Creamy Tomato Garlic Chicken is one of those dinners I come back to when I want something comforting that doesn’t take much to pull together. The sauce gets its flavor from garlic, tomato paste, and melted cheese, so it feels rich without needing anything fancy. It all comes together in one pan, which makes it even more appealing on a busy evening!
My wife is a nurse, so there are evenings when she gets home really late and I want to have something warm ready for just the two of us. This is one of those recipes that works really well.
I usually make some rice to go with it, then spoon all that sauce over the top and call it dinner. Nothing fancy… just a good, comforting plate of food at the end of a long day!
Helpful Tips & Variations
- Use thin chicken breasts. If your chicken breasts are large, slice them in half horizontally first. You want them closer in thickness so they cook through without drying out on the outside.
- Pat the chicken dry before dredging it in flour. A dry surface helps the flour stick better, and that thin coating gives the chicken a nicer golden finish in the pan. It also helps the sauce cling to the chicken later.
- Keep the heat down once the garlic goes in. Garlic can burn quickly, and that bitter flavor shows up fast in a simple sauce like this. As soon as it smells fragrant, go ahead and add the broth.
- Start with less tomato paste. Two tablespoons will give the sauce some color and depth without making it feel too tomato-heavy. If you want a stronger flavor, you can always stir in a little more near the end.
- Mix the cornstarch with the milk before adding it to the skillet. Don’t add cornstarch straight into the pan or you’ll end up chasing lumps around the sauce… and nobody needs that on a weeknight, haha.
- Use shredded cheddar for a smoother melt. It blends into the sauce more easily than chopped cheese slices and gives the whole dish a more cozy flavor. If you have a block of cheddar, shredding it yourself works even better.
- Go easy on the hot sauce at first. Just a couple drops is enough to wake up the sauce a little. You can always add more after tasting, but it’s much harder to fix a sauce that suddenly got too spicy.
Creamy Tomato Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 thin chicken breasts or 2 large chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 to 3 drops hot sauce optional
Instructions
- If the chicken breasts are thick, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them lightly until they are closer to an even thickness. Season both sides with the oregano, garlic powder, a light sprinkle of salt, and black pepper.
- Place the flour on a shallow plate and coat each piece of chicken on both sides, shaking off the excess so you’re left with a light coating.
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Add the garlic to the skillet and stir for about 10 to 15 seconds, just until fragrant. Don’t let it brown too much.
- Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and the hot sauce, if using. Let the sauce simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the milk and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly pour that mixture into the skillet, stirring as you go. Add the butter and stir until melted.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir gently until the sauce is smooth. If you want a stronger tomato flavor, stir in the remaining tablespoon of tomato paste. If the sauce feels too thick, add a splash of broth or milk.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the top. Let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until everything is warmed through.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle the parsley over the top. Serve right away with rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or roasted potatoes.
How to Make Creamy Tomato Garlic Chicken
Gather all of your ingredients. This recipe moves pretty quickly once the chicken goes into the skillet, so it helps to have everything ready before you start. Mince the garlic, shred the cheese, and whisk the milk with the cornstarch ahead of time so dinner feels easy once things get going.
Prep the chicken. If the chicken breasts are thick, slice them in half horizontally or pound them lightly so they cook more evenly. Season both sides with oregano, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper, then coat them lightly in flour.
Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken until golden on both sides and cooked through. Then transfer it to a plate while you make the sauce. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look fully finished yet… it’ll go back into the pan at the end.
Cook the garlic. Lower the heat a bit, add the minced garlic to the skillet, and stir just until fragrant. This part usually goes fast… you only need a few seconds here!
Build the sauce. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the tomato paste and hot sauce, then let it bubble gently for a couple of minutes.
Mix in the milk mixture. Slowly pour in the milk and cornstarch mixture while stirring, then add the butter. This is where the sauce starts to come together.
Add the cheese. Stir in the shredded cheddar until melted and smooth. If the sauce feels a little too thick, add a splash of broth or milk to loosen it up.
Return the chicken to the skillet. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Let it warm through for a minute or two so everything is hot.
Finish and serve. Sprinkle the parsley over the top and serve right away. Rice is my usual pick here because it catches all that sauce… and I really don’t like letting any of it go to waste, haha.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken is made for something that can catch all that sauce, so rice is usually my first pick! It’s easy and it saves you from watching half the sauce slide around the plate with nowhere to go… which feels a little tragic, haha. Mashed potatoes are a great choice too if you want dinner to lean extra cozy. The sauce settles right on top, and the whole thing starts to feel like the kind of meal you need after a very long day.
If pasta is what you’ve got, use it! I’d keep it simple so the chicken and sauce still get to be the main event. Roasted potatoes also work really well, especially if you like a little texture on the plate. And if all you have is a piece of bread for wiping up the skillet at the end… well, I fully support that too!
How to Store
- Fridge. This chicken is best when the sauce is fresh and creamy, but leftovers are still worth saving! Once it has cooled, store the chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm it slowly in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring the sauce if needed. If the sauce thickens too much in the fridge, add a small splash of milk or broth to loosen it back up.
- Freezer. I probably wouldn’t freeze this one unless you really need to. Sauces with milk and cheese can get a little weird after thawing… still edible, just not at their best.
This is the kind of recipe I love keeping around for busy nights when I still want dinner to feel homemade. Nothing complicated… just tender chicken with a good pan sauce and call it a win!
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