This easy cream cheese chicken recipe takes two things we LOVE: cream cheese and chicken, and combines them into a deliciously creamy, dreamy chicken dish.
The best part? It’s ready to eat in under 45 minutes, making for an easy, cheesy dinner!
The BEST Creamy Chicken
That’s right. We’re fulfilling all your cheese-lovin’ needs here at The Cheese Knees. We cooked the chicken in an ultra-rich cream cheese sauce made of sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers, chicken broth, dry white wine, and of course—the star of the show—cream cheese.
This is a one-skillet meal, which means you can make the entire recipe in just one skillet! That leaves you with fewer dishes to wash and more time to do the things you love most, like munching on this tasty chicken.
After one bite, it’ll be one of your new favorite things to whip up on busy weeknights… or weekends, or all the time (if you aren’t careful!).
Why you’ll love it!
- It’s an easy dinner the whole family will enjoy.
- The creamy cheese sauce tastes so good over sides like rice, potatoes, and pasta!
- The mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, white wine, and chicken broth add lots of extra flavor.
Featured Ingredients – Cream Cheese Chicken
- Chicken breast: we used chicken breasts, but feel free to use bone-in or boneless chicken thighs instead.
- All-purpose flour: flour is used as a coating, so all that cheesy good stuff sticks to the chicken.
- Mushrooms: we used portabella mushrooms, but any mushroom will do. You can even omit them if you wish!
- Yellow onion: onion creates a flavorful base when cooking the chicken. Other types of onions work fine as well.
- Green & red bell pepper: we had to throw some good veggies in there for balance and nutrition.
- Garlic: chicken and garlic are like peanut butter and jelly; they taste great together.
- Paprika: paprika adds a subtle hint of spice for a more well-rounded flavor profile.
- Dried thyme: thyme always tastes delicious with chicken!
- Dry white wine: we used sauvignon blanc, but other dry white wines like pinot grigio, riesling, or chardonnay work great.
- Cream cheese: cream cheese is what makes this chicken recipe oh so creamy!
- Chicken broth: chicken broth will thin out and add flavor to the sauce. You can use beef or veggie broth if that’s all you have.
How to Make Cream Cheese Chicken
CUT + COAT CHICKEN
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and place them in a bowl. Then add the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Mix the chicken until it is completely coated in flour. Set aside.
SEAR CHICKEN
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken breasts in and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. When done, set the chicken aside on a plate.
ADD VEGGIES + SPICES
Next, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms, onions, and peppers, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then add the garlic, paprika, and thyme, and cook for an additional minute.
DEGLAZE + MAKE CREAMY SAUCE
Time to make it creamy! Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Place the broth and cream cheese in the skillet and break them apart to help them melt. Then add the chicken to the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Pro Tip: You’ll know when your chicken is cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken is 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165ºF.
SERVE + ENJOY
There you have it! Delicious cream cheese chicken. We recommend serving this delicious dish with sides like rice or pasta to make it a complete meal. See below for some of our suggestions!
Serving Suggestions for Cream Cheese Chicken
Cream cheese chicken can be served over rice or pasta, or even alongside a salad. Here are some of our favorites:
RICE
PASTA
- Penne
- Linguine
- Fettucine
- Spaghetti
- Bow tie
Salads
FAQs
Not at all! Bone-in chicken thighs or boneless chicken thighs work just as well, but you may need to drain excess fat from the pan after frying them.
No wine, no problem! You can easily skip the wine and use only broth instead by adding it all during step 4.
Absolutely! We recommend cutting bite-sized chicken pieces and sticking them in the microwave until warmed through. Or, instead of serving your leftover chicken with rice or pasta, shred the chicken and serve it on a hamburger bun for something entirely new!
Storage
Store your leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. We don’t recommend freezing cream cheese chicken, as cream cheese doesn’t freeze well.
Cream Cheese Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 8 oz. bella mushrooms sliced
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup dry white wine we used sauvignon blanc
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Place in a bowl and add the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Mix the chicken until it is completely coated in flour. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium/high heat in a large skillet. Place the chicken breasts in and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Set the chicken aside on a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, and thyme, and cook for an additional minute.
- Next, add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Place the broth and cream cheese in the skillet and break them apart to help them melt. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Serve with rice or pasta.
Tips & Notes
- Skip the wine and use only broth. Add it all during step 4.
- Instead of serving it with rice or pasta, shred the chicken and serve it on a hamburger bun.
- You can use bone-in chicken thighs or boneless chicken thighs, but you may need to drain excess fat from the pan after frying them.
Thank you for suggesting wine rather than dry white. Looking forward to trying this.
This was OUTSTANDING. Definitely a keeper in my rotation and to share! I used an old sauv blanc I had sitting around and the wine really shines with the cream cheese. Also very easy to make. LOVED IT!
Love it!