This creamy chive chicken recipe features pan-seared chicken breasts nestled in a luscious mushroom and chive sauce that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Comforting and Creamy 30-Minute Chicken Dinner
If you’ve only used chives as a baked potato topping before, get ready to have your eyes opened wide to their many delectable uses.
The delicate onion flavor of fresh chives perfectly offsets the rich and creamy sauce coating the chicken in this easy skillet dinner.
You can have this chive chicken on the table in about 30 minutes. Serve it over a bed of mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower for maximum comfort, or tap into the bright flavors by tossing your favorite greens in a Dijon vinaigrette for something a little lighter.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Success
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness to keep them super juicy and avoid overcooking the edges.
- To seal in the moisture and create a golden brown crust when pan frying, lightly dredge the chicken in flour before placing in a preheated skillet.
- I tested this recipe with various aromatics, and landed on green onions. They’re slightly more pungent than the fresh chives, but mellow out once sautéed so the chive sauce can take center stage.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cremini mushrooms — Have a slightly stronger flavor and firmer texture than white button mushrooms, but you can swap the two in a pinch.
- Green onions — Are less strong than yellow onions, so they won’t overwhelm the delicate flavor of the fresh chives.
- Lemon juice — Freshly squeezed is best, but I won’t tell anyone if you use bottled.
- Butter — Adds richness and creates a gorgeous golden brown sear on the chicken.
- All-purpose flour — Dredging the chicken in flour creates a barrier that locks in moisture and works with the butter to create a deep golden sear.
- Chicken breasts — Slice them in half lengthwise to create thinner cutlets that cook faster.
- Heavy cream — The sauce is luxuriously thick and creamy as written; sub half and half if you want to keep this lighter. Just note that the sauce will be thinner.
- Chives — Add them at the very end to preserve their fresh flavor.
How to Make Creamy Chive Chicken
- Prep the chicken. To make things cook quicker, slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. This also helps keep them from overcooking. Then, dredge in flour, salt, and pepper, adding color, crust, and thickening the sauce as they cook.
- Sauté the mushrooms and onion. You just want them to soften, they don’t need to develop a lot of color. Squeeze some lemon juice over top before moving off the heat.
- Brown the chicken. When searing the chicken, I like to melt together a little butter and oil. The butter adds flavor, while the oil’s high smoke point prevents anything from burning.
Heidi’s tip: To achieve the perfect sear, you may need to brown the chicken in batches and flip it only once during the cooking process. You’ll know the chicken is ready to be flipped when it releases easily from the pan.
- Make the chive cream sauce. Remove the chicken to a plate, then deglaze the pan with a little chicken broth. Scrape up all the flavorful golden flecks stuck to the bottom of the pan before whisking in a little butter and flour. After a few minutes of simmering, the sauce should be nice and thick.
- Bring it all together. Stir in the chives and cream last before nestling the chicken in the sauce. Make sure to add any drippings from the plate as well for added flavor.
FAQs
I bet this would still be a knockout recipe even if you replaced the chives with fresh basil, tarragon, or parsley.
No, heavy cream thickens the sauce best. Avoid using milk (any kind), as that will make the sauce runny.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Creamy Chicken with Chive Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Chive Cream Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Working with one chicken half at a time, place the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound out to ½-inch thickness. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and pepper then lightly dredge chicken in flour, shaking off the excess.
- Brown the chicken. Heat a large cast iron pan or heavy bottom skillet over medium and melt 2 tablespoons butter with canola oil. Place chicken cutlets into pan and cook, undisturbed, until browned on underside, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on second side. Transfer to a plate, tent with foil, and repeat with the remaining chicken cutlets, adding more butter or oil as needed.
- Cook the mushroom and onion. In the same skillet, wipe out any burned bits then melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook mushrooms and onions until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
- Make the creamy sauce and bring it all together. Return pan to medium-high heat, add chicken broth, bring to a boil, and scrape up any browned bits. In a small bowl, mash flour and 1 tablespoon butter until smooth, then whisk into the chicken broth. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream, reserved mushroom mixture, and chives. Nestle cooked chicken and drippings into the sauce. Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Chicken in Chive Sauce
- Comforting sides — Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes), glazed carrots, Brussels sprouts with pancetta, or Parmesan buttered noodles
- Fresh salads — Caesar salad, Italian salad, Parmesan arugula salad, or wedge salad
- Rolls — fluffy dinner rolls
Storage Tips
Let any leftovers cool before transferring to an airtight container. Make sure to scoop every last bit of the creamy chive sauce over the chicken to keep it moist. Reheat the chicken in the microwave for 30-second intervals or in a skillet set over medium-low heat.
More Quick Skillet Chicken Dinners
- Marry Me Chicken
- Caprese Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms
- Dijon Chicken
- Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce
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Tobie
I made this last night since I had all of the ingredients on hand. Wow, was it delicious!! Prepped the vegetables and other ingredients before starting and it came together quickly. I love the one-pot aspect for easy cleanup. Served over rotini. Definitely a keeper!
Awesome to hear Tobie! Glad you liked it and came back around to leave a comment and 5 star rating!
Chris Kitchener
Delicious!!!! Will make stand again!!!
Thanks for letting us know you approve Chris!