Never-Too-Much Garlic Chicken

Time :1 15

Yield :6 servings

Recipe Background

If you're a garlic lover, you won't want to miss out on Never-Too-Much Garlic Chicken! As the name suggests, this dish is packed with bold and savory garlic flavor in every bite. The chicken is coated in a rich and creamy garlic sauce that's made with butter, milk, and plenty of roasted garlic. Served over a bed of pasta, this chicken dish is perfect for a cozy dinner at home or entertaining guests. It's quick and easy to make, but the complex flavors will make it seem like you spent hours in the kitchen. So go ahead, indulge in your love for garlic with some delicious Never-Too-Much Garlic Chicken!

Ingredients

4 whole garlic bulbs
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 (9-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
3/4 teaspoon salt divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper divided
6 (6-ounce) chicken breast halves boneless and skinless
6 tablespoons butter cubed
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% milk
2 1/2 cups parmesan cheese grated, divided
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pasta to taste, cooked and hot
tomato optional, to taste, chopped
fresh parsley optional, to taste, minced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.
Remove the outer skin from the garlic, ensuring you don't peel or separate the cloves, then cut the tops off the garlic bulbs and brush the bulbs with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Wrap each bulb in heavy-duty foil and bake until they are softened, about 30-35 minutes.
Let the garlic cool, about 10-15 minutes.
Place the spinach in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining oil and the chicken and cook until both sides of the chicken are browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Place the browned chicken over the spinach.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Stir the flour into the melted butter until it is smooth.
Gradually add the milk to the flour mixture, bring it to a boil, and cook while stirring, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir 2 cups of the cheese, the nutmeg, the remaining salt, and the remaining pepper into the flour mixture.
Transfer the flour mixture to a blender and squeeze the softened garlic into it.
Cover the blender and process until the garlic sauce is smooth.
Pour the garlic sauce over the chicken.
Cover the dish with foil and bake the chicken mixture until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the sauce is bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.
Carefully uncover the baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
Serve the chicken and the spinach over the pasta, topped with the garlic sauce, and sprinkled with the tomatoes and the parsley.