Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken – This one-skillet oven baked chicken could very well become your next favorite meal. The juicy drumsticks are baked together with chickpeas in a creamy sauce loaded with garlic, herbs and crushed black peppercorns. We nestle unpeeled garlic between the chicken, so it can slowly roast in the butter sauce and become tender and sweet, adding an incredible extra flavor. Afterwards the cloves go perfectly on crusty bread, and you can mop up all of that delicious sauce.
Why You’ll Love this Oven Baked Chicken Recipe:
This one skillet meal is absolutely amazing. The chicken is incredibly moist and infused with the most delicious flavors. It’s fuss-free to make and tastes so good. A crowd-pleasing dish, a true back-pocket recipe to have in your arsenal.
Ingredients:
- 8 drumsticks – or bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 can 400 g/14 ounces chickpeas – drained
- 3 garlic cloves – minced
- 1 whole garlic head
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup half and half – or 20% fat cream at room temperature
- 1.5 ounces grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt – to taste
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs – or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 10 sage leaves – or 1 tsp dried sage
Seasoning for the Chicken:
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove – minced
Instructions:
- Combine the ingredients for the chicken seasoning. Rub in the drumsticks with the seasoning until they’re well-coated. Set aside.
- Mince the 3 garlic cloves.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add drumsticks and sear both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer onto a clean plate. Remove excess oil, leaving the brown bits in the skillet.
- Reduce heat to low, add butter, freshly ground black pepper and minced garlic. Stir until butter is melted and foaming, but not browned, about 2 minutes.
- Deglaze white wine, cook until reduced and no raw alcohol aroma remains, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and mustard. Bring to a boil. Add half-and-half, stir in chickpeas and parmesan. Season with salt.
- Return chicken to the skillet. Sprinkle with thyme and sage. Trim the top off the head of garlic to expose the tops and nestle upside-down between the chicken.
- Place the skillet in the oven and roast until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.
- Squeeze out 2 or 3 roasted garlic cloves and add them to the sauce, smash with a fork. Enjoy!
Serving Tips:
- You can serve it with orzo, potato wedges, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or some crusty bread.
- Pair it with a simple side salad. Let’s make the most delicious chicken dish, shall we? Hands down. It’s amazing. Pure joy.
Can I Use Boneless-Skinless Chicken Breasts?
Yes! Just scale the bake time back about 10 minutes, as they will cook through quicker.
Can I Add More Vegetables?
You can add more veggies like spinach or cauliflower or swap the chickpeas for butter beans. This recipe is super flexible; it will still be amazing.
Storage:
- Fridge: You can store the chicken with the sauce in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Simmer in a saucepan over medium on your stovetop, or reheat in the oven until heated through.
- Freezer: Because of the cream sauce, this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

More Recipe Suggestions:
Roasted Herb Butter Chicken and Orzo
Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread
White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake
Garlic Parmesan Chicken in a Rich Creamy Sauce
Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Lodge Oval Brasier/Casserole optional
- Large Skillet optional
- Soup Pot / Dutch Oven optional
Ingredients
- 8 drumsticks – or bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 can 400 g/14 ounces chickpeas – drained
- 3 garlic cloves – minced
- 1 whole garlic head
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup half and half – or 20% fat cream at room temperature
- 1.5 ounces grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt – to taste
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs – or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 10 sage leaves – or 1 tsp dried sage
Seasoning for the Chicken:
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove – minced
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the chicken seasoning. Rub in the drumsticks with the seasoning until they’re well-coated. Set aside.
- Mince the 3 garlic cloves.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add drumsticks and sear both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer onto a clean plate. Remove excess oil, leaving the brown bits in the skillet.
- Reduce heat to low, add butter, freshly ground black pepper and minced garlic. Stir until butter is melted and foaming, but not browned, about 2 minutes.
- Deglaze white wine, cook until reduced and no raw alcohol aroma remains, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and mustard. Bring to a boil. Add half-and-half, stir in chickpeas and parmesan. Season with salt.
- Return chicken to the skillet. Sprinkle with thyme and sage. Trim the top off the head of garlic to expose the tops and nestle upside-down between the chicken.
- Place the skillet in the oven and roast until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.
- Squeeze out 2 or 3 roasted garlic cloves and add them to the sauce, smash with a fork. Enjoy!