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Garlic Herb Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes

Garlic herb chicken with mashed potatoes featuring golden-seared chicken and a herb-flecked garlic pan sauce. Buttery, smooth Yukon gold mashed potatoes are served alongside a thickened broth-cream drizzle made from the browned bits in the pan.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and garlic herb pan sauce
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried herbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp butter divided
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup heavy cream
  • 2 fresh thyme
  • 1 fresh rosemary
Buttery mashed potatoes
  • 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 0.5 cup warm heavy cream
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Make the mashed potatoes
  1. Boil the Yukon gold potatoes in salted water until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash until smooth, then mix in butter, warm heavy cream, salt, and pepper.
Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken breasts with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Keep the seasoning even so it forms a golden crust during searing.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then sear the chicken for 5–6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Set the chicken aside after it’s done.
Build the garlic herb pan sauce
  1. Melt the remaining butter in the same pan, add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Stir just until fragrant to avoid browning the garlic too much.
  2. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream, scraping up all the browned bits. Stir so the sauce looks uniform and pulls up the caramelized flavor.
  3. Simmer the pan sauce for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened, then add fresh thyme and rosemary. Keep simmering gently so the herbs perfume the sauce without getting bitter.
Serve
  1. Serve the chicken over the mashed potatoes with the garlic herb pan sauce drizzled generously over both. Let the sauce pool slightly over the chicken and run into the potatoes for a comforting finish.

Notes

Pro tip: mash the drained potatoes right after cooking so they stay fluffy, and simmer the sauce until it lightly coats the back of a spoon for a proper drizzle. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze chicken and sauce up to 2 months (freeze mashed potatoes separately only if needed, as texture may change). For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and reduce the butter slightly.