This Basil Chicken recipe with cream sauce has always been one of my favorite recipes. This dish has a creamy tomato basil sauce made with heavy cream and cheese that is just to die for! Easy breaded chicken, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and more make up this fool-proof skillet chicken recipe.
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Basil Chicken Recipe
This creamy basil chicken skillet was one of the first recipes I made when I started learning to cook. It gave me so much confidence because it’s SO delicious and so fool-proof.
I’m always looking for easy chicken recipes to make for dinner, and I certainly have a lot of them! But this chicken with cream sauce has proven to stand up to the test of time.
I was instantly in love with this dish when I first made it, and it seems all of you have loved it too!
The fact that this basil chicken recipe is made in ONE PAN blew my mind and gave me confidence that I too could cook amazing (yet EASY) meals for friends and family.
My Favorite Skillet Chicken Recipe
This basil chicken remains one of my very favorite recipes on the site and I come back to it over and over again.
I first made this years ago, but I’ve continuously worked to perfect the recipe every time I made it.
Some other favorite Skillet Chicken Recipes include Chicken Parmesan Pasta Skillet, Enchilada Stuffed Chicken Skillet, and Chicken con Queso. Can you tell I’m obsessed with one pot wonders?
Basil Cream Sauce
Everyone loves a good chicken recipe, but that CREAMY SAUCE is what makes this dish amazing. It cooks in the same skillet you cook the chicken in, so the leftover juices mix in with the cream and cheese and basil to cook down into the perfect flavor pairing.
Ingredients:
- Heavy cream
- Chicken broth
- Pimentos
- Diced tomatoes
- Sherry (optional)
- Parmesan Cheese
- Garlic-Herb Cheese (like this homemade boursin)
- Basil
- Black pepper
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How to Make Basil Chicken with Cream Sauce
This one pan recipe is really easy. Here’s a quick step-by-step:
- Cover chicken breast in buttermilk then dip in breadcrumbs and place in skillet.
- Cook 5 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove chicken from the skillet.
- Add chicken broth and sherry to skillet and bring to a boil.
- Add cream, pimentos, tomatoes and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and add in the cheeses and herb. Let it simmer until the sauce reduces by half.
- Add chicken back to the skillet with the sauce until everything is heated through.
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this creamy basil chicken with a side of rice and veggies, or with pasta. The cream acts as the perfect pasta sauce, and the chicken is super tender!
What to Do with Leftovers
This creamy basil chicken recipe makes for great leftovers.
- Keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days. (If you’re like us, it won’t last that long due to you eating it immediately.)
- To reheat: place the chicken and sauce in a skillet and heat over medium heat until heated through. Stir regularly so the sauce warms evenly. Reheating the chicken directly with the sauce helps keep it juicy.
- It also reheats just fine when popped microwave for a little over a minute, if you’re in a rush to eat. Be sure to smother it in lots of leftover sauce!
- This dish doesn’t freeze well due to the heavy cream component, so I recommend refrigerating and eating within a few days.
Tips!
- This recipe works best with chicken breasts that aren’t super thick. They cook faster and more evenly in the skillet and come out more tender.
- You can slice larger breasts in half length-wise if you can’t find thin cuts.
- Soaking the chicken in buttermilk before starting helps tenderize the meat and adds a creamy texture before coating it in breadcrumbs.
- After removing the chicken from the skillet, deglaze the pan and scrape off the brown bits as you start to cook the sauce. It adds extra flavor!
Man I love this recipe. Just looking at that basil cream sauce…I’m addicted!
Recipes like this Skillet Basil Cream Chicken are my favorite thing to make, eat, and share with all of you!
More Chicken Breast Recipes we Love
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken
- Tuscan Chicken in Parmesan Sauce
- Creamy Caesar Chicken
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Basil Chicken with Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry optional
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 can pimentos 4 ounces can, drained
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounce can, drained
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons garlic & herb cheese such as Boursin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a shallow dish and cover with buttermilk.
- Pour breadcrumbs in a different shallow dish.
- Heat skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon canola oil.
- Dip chicken in the breadcrumbs and place in the hot skillet.
- Cook 5 minutes or until bottom side is crispy and golden brown.
- Add remaining butter and oil and flip the breasts over. Cook another 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate. Set aside.
- Add chicken broth and sherry (if using) to the skillet to deglaze and bring to a boil over medium heat. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the cream, pimentos and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to low and add Parmesan, garlic-herb cheese, basil and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce reduces by half.
- Add the chicken back to the sauce and heat through.
- Serve as is with sauce or with a side of rice or pasta.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
This is the first time I’ve ever actually commented on any the many wonderful recipes I get from Pinterest. Normally, I figure I have nothing new to add to the hundreds of other commenters, so I don’t bother, but I feel I have to with this one. This recipe has spread like wildfire through my family and friends. My husband and brother have said it is their favorite dish I’ve ever cooked. My husband took it to work with him and shared some, and his coworker loves it so much I had to send him the link. I suggested it to my mom and her boyfriend and my Little. They all love it too. I’ve made this 3 times in the past 4 weeks and no one is tired of it yet. They just asked for it again tonight.
I substitute cream cheese for boursin because my podunk grocery store doesn’t carry it, and I don’t put the chicken back into the sauce, I just pour the sauce over the chicken on top of spaghetti. It is literally our favorite meal now. Thank you for this!
Oh my gosh, I’m so honored you commented and so honored you loved the recipe!! This TOTALLY made my day. Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m smiling ear to ear hearing that! And I’m glad to hear the cream cheese works as a substitute!!! Thanks Kelly :)
I tried this last night! Best chicken ever! Thanks for posting this!
Yay!!! Love to hear that! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know :)
Can you tell me how many calories this is?
Hey Jessica, I don’t currently have an app to calculate nutritional info. I’m looking into adding that feature. Sorry for the trouble!
Amazing recipe! In light off all the boursin questions, thought id share what I did! I didn’t have any on hand so mixed 3oz cream cheese and 2.5oz butter with some spices (garlic and basil primarily) and it worked perfectly! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Bethany, awesome idea!!!
My daughter (8) and I made this tonight. She is quite picky, not normally liking meat mixed with “sauce” but since it had basil and tomaatoes which she loves, I thought we would give it a try. It was a hit, though she ate it like soup. ; )
Ha, I don’t blame her for eating that sauce like a soup lol. I’m so glad she liked it! Thanks for letting me know :)
I just made this recipe for my family and we loved it!!! Would definitely do this again!!!
I’m so glad Rosemary!! Makes my day to hear that :)
What can I substitute for Boursin cheese? I don’t even know where to find that .
You could use an herbed cream cheese, BUT boursin can be found at almost any grocery store. Usually there’s a cheese section where you find the feta, etc…boursin is usually in that section in a plastic bowl. It’s one of my favorite things!
I have to say that I LOVE THIS RECIPE!! Made it a couple weeks ago for my chef boyfriend…first thing he asked was When I would make it again!! We have this at least once a week now…infact it is what we are making it tonight!! Thank you for an amazing dinner option!!
I LOVE to hear that!! I’m so glad! Thanks so much for letting me know you loved it :)
Do you think regular cream cheese could work just as well as Boursin cheese??
I just cooked this for my family and I’m amazed I even got it on the table…I keep “taste testing” the sauce. It is devine!!! Mine didn’t come out pretty, but it sure was delicious! Thank you for the great post!
Also, I added some left over Ramono cheese…AMAZING!!
THANKS AGAIN!