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.
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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
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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!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Tardy to the party, I know, but I made this last night, as this recipe caught my eye. Only difference, I used a coconut flour/arrowroot flour instead of bread crumbs, and spiralized yellow squash vice rice/pasta, as we’ve gone semi-mostly-quasi-paleo. Yum, Yum, YUM!!! Best part was coming home today to smell the lingering aroma (yeah, I know it sounds weird). Solid flavors…officially added to the rotation. Can’t wait for the leftovers tonight. Thanks so much, Becky!
Hi this is such a great recipe thanks for sharing. I had a question though. When I made it my sauce didn’t have the orange tint. Was this because I skipped the pimientos?
Just stumbled across your page from Teek – and I am beyond excited to try this stuff out! I am a horrible cook and want to learn desperately – so this looks like a great place to start! Excited for this adventure for you!
HI!!!!! Just made my day to hear from you! I saw your pics recently from the yearly reunion, looked SO fun! Thanks for saying hi, really did make me so happy. And cooking is SO much easier than I thought. You’ll do great :)
I know it’s heresy, but I just don’t like (hate) Parmesan, or any of the “stinky” cheeses. If I leave that out, any ideas for a substitution, or maybe just use more boursin?
Yes you could leave it out I think…It’s really just for taste. I don’t think it would hurt the recipe at all!! Thanks so much for saying hi :)
Would it do anything to the recipe if I left out the tomatoes? Could I use Sun-dried Tomatoes?
Thanks, Jan
It would be totally fine either way! I think sun dried tomatoes sound delish in this recipe!!
Hi I’m so excited to try this recipe but the only problem is I can’t find any Boursin cheese. I was wonder if laughing cow would be a good substitute
I think laughing cow would work! Or I have a recipe for homemade boursin on the site as well, just search boursin in the search bar. But I do think laughing cow would work. any soft herby cheese would be fine :)
Does anyone know the nutritional facts on this meal?
I don’t have a nutritional calculator on the site yet, but I’m hoping to add it some time in the future if I can find a good app. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Made this tonight (sans pimentos), it was super easy and OH SO delicious! I’m 26 and just learning how to cook, so your website is pretty much the greatest thing in the entire world to me right now. Would definitely recommend this to everyone!
Yay!!! So glad you loved it!
I made this for dinner last night for my parents and boyfriend everyone loved it! I did use almond milk instead of regular milk and I couldn’t find heavy cream so I used whipping cream instead. I will definitely try harder to find the heavy cream next time I make this. I would definitely make this again!
I’ve never posted a comment to a recipe I’ve tried but in this case I felt I had to. I made this last night. I substituted 4 thighs for 2 of the breasts because my husband prefers dark meat. All I can say is WOW!!! My husband just text me and said he wants it again tonight. LOL Thank you Becky. This is definitely a recipe I will make over and over again. Super simple and SO delicious!!!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment!! Totally made my day. So glad you guys loved the recipe!