Pollo A La Crema (Creamed Chicken) Creamy, Garlicky, and Weeknight-Easy

There are dinners that feel like a hug, and pollo a la crema is one of them for me. Tender chicken, a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy, a little garlic, a little onion, and rice or tortillas to scoop it all up with. It’s the kind of meal you make when you want comfort, but you don’t want to spend all evening in the kitchen.

This version keeps it simple on purpose. No long list of fancy ingredients, just chicken, a good sear, and a sauce built in the same pan. Here’s how it comes together.

Why You’ll Love It

• The sauce stays smooth, not split. The cream goes in last, over low heat, and never gets boiled hard — that’s what keeps it silky instead of grainy.
• It cooks in about 45 minutes. Sear, sauce, simmer, done. This is a real weeknight dinner, not a weekend project.
• One pan does most of the work. Browning the chicken first leaves flavour in the pan, and the sauce picks all of that up.
• It goes with almost anything. Rice, tortillas, mashed potatoes, or just crusty bread for the sauce.
• Leftovers reheat well. Gently warmed the next day, the sauce stays creamy and the chicken stays tender.

Recipe Card Summary

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Total time: 45 minutes
• Servings: 4
• Estimated calories per serving: about 480 kcal
• Estimated macros per serving: 38 g protein, 28 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate
• Calories and macros are estimates only and will vary with your chicken, cream, and cheese.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 800 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into strips or bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the cream sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced (optional, traditional in many versions)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 100 g cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or Monterey Jack
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh coriander or parsley, chopped, to serve

To serve

• Cooked rice or warm tortillas
• Lime wedges

Notes: Chicken thighs stay juicier than breast here, but breast works if you don’t overcook it. Use heavy cream, not light cream or milk, or the sauce will be thin and more likely to split. Cream cheese is what gives the sauce body without needing flour.

Equipment Needed

• Large skillet with a lid
• Tongs
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Knife and cutting board

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Season and sear the chicken: Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then sear the chicken in a single layer for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until golden. Don’t crowd the pan — work in batches if you need to, or the chicken will steam instead of browning. Take it out and set it aside.

2. Soften the onion and pepper: Lower the heat to medium, melt the butter in the same pan, and cook the onion for 4 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the bell pepper, if using, and cook for another 3 minutes. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom as you go — that’s flavour, not burnt food.

3. Add garlic and broth: Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping the pan again, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about a third. The broth should taste seasoned already at this point, so adjust the salt now.
4. Make the cream sauce: Lower the heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese until melted and smooth, then pour in the heavy cream and stir in the oregano. Keep it at a gentle simmer — never a hard boil. This is the whole trick of this recipe. Cream boiled hard can split and turn grainy, while cream kept low stays silky and thickens gently.

5. Melt the cheese and return the chicken: Stir in the grated cheese, a handful at a time, until melted. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan, spoon sauce over it, cover, and simmer on low for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to 74°C (165°F) and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.

6. Rest briefly and serve: Take the pan off the heat and rest it for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken a little more as it cools. Taste once more, adjust salt and pepper, and serve over rice or with warm tortillas, topped with chopped coriander or parsley and lime wedges on the side.

Common Mistakes

• Boiling the cream hard. This is the mistake that splits the sauce. Keep the heat low once the cream is in, and simmer gently.
• Crowding the pan when searing. Too much chicken at once steams instead of browning, and you lose the flavour that makes the sauce good.
• Using light cream. It won’t thicken the same way and splits more easily. Heavy cream is worth it here.
• Overcooking breast meat. If you use breast, check it early at 74°C and take it off as soon as it’s done, or it will dry out in the sauce.
• Skipping the rest. Five minutes off the heat lets the sauce thicken and the flavours settle. Serving straight from a bubbling pan gives you a thinner sauce.

How to Store & Reheat

Cool leftovers within two hours. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. For the freezer, freeze for up to 2 months, though the sauce may need a good stir when reheated.

To reheat, warm gently in a skillet over low heat, with a splash of broth or cream if the sauce has thickened too much. Stir often and don’t let it boil. A microwave works in short bursts, stirring between each one, but low and slow on the stove gives a smoother result.

Recipe Variations & Substitutions

• Mushroom version: Add 200 g sliced mushrooms with the onion, cooking until browned, for an earthier sauce.
• Spicy version: Add 1 chopped jalapeño with the onion, or a pinch of chilli flakes with the garlic.
• Cheesy version: Use more mozzarella, or swap in pepper jack for a little heat.
• Dairy-free version: Use coconut cream and a dairy-free cream cheese, keeping the heat low — the flavour will be different, but the method still works.
• With pasta: Serve the chicken and sauce over cooked pasta instead of rice, with extra cheese on top.
• Tortilla serving: Spoon the chicken into warm flour tortillas with rice and a squeeze of lime for a taco-style meal.

Nutritional / Health Angle

This recipe leans on lean protein from chicken, and most of the flavour comes from garlic, onion, oregano, and broth, with cream used as a sauce rather than the whole meal. The final numbers will depend on how much cheese and cream you use, and what you serve it with, so treat the estimates as a guide.

FAQ

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes. Cut it into even pieces, sear the same way, and check the temperature early — breast dries out faster than thigh, so take it off as soon as it reaches 74°C (165°F).

Why did my sauce split?

Usually because the heat was too high after the cream went in, or the sauce was boiled hard. Next time, keep it on low, simmer gently, and stir in the cheese a little at a time.

Can I make this ahead?

Yes, make it a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently on low with a splash of broth or cream, stirring often, and don’t let it boil.

What should I serve it with?

Rice is the classic choice, and it soaks up the sauce well. Warm tortillas, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread all work too — anything that can scoop up sauce.

Is this recipe gluten-free?

As written, yes, if your chicken broth is labelled gluten-free. Just check the broth and any tortillas or bread you serve with it.

Can I freeze pollo a la crema?

Yes, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on low, stirring well. The sauce may separate a little on thawing, but gentle heat and stirring usually bring it back together.

Final Thoughts

What I keep coming back to with pollo a la crema is that small heat change. Sear hot, then cream low, and suddenly the sauce is silky instead of split. The rest is just good habits: brown the chicken properly, scrape the pan, season the broth, and give it a short rest.

Make it for a weeknight when you want comfort without a long cook, and let people scoop up the sauce with whatever they like best. If you try it, I would love to know what you served it with — rice, tortillas, or something else entirely?

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Pollo A La Crema (Creamed Chicken)

Tender chicken in a creamy garlic sauce, made in one pan — sear hot, then add cream last over low heat so the sauce stays silky, never split.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 480

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the chicken:

• 800 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the cream sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced optional
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 100 g cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or Monterey Jack
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

To serve:

• Cooked rice or warm tortillas
• Lime wedges
• Fresh coriander or parsley, chopped

Equipment

• Large skillet with a lid
• Tongs
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Knife and cutting board

Method

 

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then sear the chicken in a single layer for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until golden. Do not crowd the pan. Take it out and set it aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, melt the butter in the same pan, and cook the onion for 4 minutes, until soft. Add the bell pepper, if using, and cook for another 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping the pan again, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about a third.
4. Lower the heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese until melted and smooth, then pour in the heavy cream and stir in the oregano. Keep it at a gentle simmer, never a hard boil, or the cream can split.
5. Stir in the grated cheese, a handful at a time, until melted. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan, spoon sauce over it, cover, and simmer on low for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to 74°C (165°F) and the sauce coats a spoon.
6. Take the pan off the heat and rest it for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken a little more as it cools. Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and serve over rice or with warm tortillas, topped with chopped coriander or parsley and lime wedges.

Notes

Estimated macros per serving: 38 g protein, 28 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate. Calories and macros are estimates only and will vary with your chicken, cream, and cheese.

Marita Hill

Pollo A La Crema (Creamed Chicken)

Last modified: November 3, 2026