Skillet Chicken with Cheddar Chive Sauce
by Katie Webster
May 20, 2013 (updated 4/11/23) Jump To Recipe
This skillet chicken with cheddar chive sauce will be your new favorite spring dinner. The fresh chives and bright spring green garlic make it so lovely. It’s a cozy quick dinner for any day of the week.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Skillet Chicken with Cheddar Chive Sauce
This chicken and cheese sauce is creamy and cheesy. It’s family-friendly comfort food. But actually it’s healthier than you’d think because the sauce is made without heavy cream. Instead it uses chicken broth and non fat milk to keep calories in check. I like to serve it with Glazed Roasted Carrots, mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.
I love serving it in the spring and summer when green garlic and fresh chives are in season at the farmers market or in the garden. (Check out this site to find a farmers market near you.)
Recipe Highlights
- Sharp cheddar adds a delicious tanginess to the cheese sauce.
- Chicken broth and nonfat milk keep the calories in the sauce in check.
- Even picky eaters will love it.
- It’s a one-skillet recipe.
Key Ingredients For This Sautéed Chicken with Cheese Sauce
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: I use thighs because they’re so juicy and tasty. You could swap in the same amount of chicken breast. Cut them in half and adjust the cook time as needed.
- Green Garlic: Green garlic is an immature garlic plant and is available in the spring from farmer’s markets, CSAs and well stocked supermarkets. It is more mild than mature garlic. If you can’t find it, substitute 1 cup of leek and 1 clove of chopped garlic. Follow the same instructions for how to clean a leek for green garlic.
- Fresh Chives: You need a half cup for this recipe. You could use the greens only from scallions if you can’t find chives.
- Dry White Wine: Any dry white wine will do here.
- Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth: Any store-bought chicken broth is great here.
- Non-Fat Milk: I use non-fat milk here to cut calories. Reduced-fat or whole milk will also work.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Buy the sharpest you can find as this is what gives the cheese sauce its tangy, cheesy flavor.
- Pantry Staples: Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, canola oil, all-purpose flour, dried thyme.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Dredge chicken
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge the chicken in flour until well coated on both sides, shaking off excess. Set the chicken aside and discard the flour mixture, reserving ¼ cup for later.
Step 2: Start cooking chicken
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Note the chicken will continue to cook in step 4.
Step 3: Start making cheese sauce
Add the green garlic or leeks, thyme and salt to the same skillet. Cook the aromatics until fragrant and starting to brown slightly, 1 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits until the wine has almost completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup flour over the green garlic mixture and stir to coat. Stir in the broth and milk until the flour is dissolved. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Step 4: Combine sauteed chicken with cheese sauce
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet with the sauce and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, turning the chicken over in the sauce occasionally until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and is cooked through, 4 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in cheddar and chives into the sauce until the cheese is melted. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Let the dish cool down to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet or in the microwave until it’s hot before serving.
To make ahead of time, prepare the chicken according to the recipe instructions (except this time, make sure to cook it all the way through), then store it separately from the sauce in the fridge. Reheat the chicken and sauce in a skillet over medium heat, whisking in extra milk as needed to thin out the sauce, until everything is hot and bubbly.
A variety of cheeses can be used in the cheese sauce, including gruyere, fontina or Monterey Jack. The type of cheese will affect the flavor and texture of the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- Either this Roasted Asparagus or this Grilled Asparagus would pair well with this springy chicken recipe.
- If you like chicken pot pie, then you know how tasty chicken, creamy sauce and carrots are together. These Garlic Butter Cooked Baby Carrots complete this chicken recipe if you ask me!
- Barley, whole-wheat couscous or brown rice would all be great whole-grain sides to soak up that cheesy sauce.
More Chicken Dinners to Try
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Print Skillet Chicken with Cheddar Chive Sauce
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This sauteed chicken with cheese sauce will be your new favorite spring dinner. The fresh chives and bright spring green garlic make it so lovely. It’s a cozy quick dinner for any day of the week.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- Freshly ground pepper
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed (about 1 ½ pounds)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup finely chopped green garlic* see ingredient note
- ½ teaspoon dry thyme
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup non-fat milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and pepper all over the chicken. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge chicken in the flour, until coated, shaking off excess and setting aside. Reserve ¼ cup left-over flour mixture and discard the remainder.
- Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, but not smoking, add chicken to skillet and cook until browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Note chicken will continue cooking in step 4.
- Add green garlic or leeks, thyme and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the skillet, and cook, stirring until fragrant and starting to brown slightly, 1 to 3 minutes. Add wine, and cook scraping up any browned bits until the wine has almost completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup flour over the green garlic mixture and stir to coat. Stir in broth and milk and stir until the flour is dissolved. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and continue cooking until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 1 minute.
- Return the chicken and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, turning the chicken over in the sauce occasionally until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and is cooked through, 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Remove skillet from heat and stir cheddar and chives into the sauce until the cheese is melted. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Notes
Make-Ahead Instructions: To make this skillet chicken with cheddar chive sauce ahead of time, prepare the chicken according to the recipe instructions (except this time, make sure to cook it all the way through), then store it separately from the sauce in the fridge. Reheat the chicken and sauce in a skillet over medium heat, whisking in extra milk as needed to thin out the sauce, until everything is hot and bubbly.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh, and 1/3 cup sauce
- Calories: 274
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 19 g
Keywords: skillet chicken,chicken with cheese sauce
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
This dish looks absolutely gorgeous. Sounds really delicious as well. Definitely trying this tomorrow! I have to say, your dishes are really well presented. Kudos to you, Katie. I found a new favourite site!
Why thank you Gareth. Thanks for dropping by. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
I printed this week’s recipes. I made the rice dish last night and skillet chicken tonight. Both were a hit along with the cauliflower rice. I skipped the steak because my husband has alpha gal. Thanks for giving me healthy ideas and recipes that won’t break the bank.
I am so so happy to hear that you are liking it Lanelle. That is such great news. Enjoy!
We’re going to be in the high 60s this weekend and I’m so getting spring fever. This chicken dish caught my eye and after reading your post, I’m really ready for spring. I don’t have a vegetable garden but I plan on a really big herb garden this year. I’m so jealous of your food styling skills, Katie! Absolutely beautiful! And it looks delicious too!
Thank you Bill. I wish it was warmer here this weekend. Though it is supposed to get above freezing, so I shouldn’t complain;) I am looking forward to the garden too. You can never have enough herbs.
just discovering this recipe – yes I’m poking around your blog 😉 – and I love it!! quick comfort is totally my kind of dinner!
Totally okay by me if you poke around Christine! Quick and comfort are always good right?!
This is a gorgeous dish! I’ll be adding it to my menu this week for sure 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Lauren. Comfort food is on our menu this week too!
Enjoy the marathon! How long is your leg? This recipe looks so fresh and good, it’s definitely something I could modify for my low carb, GF diet.
I didn’t end up getting to run in the race. My team mates had to leave town unexpectedly. Oh well there is always next year. I think it would be easy to make it gf, though a little bit of starch may be needed to stabilize the sauce so the cheese won’t break. I think if you skip the dredging step, you can then just add in enough gf flour (3 tablespoons is probably enough) to thicken the sauce and keep the carbs in check.
Thanks Brooke. Yes I am sure gf mix or rice flour would work well here. I think you could easily omit the dredging step, and just add the gf flour to the green garlic mixture to stabilize and thicken the sauce.
Your photography is amazing. You just capture the life in the food so well like it’s actually in front of me. Also you had me at fast 😉 I think I would try substituting the flour with GF flour which im sure will work 🙂
This chicken is simply gorgeous! I love all the fresh flavors here … the green garlic, the thyme.. I will definitely be making this.
Thanks Kate. I am glad you think it looks good. I think I will have to make a fall variation too when the time comes. It seems like it would work with rosemary and mushrooms.