Air Fryer Creamy Garlic Chicken is a crispy, tender, chicken dish made with a flavorful creamy garlic sauce. Quick and delicious dinner in about 30 minutes.
This creamy garlic chicken is so juicy and flavorful that you can’t stop with just one serving. Air-fried tender chicken breasts with a cheesy garlicky coating and smothered in a creamy garlic sauce is absolutely comforting and so irresistible.
It’s easy to make and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Our family loves chicken recipes and this one is no exception. I’m such a sucker for creamy sauces on a perfectly seasoned chicken breast so this dinner is one we make quite often.
I really love that not only is it delicious – but it’s super fast to make with the help of the air fryer. No more heating the oven and waiting around for the chicken to bake – this dinner is ready in about 30 minutes. You really can’t beat that.
creamy garlic chicken
Here are some commonly asked questions
How Air Frying Works
While air fryers are relatively new to the market, the technology isn’t really a new concept. They basically work like tiny convection ovens that you can use on your countertop.
Similar to a convection oven, it circulates the hot air within the cooking area using a high-powered fan. This helps evenly distribute the heat around the food which not only creates more evenly cooked food but also reduced cooking times.
By circulating the hot air, which contains the fine oil droplets from adding a light mist layer before cooking, and allows you to remove the need for submerging our foods in heavy oils to create the deliciously crunchy foods we all love.
What are the benefits of air frying?
Healthier
It’s no secret that fried foods are more fattening – but did you know that there are 9 calories in every gram of fat? With air frying, we can reduce the fat by removing most of the oils usually needed to create crunchy foods. This helps to drastically reduce fat intake and calories.
Convenience
I love being able to cook with my air fryer and eliminate the need for large baking sheets and lots of pots and pans. Most of my air fryer recipes can be made with just a mixing bowl or two or a small saucepan in addition to my air fryer.
Energy Efficient
Someone said to me once, “why make this in the air fryer if you can do it the conventional way in the same amount of time?” Well, air frying helps eliminate the need for a conventional oven.
Not only can you keep your home cooler in the summer by not using the oven, but you are saving money with reduced energy consumption costs as well.
Time Saver
I don’t know about you, but if I can avoid turning on the oven and having to wait 20 minutes for it to preheat, I’m happy about that. Most air fryer recipes either don’t require that you preheat the fryer – or the preheat time is 5 minutes or less. That is a huge time saver over using the oven.
Take it on the go
I love that the air fryer is compact and easy to take along on trips. We pack ours in our RV and find that air fryer cooking while camping is so much easier than trying to deep fry foods on a small RV stove or camping burner.
creamy garlic chicken recipe
How to store chicken leftovers
You can store the creamy garlic chicken in an airtight container for 5 days in the refrigerator or around 3 months in the freezer.
Air Frying Doneness Tip
Every air fryer is a bit different and they all cook at different rates – so in general, all cooking times are approximate based on the pan and temperature.
You can always cook the recipe longer if needed and reduce the heat a bit. If needed, you can tent the top if it is browning too much.
creamy garlic sauce for chicken
Ingredients for Creamy Garlic Chicken
CHICKEN:
- chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
- granulated garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- all-purpose flour
- grated parmesan cheese
SAUCE:
- butter
- olive oil
- onion – finely chopped
- whole garlic peeled
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- grated parmesan
- black pepper
- chopped parsley
How to prevent sticking in the air fryer
Sticking can often happen when using an air fryer. I understand that most would think to add non-stick spray to the basket to prevent this. I strongly encourage you to not do that.
Non-stick spray leaves a coating that won’t come off, even when washed. Over time – this will build up and cause smoking when you use our air fryer.
I also do not recommend putting down a sheet of foil. The idea behind air frying is to allow the air to circulate around the food.
This is why the basket or tray has holes in it. If you put foil down – this prevents the air from reaching all of the areas it needs to in order for it to cook properly.
Instead – I recommend spraying the basket with olive oil using this spray bottle. You can line the air fryer with perforated parchment paper.
Or you can use one of these really great silicone liners that still allow for airflow but are reusable and easily cleanable.
creamy garlic chicken breast
How to Make Creamy Garlic Chicken in the Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 180-degree C / 350-degrees F.
- Butterfly the chicken by cutting in half horizontally, to create 2 thin slices.
- Season the chicken on both sides with granulated garlic, salt, and pepper.
- In a shallow bowl, mix the all-purpose flour and parmesan.
- Coat the chicken in the flour and parmesan mixture, shake off excess.
- Spray the basket with little oil and place 2 chicken pieces in it. (if you have a large air fryer – you can do them all at once)
- Spray some oil on the top. Cook for 6 minutes on each side. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
For Sauce:
- Add the oil and butter to a large, tall-sided skillet. (It will need to be large enough to accommodate the chicken breasts later)
- Add the onions and sauté it until soft and translucent.
- Next add the peeled whole garlic cloves and cook for a few seconds until the garlic cloves are lightly browned on outside.
- Add chicken broth and let it simmer for 5 minutes (until it reduces to half).
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the heavy cream and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the flavors are all combined in the gravy.
- Mix in the parmesan and continue cooking again for 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy and bubbly.
- Season with black pepper.
- Add in the air-fried chicken and cook for a couple of minutes to soak up all the flavors.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with pasta if desired.
How do you air fry frozen chicken in an air fryer?
Firstly, it is important not to air-fry frozen or frosty food because it can cause the food to dry out and be over-cooked in some parts while being under-cooked in others. Let the food thaw out before air frying it.
This isn’t like the pressure cooker – trying to air fry foods from a frozen state won’t have the best results.
chicken breast air fryer
What to Pair with Creamy Garlic Chicken
This recipe is incredibly versatile – so the possibilities are endless. But here are a handful of our favorite sides that we like to pair with this dinner.
DON’T MISS THESE OTHER AIR FRYER RECIPES
- Air Fryer Cod
- Coconut Shrimp
- Honey Baked Ham
- Panko Crusted Pork Chops
- Skillet Cookie
- Banana Bread
- Steak Fries
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
air fryer chicken breast recipes
What oil sprayer do you use?
First, let me say that I highly recommend that you do not use cooking spray. It will leave a residue on your air fryer basket & cause it to smoke when you use it.
I really like this spray bottle – because it gives a nice mist & sprays consistently each time using just olive, vegetable, or canola oil. I couldn’t air fry easily without it.
Notes: If you want more garlicky flavor then mince the cloves before adding them to the gravy. (Whole cloves will give a much milder flavor)
What air fryer do you use?
We actually have 3 air fryers. I have a smaller one from Phillips that we started with. I have since given that to my son since he’s only cooking for 1.
But the more I used the air fryer I realized I really wanted a digital screen. It wasn’t any more expensive, in fact- our XL air fryer from GoWISE was less expensive than the Phillips and I love its ease & extra functions.
Plus it comes with a lot of the extra accessories I like to use when cooking with my fryer.
But I when I started working on my second air fryer book, I wanted to change things up. I picked up this LARGE air fryer that has been wonderful. It has Touch Screen Presets plus it is XL Family Size, which is great!
creamy sauces for chicken
If you love this recipe – You might also love my air frying cookbook too!
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two also makes everything fast and easy. Most recipes take 30 minutes or less and they’re designed with simple prep and minimal clean-up in mind. Nutritional information, serving size descriptions, and recipes for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free are also included. There’s so much to savor.
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two
Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthier Fried Favorites
If you love this Easy Chicken Dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other dinners too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Chicken Recipes
Triple Cheddar Chicken and Pasta
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup
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Air Fryer Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- 2 large chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 whole garlic peeled 10-12 cloves
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 180-degree C / 350-degrees F.
- Butterfly the chicken by cutting in half horizontally, to create 2 thin slices.
- Season the chicken on both sides with granulated garlic, salt, and pepper.
- In a shallow bowl, mix the all-purpose flour and parmesan.
- Coat the chicken in the flour and parmesan mixture, shake off excess.
- Spray the basket with little oil and place 2 chicken pieces in it. (if you have a large air fryer – you can do them all at once)
- Spray some oil on the top. Cook for 6 minutes on each side. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
For Sauce:
- Add the oil and butter to a large, tall-sided skillet. (It will need to be large enough to accommodate the chicken breasts later)
- Add the onions and sauté it until soft and translucent.
- Next add the peeled whole garlic cloves and cook for a few seconds until the garlic cloves are lightly browned on outside.
- Add chicken broth and let it simmer for 5 minutes (until it reduces to half).
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the heavy cream and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the flavors are all combined in the gravy.
- Mix in the parmesan and continue cooking again for 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy and bubbly.
- Season with black pepper.
- Add in the air-fried chicken and cook for a couple of minutes to soak up all the flavors.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with pasta if desired.
Notes
If you want more garlicky flavor then mince the cloves before adding them to the gravy. (Whole cloves will give a much milder flavor)
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Large Skillet
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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