice, noodles, or potatoes.
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This Recipe is Featured In:

My Famous Instant Pot French Garlic Chicken Is the Creamiest, Dreamiest Dinner

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Dr. Urvashi Pitre is the President of a global marketing consulting firm, as well as the author of several best-selling cookbooks.

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28 Reviews

Write a Review
Helen January 4, 2024
I used the instant pot version. I added much more Dijon and cream. Everyone else liked it better than me. I will try it again on the stove and next time will use bone in thighs, more mustard and tarragon (finished my herbs de Provence). Also like the idea of deglazing the pan with vermouth or white wine. Garlic was not overpowering at all but I also coarsely chopped the garlic for the sauce. Served with steamed red potatoes and green beans.
Vanessacontessa October 5, 2023
Super easy. Super delish. Good w bone in or boneless
Jennyf July 18, 2022
Served over rice and was lacking in sauce. I would double or triple the sauce even if not over rice. Also might add more herbs de Provence next time, as it was not very noticeable.
Jennyf May 3, 2022
I love this recipe! I wondered if it would be too garlicky, but it was just right. A keeper for sure. My garlic almost burned so I suggest keep it low and pay attention.
Greg C. January 18, 2021
Step 3, "heat a heavy-bottomed pan" over what heat? This is somewhat critical, as butter and garlic will easily burn after 2-3 minutes at a higher heat.
Usually, I sauteed garlic for 30 seconds. not 4 to 6 times that.
Cynthia A. October 4, 2020
Have I missed something? I do not see the directions for the Pressure cooker method?
Pam October 4, 2020
There is no pressure cooker method- you just cook it in a heavy-bottomed skillet. It’s cooks pretty quickly so no pressure cooking needed.
Pam September 23, 2020
I've made this a few times and I love it- so quick, easy and very flavorful. I also love that its made with everyday household ingredients.

I definitely recommend adding mushrooms- put them in when you sautée the garlic. I found the black pepper a tad overwhelming if the recipe is made as is, but 1 tsp is perfect with the mushrooms. Salt is fine, you can add an extra pinch with the mushrooms if desired.

Remember- you mince garlic for the marinade, but only chop for the sauce. People who are burning it are probably mincing. I don't think its overpowering on the garlic at all. I love it with some roasted veggies and mashed potato/cauliflower on the side.
Keith S. May 21, 2020
I enjoyed the result, and actually think the addition of a bit of wine or cognac to the sauce would give it more depth. It’s more Simply Recipes than Serious Eats or Food&Wine in its ease, but casual in the writing—what temperature did each of us saute the chopped garlic at? I wondered if gator3’s oppressive garlic experience, which wasn’t the case in this house, reflected that question—and the sauce is pleasant indeed over rice. Next time, I’ll add the mushrooms.
Danielle December 22, 2019
I’m going to try this with a different herb blend. Everything cooked up great, but the lavender in the herbes tasted like biting into my hand cream. I googled the blend and apparently adding lavender is an American thing.
Lindsay S. June 3, 2020
you either love or hate it, I LOVE it! I am so surprised to hear its not French, since I got so used to Rose and violet flavored ice cream/candies there. Here in Washington state, we grow lavender so maybe it got popular around here!
tastysweet December 21, 2019
I see that the chicken doesn't get browned. Can it?
Karisa B. November 30, 2019
My whole family loved this. I made double the sauce, but less chopped garlic proportionally. I sauteed the garlic after the chicken, just before adding the marinade, because I didn't want it to burn.
Elizabeth F. November 20, 2019
I made this tonight and it did not disappoint! This marinade is so good. I used thin cut chicken breasts because I hate pan frying thick breasts. I should’ve just gone with chicken legs because the breasts were too thin. Luckily I did not dry them out. I only used one chopped garlic instead of eight, I’m sure I could’ve added one or two more. Eight seemed excessive for a pound of chicken. This marinade did not disappoint though, and I will be adding this to my rotation.
MarSueTo October 23, 2019
After the great reviews on this recipe, I prepared it for dinner this evening. It is just my husband & I, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts.

I used my InstaPot for this recipe. It was easy to prepare, quick & very good! My husband really liked it too. Next time I’ll double the sauce like some reviewers suggested. We ate it with angel hair pasta & a side garden salad.

I forwarded this recipe to my three adult sons who are great cooks. 😃
Pam October 21, 2019
I have no idea why this has negative reviews from some, this was amazing!! I like food that packs a punch of flavor, and this did just that. I added mushrooms and they worked really well in the dish (added it to the pan along with the garlic).

- I didn’t find the garlic overpowering, keep in mind that you mince it for the marinade, but only chop it for the sauce. If you mince it too fine it will burn while the chicken is cooking.

- Don’t add more salt! I thought I would need a tad more cause I added some mushrooms, but it wasn’t needed.

I will definitely be making this often, 10/10.
Kelly October 20, 2019
After reading the earlier comments I was a little hesitant, but the chicken was already marinating so I was committed...But this was delicious - even the picky 11 year old gave it thumbs up. Doubled marinade and sauce to have some to pour over green beans and basmati rice. Very fast, very delicious - this is going into the week night rotation. I wonder if the overpowering garlic came from people mincing the garlic very fine instead of chopping?
Kelly October 19, 2019
Made the marinade with fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. Used bone-in, skin-on thighs that I had cooked in the sous vide earlier in the week. Crisped the skin in the pan with chicken fat and butter. Took chicken out and cooked the garlic in the fat. Added the marinade but used the chicken jus (from cooking in the sous vide) in place of the water. Cooked it down a bit then put the chicken (sans skin...YUM) in to heat up. Sauce needed time to cook down and meld. Served with braised red potatoes (from Cook's Illustrated). Wonderful!
Kelly October 19, 2019
Oops. Forgot to say I used the skillet method though that may be obvious when you read it.
gator3 October 18, 2019
I was not a fan on this recipe. Waaay too much garlic, resulting in a mess of a chicken dish that I had to suffer through all week. The garlic overpowered every other flavor in the recipe (I'd forgotten there was dijon mustard in the recipe until just now looking over it again). And those fancy French herbs (which are really just a mixture of common herbs like sage and parsley, etc) I spent all that money on? No clue what they taste like. Garlic, I guess? And this is after I only used half of the chopped garlic the recipe called for. Butter chicken is a masterpiece. To compare this unbalanced recipe to Butter Chicken just sets people up for major disappointment. I do not recommend this recipe at all.
Shelly G. October 20, 2019
Butter chicken is amazing.
Leslie October 17, 2019
I made this for my family and we loved it! I marinated the chicken for 2 hours. This will be in my regular rotation!
Shelley M. October 16, 2019
Chicken was wonderfully tender but the sauce seperated.
Shelly G. October 15, 2019
I thought it was just OK. Not bad but not great. It is not in the same league as Indian butter chicken! I will not be making it again