This Easy Chicken with Cream Cheese Pan Sauce recipe is super quick, crazy easy, and surprisingly delicious! It’s perfect for those busy weeknights but elegant enough for company! It’s the perfect way to use up those boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Way back in 2011, I posted this recipe for my Easy Chicken with Cream Cheese Pan Sauce. It was on the regular rotation at our house way back then and continues to be today. We probably make it a couple times a month.
This super delicious cream cheese sauce is a great way to dress up boring boneless skinless chicken breasts. And it’s super easy, too! The seasoning from the chicken, combined with the fond (that’s the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan after cooking the chicken), chicken broth, cream cheese, and just a hint of mustard creates a decadent sauce that you’ll probably want to pour over everything on your plate – like these mashed potatoes. At least that’s what happens at our house! Ha!
What is pan sauce?
Simply put, pan sauce is a sauce made in the same pan that you cooked your meat in. Traditionally, it is made by deglazing the pan with a liquid, such as stock or water. The liquid will loosen the cooked-on bits that have stuck to the pan. Those bits will add flavor to the sauce. You can then add other ingredients to the sauce, such as herbs, spices, or cream.
Pan sauces are a great way to add flavor and richness to your meal. They’re also relatively easy to make, and they can be customized to your liking. And an added bonus… less cleanup because the meat and sauce are all made in one pan!
Tips on pan-cooking chicken:
The most challenging thing about this Chicken with Pan Sauce is getting the chicken cooked correctly – but even that’s not too hard. You want to get the chicken cooked through, without burning the outside. Here are a few tips for cooking that perfect chicken:
- Thickness matters! The super thick chicken breasts from the grocery store won’t work the way they come. I suggest taking a sharp knife and slicing each breast in half lengthwise to create two pieces of chicken that are roughly 3/4 to 1-inch thick. If you still find them too thick, put them between two pieces of cling wrap or in a gallon zip-top bag and pound them thinner with a meat mallet. This will allow them to cook through quicker.
- Use a meat thermometer! I always recommend an instant-read meat thermometer. Not only does this ensure the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature, but it allows you to cook it right to 165° without going over and causing it to get dry. No one wants dry chicken. And, that’s the chief complaint I get from folks about using boneless skinless chicken breasts, so use that thermometer!
- You can use chicken thighs and frozen chicken breasts! This will also work with boneless chicken thighs. I’ve also been known to use some of those frozen chicken breasts that you buy in the big bag. Most of the time, those are thin enough to not need to be sliced. Just make sure they’re completely thawed before using them.
How do I quickly bring cream cheese to room temperature?
There are several ways you can bring cream cheese to room temperature quickly. Here are three different methods I recommend:
- Submerge in a large mixing bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
- Microwave the cream cheese in 15-second intervals. Don’t over nuke it though! No one wants scorched cream cheese.
- Place in your hands while still in the packaging for about 15 minutes. Press the packaging back and forth in your palms until you can feel it is creamy and approximately room temperature.
Recipe Card
Easy Chicken with Cream Cheese Pan Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature, cubed
- 2 teaspoons mustard (dijon, creole, or spicy brown)
Instructions
- Trim excess fat and then slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise to equal pieces that are roughly 3/4 to 1-inch in thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken (working in batches if necessary) in the skillet until it is cooked through and the internal temperature is 165°. Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning and add additional oil if needed. Remove the chicken from the skillet and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Add the butter and melt. Add the chicken broth to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the cooked-on bits.
- Bring the broth to a simmer and add cream cheese. Whisk together to combine once melted.
- Add mustard and continue to simmer until sauce starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the sauce is thick, return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Add additional broth if the sauce gets too thick. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Joanie
We LOVE this simple pan sauce and use it often. My shortcut is to use Trader Joe’s “Simply Chicken” (roasted, seasoned, white meat chunks) and top with this sauce. Top notch!
Such a smart shortcut! Thanks for sharing!
Diana
Such a great and easy recipe. Family loves it!
Love hearing that!
Krissy
So very yummy!! Saved the recipe. Will make again. Company or a dish to take to someone needing food. We served ours with rice but I will have a crunchy sour dough next time as well.
Awesome! Love hearing this, Krissy!
Sandi Firrito
Great recipe and easy enough to make! Great change to my daily routine of recipes.
Thanks, Sandi! So glad you enjoyed it!
Shadee T
Didn’t have mustard but doubled the sauce! Came out super yummy! I also added some corn starch to thicken the sauce! Definitely going to try again with mustard.
So glad you enjoyed it, Shadee!
Eve
3 very picky eaters (I am not exaggerating) cleaned their plates in record time. I was told “Mom, if you made this every night I would never complain”.
Completely bowled over. Changed our weeknight rotation. Can’t thank you enough.
This is the BEST! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed it!!
Rich
Simple steps to follow for an older person like me to duplicate. All the ingredients already on hand in the house. Amazing flavor. Definitely a recipe keeper. Thanks for sharing.
So glad to hear the recipe was easy to follow and that you enjoyed it!
Becky Glenn
This was amazing!!! I am not a good cook so finding recipes that don’t overwhelm me with the number of steps to complete a dish, have ingredients that won’t break the bank and I’ll never use again (or use very little of) and with the first bite you know it is a keeper is just what this challenged cook needs. The chicken was moist and had the most amazing flavor. The pan sauce was excellent and we enjoyed the extra flavor it gave to the rice side dish. I can’t wait to make this again! Thank you for delivering on a recipe that made eating at home a pleasure instead of just something to fill my tummy! This was my first recipe from your site so I am looking forward to exploring and finding other wonderful and easy dishes.
Thank you so much, Becky! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and hope you’ll find tons more you love just as much! Welcome!!
Donna Srock
This is a fantastic chicken meal! I used a spicy mustard. So moist and easy to put together. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Mary Transon
I will try this. I will add mushrooms to this.
Sounds great! Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Leigh G
Delicious and easy to make!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Patricia Crowe
Loved this recipe so much!!!
So glad to hear it!
Charlotte Vallerie Buker
Omg sooo good I just made it for supper and it was so tender and flavorful and juicy it really made our night thank ypu so much
Wonderful!! I’m so glad it turned out great for you!
Charlotte Vallerie Buker
How much garlic powder do we use ? You didn’t specify? I am making this right now and need to know please
It’s just to season the chicken a bit – perhaps about 1/2 teaspoon.
Jeff Clements
Just made this tonight and it’s really really tasty. I added mushrooms and I served it with mashed potatoes so I could savor the delicious sauce. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear it turned out great for you! Love the mushroom addition!
Maureen
Hi Stacy! I just made this tonight and it was delicious! My husband loved it. I sauteed mushrooms and added a little half and half and parmesan. So good! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll make this again❤️
Sounds amazing! So glad to hear y’all enjoyed it!
Patricia
One of the best recipes I have ever made. It was so good!!
Well this comment just put a smile on my face! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Sherry Burrus
Quick and easy to make. It was very good
Glad you enjoyed it!
Tracy
Absolutely delicious and perfect for our keto diet! I served over mashed garlic cauliflower with broccoli and cheese sauce on the side. Thank you for something other than “crack chicken “ to add to our dinner rotation!
So glad to hear it turned out great for you, Tracy!
Tenia Johnston Mackowiak
Made this tonight!! Awsome recipe. Great taste. Loved the added mustard. Very easy to make. I used Chicken tenders cut up. I’ll be making this again and again!! Thank you.
Awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Lindsey
My teen daughter wanted a “big dinner with chicken and a sauce” so I tried this! I did use frozen chicken thighs (cook on low then slice and cook on high to brown) – turned out great, she loved the sauce. I need to triple the sauce next time because there was barely enough for leftovers she loved it so much.
Awesome! So glad to hear y’all enjoyed it!
Ocean
Can anyone tell me which mustard is the best to use ?
I typically use dijon.
Amea
If your looking for a brand of Dijon to use I use Maille original dijon. The flavor is amazing.
Danielle
I’ve made something similar to this in my crockpot which was always good cuz meats are normally so tender when cooked in crockpots. But this chicken was, if not more tender, just the same as if it had cooked for hours!! Absolutely delicious and easy which is ALWAYS a plus for me so it’s definitely a keeper for my family, thank you for sharing!!
Thank you Danielle!
Karen
Do you know if this will freeze well?
I’m sorry but with the cream sauce I would not think that it would freeze well!
Megan W
My family loved this recipe. The chicken was tender and juicy and the sauce was delicious.
So glad you loved it! Definitely on dinner rotation at our house!
Tish
A great family or company dinner. Easy and quick. Great over wide noodles.
I absolutely LOVE egg noodles!
Sandy
Hey, Stacey! This looks so good that I had to check it out. Sounds as good as it looks. I can usually tell by the ingredients and time to make the recipe that I’ll like it or not. Saying that, this recipe has me intrigued. It’s a keeper for sure. A couple of suggestions I’d like to offer. 1. try using chicken tenders if you don’t want to slice larger pieces of chicken. The frozen pieces are often loaded with salt, and I’m careful of my salt intake.
2. break up the cream cheese into smaller pieces and whisk into the broth.
Thanks, Stacey, for another tried and true recipe.
Thanks so much for these tips Sandy!
Lizabeth
I cut my chicken across the grain into strips about 1/2″ wide, then cut the longer strips in half. Seasoned with Tony’s Creole seasoning instead of the salt/pepper/garlic powder. Sauteed in half as much oil, using a well seasoned iron skillet. They cooked quickly, and left plenty of fond in the bottom of my skillet. I also sauteed some minced bottled garlic in the butter for a minute before adding the broth (we love garlic!), then proceeded with the recipe. It was delicious! Next time I will add some mushrooms! Served it with brown rice cooked in chicken broth with dried vegetable flakes (red and green bell peppers, onions, carrots, parsley) added.
Lizabeth
P.S. I’ve also used this boneless pork loin cutlets. We have a hand cranked cubing machine to make make cubed steaks/cutlets and I run 1/2″ thick boneless loin chops through it. They work wonderfully well in this recipe.
That’s an excellent replacement!
Nancy
What do you serve with this delicious-looking chicken?
Usually a vegetable like green beans and a starch. Jack’s favorite is mashed potatoes and Heather’s favorite is rice!
Melanie Coldiron
Wowzer! So much flavor for such an easy recipe! My husband devoured it! Thank you for reposting…. So happy I found it!
I’m so glad to hear y’all enjoyed it!
Olivia Tamez
Planning to make this soon! Wondering if you know the amount of calories and how healthy this is. And if it’s not “so called healthy” how can I twist this to make healthy.
You could always swap the regular cream cheese for Neufchatel cream cheese!
Contessa
I’m so glad I came across this recipe it is my new favorite way of cooking up some chicken, it was so easy and the chicken was so moist! I wanted to drink the sauce it was so good!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! We are actually having it for dinner tonight, lol!
Contessa
I’m so glad I came across this recipe it is my new favorite way of cooking up some chicken! I wanted to drink the “sauce” it was so good!!!
Elly Harrelson
It’s a winner at my house but I will double the sauce next time. It was heavenly on mashed potatoes! Thanks for a recipe that doesn’t use cream of something soup. I used my home canned chicken broth to cut down on the sodium.
We always double the sauce at our house! So good!
Kathleen
So happy to see a sauce not using can of cream soups; too salty! Any other suggestions in making cream sauces.
Cynthia
Looking forward to making this for Sunday dinner. What side dish would you recommend to go along with it?
Sorry I’m just now seeing this. We typically serve this with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.
Leslie
What to use besides chicken broth?
Chicken broth is going to give you a lot more flavor but you could you water or milk.
Gerri Barron
This is definately a WINNER at my house. I just forgot all about it. Thanks for reminder. I might try adding sliced cooked mushrooms. Going be YUMMY supper tonight.
I think the mushrooms would be delicious! So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it!
Dorothy
Made this recipe as is..FaNtAsTiC!
2 weeks later, decided to add:
Sautéing both;
Sliced Shallots… &
Fresh Tiny Mushrooms
(Can’t locate?
Slice Mushrooms thinly)
I served over Spinach Noodles..DeLisH!
That Mustard,
Really added a nice “Zap”!
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it! Your additions sounds AMAZING!!
Stacey
Omg that was so good, I just fed two grown men that were licking their plates at the end. Thanks for the winner dish.
Wonderful! Glad y’all enjoyed it!!
Gayla
How would chicken tenderloins work in this recipe ?
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Kim
Loved it!! So quick and easy but so delicious!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! We sure love it!
CLAUDIA DAVIS
Other than Boursin or mustard, any other suggestion to mix in with the cream cheese.?
Thanks!
In all honestly, you don’t have to mix anything else in. It’s great without the other, it’s just that the mustard gives it a punch of flavor.
Brenda Wallace
This would be great for all the KETO people out there!
Yep! It sure would! Great idea!
Robbie Anderson
So glad you reposted this. Looks delicious and easy. Will try it for sure ! BTW, read this Sunday 6/20. Happy Father’s Day !
Thanks so much, Robbie!
Tamera W.
Recently found your site and this looks so good! Think I’ll try like one of your readers/watchers suggested and make the sauce with a garlic/herb cream cheese and do nice thick bone-in pork chop. Add your green bean casserole and a twice baked potato, so good!
Welcome, Tamera! Sure hope you enjoy it! Let me know how it turns out!
Deborah D
I can’t wait to try this. I am not a fan of the mustard flavor, so I am going to try a chic-fil-a sauce in it. It has mustard but not the taste. I love that stuff. By the way, your smothered chicken is delicious.
Thanks, Deborah! Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the smothered chicken! This one doesn’t have a huge mustard flavor, but I totally think you could swap it for the CFA sauce. Let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!
Paul
Great recipe! I added 2 tablespoons of apricot jam and some chopped rosemary to make a sweet-savoury flavour. Also added some diced onion to before the stock and some chopped kale at the end to get some veges in there
Way to make it your own! Glad you enjoyed it!
Alice
This looks great! I am planning on making it for our Sunday dinner tomorrow. I think I’ll add some fresh mushrooms to the sauce and serve it over puff pastry shells.
Genius! Love the idea of adding mushrooms! And puff pastry is NEVER a bad idea! Hope it turned out great for you!
Susan Knell
Hi Stacey,
This looks so good! I wonder if chicken tenderloins would work. I’m guessing they would. I’ve been buying those more than the breasts lately and really like them.
As always, look forward to seeing your recipes!
Absolutely! They should work perfectly!
Christie Gomez
I can’t wait to try this! I bet it would be good with one of the Boursin flavored cream cheeses too! I might try the garlic and herb cream cheese!
Absolutely! Either of them sounds amazing!!
Tina
What is creole mustard?
It’s a type of brown mustard. Here’s what google tells us: https://www.chowhound.com/post/substitute-creole-mustard-733503
Lori H.
Making this now for dinner! Didn’t have cream cheese so I’m using sour cream and mixing Dijon mustard and Cajun seasoning into it! Serving it with white rice and green beans! I think this meal will be a big hit with my girls and husband!
I hope everyone enjoyed it!
Bill
Ooooh this was good. Made exactly like you said. Sauce was awesome., I used Djon mustard and white wine. My wife dubbed it a fancy chicken fried steak. I made it with egg noodles and green beans. Thank you, I’ve tried several of your recipies and they have all been good.
So glad they’ve all turned out good for you!
Kay Little
My husband would love this made with pork chops too. Delish!!
Thanks! Sounds like a GREAT idea!
Jody
This looks so good. My husband is doing the cooking right now because I am working and he is not, yet. He will soon. He doesn’t know how to cook but I believe your blog can show him how to….. Thank you. p.s. now I just have to get him to read and follow your website. ha ha ha
All it takes are the right ingredients, easy instructions, and a little confidence. I bet he can manage it just fine!
Kimberly
Creole mustard? Ah, I don’t think they have it up here in Topeka, KS; any suggestions for substitutes? Sounds ‘dee-lish’!….may even try using a little white wine in the sauce to ‘fancy it up’…hmm..just a thought.
LOL! You’re welcome to replace it with dijon or a coarse grain mustard. Adding some white wine would be GREAT too!
Amy
Tried this recipe tonight and wow I loved the sauce! I used a few lighter ingredients (fat free broth, low fat cream cheese, and light butter), and it still turned out great!
Thanks, Amy! This is one of those recipes that lightens up really well! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it!
Tammy
I cooked this tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! We’ve been watching our weight but decided to splurge tonight. SO good!
Wonderful! I’m so flattered that your little cheat was for one of my recipes! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Cindy Gallop
Hi Stacy, just love your site. I have a friend who has a birthday comming up This Sunday(Jan. 22, ) I am wanting to make her a meal that I can give to her in the morning (like Fri. Morning) that will be good when she gets home. She will need to reheat. I also want to make her a coconut cake. That is her favorite. She really only eats chicken meals. Any suggestions. I am also going to try the Papa Lemon ice box pie. Looks great. Thanks, Cindy
Thanks so much, Mrs. Cindy! I’m so glad you enjoy the site. Of the recipes on the site, I would suggest the Smothered Chicken, Chicken Bog, and the Poppyseed Chicken Casserole. These are the ones that should reheat best. Good luck with this and the pie!
Tracy
Made it tonight and it was WONDERFUL! Our small town grocery store didn’t have a bag of frozen chicken breast (which I thought was odd) so I used fresh chicken. It was a big hit with everyone. Now I’m wondering how the sauce would be on a grilled filet mignon….
That’s great! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it. I bet it would be fantastic on some grilled steak! Heck, I might even like raw tomatoes if they had this one them! LOL!
It really depends on the thickness of your chicken. If you’re using the thinner frozen boneless skinless breasts they’ll be about done by the time you finish the sauce or a little sooner – probably about 15 minutes.
John Burgis
I served this with a watermellon salad and swiss cheese grits!!Yummmmmmmmm! Yummmmmmmmm! Yummmmmmmmmm!
Sounds delish! SO glad you enjoyed it, John!