Cream Cheese Chicken will be an all around favorite meal in your home. It effortlessly combines grilled chicken with a wine and cream cheese sauce for a rich and creamy dish.
This cream cheese sauce for chicken is easy and quick enough for weeknight meals and yet tastes totally luxurious.
This is a fabulously cheesy chicken that comes together in minutes. It’s incredibly flavorful, tender and moist.
I can almost guarantee that you will get instant feedback from everyone eating this dish. It will probably be in the form of “Mmmms” of satisfaction! Those are the sounds of satisfied eaters, and music to a mom’s ears.
If you want more recipes that are sure to be successes for all age groups, try Creamy Fontina Pasta, Prosciutto Pizza, and Bacon and Cheese Soup. They all combine great ingredients into delicious and flavorful meals.
Cream cheese chicken is so easy and makes great leftovers, too! I just know you’re going to love it.
Why You’ll Love this Cream Cheese Chicken
- Quick
- Easy
- Rich, Creamy Flavor
- Versatile
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into tenders or purchase fresh chicken tenders from your local grocer.
- Oil – Extra virgin olive oil offers a hint of flavor to sauté the shallot, but you can substitute with butter or canola oil if needed.
- Shallot – The shallot offers delicate flavor to this simple dish. You can substitute with onion in a pinch.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic if possible, but you can can substitute with minced garlic available in the produce section at your grocery store. Learn how to peel garlic here and how to mince garlic here.
- White Wine – Use white cooking wine or a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. You can substitute with chicken broth if you prefer, but avoid sweet wines.
- Cream Cheese – You can use regular cream cheese or reduced fat, whichever you prefer.
- Parsley – Fresh parsley lends itself well to this dish, but you can use your favorite herbs including oregano, rosemary or thyme.
Variations
- Spinach Cream Cheese Chicken – Chop spinach and add to the sauce one it is smooth. Stir spinach and let soften for a minute.
- Buffalo Cream Cheese Chicken – Replace shallot with onion and substitute white wine for buffalo sauce.
How to Make Cream Cheese Chicken in Just 3 Easy Steps on the Stovetop
- Prep – Chop garlic and shallots. Cut chicken into tender strips, cutting against the grain.
- Sauté Shallot and Sear Chicken – Start with shallots, then add the garlic for 30 seconds, and finish by cooking the chicken on both sides for about 3 minutes each.
- Make Sauce – Remove chicken from pan. Add wine and cream cheese to the pan on low heat. Leave remaining shallot and garlic pieces in the pan. Stir or whisk until the cream cheese is blended and smooth and sauce is thickened. Thin with a little wine if necessary.
How to Make Chicken and Cream Cheese Sauce in the Crock Pot
- Place full size chicken breasts in bottom of crock pot.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, shallots, and garlic.
- Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours or until tender. Remove chicken.
- Add wine and cream cheese chunks with the crock pot still on. Stir until smooth.
- Slice or shred chicken and return to crock pot.
- Stir until chicken is distributed in sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.
Watch the video where Julie will walk you through each step of this easy recipe. You will find a collection of recipe videos right here on our website with corresponding recipes.
Tips
- Don’t overcook the sauce. It just needs to heat through, but cooking for longer increases the chances of your cream cheese separating.
- If sauce becomes too thick, thin with more white wine and whisk until smooth.
- Serve immediately for the creamiest consistency
Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!
Shortcuts
- Purchase chicken tenders
- Use minced garlic
- Use dried herbs for garnish
Frequently Asked Questions
You can cut into the center part of a tender and see if the juices are clear and the meat is white. If it is pink at all then your chicken needs to cook a bit longer.
Start with softened cream cheese that is diced. Use a whisk and stir over low heat to get the cream really smooth.
If you’re always worried about getting the temperature of your chicken just right, jump over to print out these free Meat Temperature Chart!
Make Ahead
- Prep garlic and shallots and store in separate containers in the fridge up to 3 days.
- Slice chicken in tenders and store in container or bag for 1 or 2 days ahead of time.
How to Store
- At Room Temperature – You can leave this dish sitting out while you eat, for about an hour. After that you’ll need to put chicken in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate – Store your chicken in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze – Place any leftovers in a container and store in the fridge for up to a couple of months. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. The sauce will need to be thinned with a little wine or milk. The sauce may not be as creamy as it was originally because the cream cheese will change its texture in the freezer.
Serve With
What to Do with Leftovers
- Store any cream cheese chicken leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer. When ready to eat, heat in the microwave or on the stovetop. The sauce will be very thick because the cream cheese thickens when cooled. If it is too thick after it is heated then you can thin it with more wine or milk. Just use a small whisk and work around the chicken.
- Once it is heated you can serve your leftovers over a pasta, over zucchini noodles, or even as a dressing for a salad.
- Shred the chicken even smaller and serve in a wrap or a croissant with as much sauce as you need to make it taste good without being too saucy.
Dietary Considerations
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free – This dish contains cream cheese, but you can replace with a non-dairy cream cheese substitute of your choice.
- Nut Free
More Chicken
Cream Cheese Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 large shallot diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large chicken breasts cut into strips across
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 8 ounces cream cheese diced
- ½ cup white wine white cooking wine or substitute chicken broth
To Garnish
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup parmesan freh grated
Instructions
- Add oil and shallots to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds.
- Add chicken strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 3½ minutes. Turn. another 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Reduce heat to low and remove chicken from pan. Add wine and cream cheese. Whisk or stir continuosly until smooth. If sauce is too thick, add wine to thin.
- Return the chicken and coat with sauce. Garnish with parsley and parmesan. Serve immediately.
Julie’s Tips
Variations
- Spinach Cream Cheese Chicken – Chop spinach and add to the sauce one it is smooth. Stir spinach and let soften for a minute.
- Buffalo Cream Cheese Chicken – Replace shallot with onion and substitute white wine for buffalo sauce.
Tips
- Don’t overcook the sauce. It just needs to heat through, but cooking for longer increases the chances of your cream cheese separating.
- If sauce becomes too thick, thin with more white wine and whisk until smooth.
- Serve immediately for the creamiest consistency
Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Amazingly delicious and easy to prep. No need to be an expert in the kitchen.
Thanks, Melissa! I strive to make all of my recipes simple and delicious. That’s the ultimate compliment!
This chicken was so quick & easy to make! It was outstanding!