Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

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Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce is an elegant yet easy meal that’s perfect for a special night in. This 5-star meal can be ready to eat in just 30 minutes!

Chicken smothered in Basil Cream Sauce

There is a local Italian restaurant that is just a little ‘hole in the wall’ type of place to eat. It is so unsuspecting from the outside, but once you walk in you are greeted with cuisine made right from grandmother’s recipes. One dish in particular at this restaurant reminds me of this Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce recipe. This chicken is one that I have loved forever. It looks fancy and impressive, but it could not be any easier to make. It is a go-to for us on weeknights and for special occasions!

CHICKEN IN BASIL CREAM SAUCE

The base of this dish, as I am sure you have guessed, is chicken breast. One of the best meats to cook with, because almost everyone including the kids will eat it! This isn’t just any ordinary chicken though as the breasts are sliced thin and tenderized into cutlets. Each cutlet is then lightly breaded and cooked in a skillet for the crispy, crunchy, and juicy coating. While the cutlets finish cooking in the oven, the basil cream sauce is prepared and that only takes minutes to make. With all the flavor and depth in this tasty meal, you would imagine more bells and whistles. But nope. It is as easy as can be. 😊

Chicken smothered in Basil Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Cutlets

  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup milk
  • 3/4 cup dried Italian breadcrumbs
  • 3 Tablespoons butter

Basil Cream Sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Chicken Cutlets

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. (Yes, this low temperature is correct.) Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally; creating two even pieces (cutlets). You will have 4 cutlets total. Pound each cutlet into an even 1/2-inch thickness. Place the milk in a shallow bowl, and the breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowl. Dip each chicken cutlet thoroughly in milk, then coat with breadcrumbs.

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Cook the coated chicken cutlets until golden-brown on each side; being careful not to burn. Place chicken cutlets side by side in the prepared baking dish. Place chicken in the oven to finish cooking while you prepare the basil cream sauce.

Basil Cream Sauce

Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir to loosen browned bits from the pan. Stir in cream. Bring to a slight boil and stir for several seconds then reduce heat to low. Add the Parmesan cheese, chopped basil, and pepper. Continue to stir sauce until it thickens; about 5 minutes or so.

Remove chicken from oven. Internal temperature of chicken breasts should be 165 degrees F. Serve chicken with basil cream sauce on top. Enjoy!

Chicken smothered in Basil Cream Sauce

SERVINGS

This incredible chicken recipe serves 4. You can easily double or triple the recipe if needing to serve more. Take note that you will need to cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet.

ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE EASY AND ELEGANT MEALS!

Almost Crusted Chicken with Creamy Lemon Sauce – This tender and irresistible chicken has a little bit of crunch and a little bit of zest.

Chicken Pillows with Creamy Parmesan Sauce – A crispy and warm enclosure of juicy chicken is topped with a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce.

Air Fryer Ranch Chicken – This meal is as simple as can be! Chicken breast coated with an easy ranch seasoned breading and cooked in the air fryer.

Cajun Chicken Pasta – This creamy pasta dish is topped with a juicy chicken breast that has a subtle heat from the Cajun spices.

Chicken smothered in Basil Cream Sauce
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4.80 from 5 votes

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

Italian breaded chicken cutlets served with a basil and Parmesan cheese sauce. This chicken is delicious!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author Holly

Ingredients

Chicken Cutlets

  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup dried Italian breadcrumbs
  • 3 Tablespoons butter

Basil Cream Sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Chicken Cutlets

  • Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. (Yes, this low temperature is correct.) Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  • Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally; creating two even pieces (cutlets). You will have 4 cutlets total. Pound each cutlet into an even 1/2-inch thickness. Place the milk in a shallow bowl, and the breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowl. Dip each chicken cutlet thoroughly in milk, then coat with breadcrumbs.
  • In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook the coated chicken cutlets until golden-brown on each side; being careful not to burn. Place chicken side by side in the prepared baking dish. Place chicken in the oven to finish cooking while you prepare the basil cream sauce.

Basil Cream Sauce

  • Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir to loosen browned bits from the pan. Stir in cream. Bring to a slight boil and stir for several seconds then reduce heat to low. Add the Parmesan cheese, chopped basil, and pepper. Continue to stir sauce until it thickens; about 5 minutes or so.
  • Remove chicken from oven. Internal temperature of chicken breasts should be 165 degrees F. Serve chicken with basil cream sauce on top. Enjoy!

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Chicken smothered in Basil Cream Sauce

 

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Recipe Rating




18 thoughts on “Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

  1. I know this may be a strange question but do you think the sauce would work without the cheese? I love parmesan cheese but something about putting it in a sauce grosses me out. Everything else about this dish looks incredible though and the no-bake aspect is awesome. Baking is not an option right now with the heat.

    1. Rebecca- Without the cheese the sauce will be very thin and lack the cheesy flavor… So I personally wouldn’t recommend leaving it out. It’s super delicious.

  2. This was fabulous. I didn’t have fresh Basil and used cilantro instead. Fast easy and delicious.

  3. I just made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC!!! I’m so excited to have found your site and will definitely try your other recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

  4. Great recipe. Just one suggestion. I managed a restaurant that had a very similar dish, only difference was we added some toasted pignoli/pine nuts. Really helps finish the entree.

  5. This sauce was amazing! We are doing a Keto diet, so I didn’t bread the chicken, just sautéed in the pan. We had roasted broccoli and cauliflower. PERFECT!

  6. 5 stars! I’ve made this multiple times now and it’s delicious, quick, and easy. This last time the store only had cutlets and I was out of cream but read I could substitute evaporated milk and it still was amazing! Thanks for the favorite recipe 🙂

  7. 4 stars
    This was seriously delicious! It made much more sauce than I realized. Easy as well. We had it with asparagus and corn on the cob. Would be great with egg noodles and salad. Will def make again!

  8. 5 stars
    So, having cooked for almost a decade and a half, I rarely follow recipes, they are just starting points for making what I like. Except for subbing boneless, skinless thighs (breast meat is boring and dry) I followed this one almost RELIGIOUSLY, fucking dynamite dish!!! Ate too much, will do so again for lunch tomorrow. Make this! Damn!!

  9. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe. We are renovating and do not have an electric stove/oven right now. I have an old wood fired cookstove that I’m cooking on so i’ve been searching for recipes that i can adapt to our current situation. I used a cast iron skillet for this. Making the sauce was a challenge since there is no knob to control heat. the chicken in the cast iron was amazing!

  10. Do you think it would work making the chicken the night before, and then warming it up the next day and adding the freshly made basil sauce? Any other suggestions on how to make this ahead of time? Thanks.

    1. Hi Susan! Yes, that would work. The only negative thing about making the chicken in advance is that the chicken reheated won’t be as crispy, but it will still be delicious. 🙂

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