Description
Baked cream cheese chicken brings together tender chicken breasts with a tangy, creamy sauce that makes dinner feel special without keeping you in the kitchen for hours. Your family gets a satisfying, comforting meal that comes together in one pan and tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
Seasoning and flavor:
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Cooking and garnish:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for greasing or drizzling)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375°F and coat a baking dish with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Mix together 8 oz of softened cream cheese with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a bowl until everything combines smoothly.
- Arrange your 4 chicken breasts (about 6 oz each) in the prepared dish and spread the cream cheese mixture across the top of each piece.
- Cover the dish with foil and place it in your 375°F oven for 25 minutes.
- Take the foil off your chicken and return it to the 375°F oven for another 10 minutes until the internal temperature reads 165°F.
- Remove your chicken from the oven and let it rest on the counter for 5 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley over your chicken if you’d like a fresh finish.
Notes
- The cream cheese mixture stays put better when chicken is patted dry before spreading it on, since moisture can cause the topping to slide around during baking.
- Covering with foil for the first half of cooking keeps the cream cheese from browning too quickly while the chicken cooks through underneath.
- Thickness matters for even cooking, so pound your chicken breasts to about ¾-inch thickness if some pieces are significantly thicker than others.
- For a keto or low-carb version, this dish works perfectly as written since cream cheese and chicken fit those diets naturally, and you can skip any side dishes that contain carbs.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Baked Chicken
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 354 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 403 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg