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If you need a super easy and simple dinner that tastes like you spent hours on it, then this is for you! Chicken breasts seasoned with Everything Bagel seasoning seared and topped with a dreamy, creamy chive and onion cream cheese sauce. It's sure to be one of your new favorites!
Why this recipe works
This is my type of a dinner recipe. Easy. Simple. Fast. Delicious.
- Minimal ingredients are needed to make this recipe
- I know I keep saying it's simple, but it really is. It's so simple that after you make this once, you won't need to look at the recipe again
- Your family will request this over and over, and that's a win...because it's EASY!
While we're talking bout quick and easy, here are some other quick and easy dinner recipes that might interest you:
One Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon
Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
Copycat Bahama Breeze Jerk Chicken Pasta
What do I need to make Everything Bagel Chicken?
- chicken breasts
- chive and onion cream cheese
- half and half
- everything bagel seasoning, or everything but the bagel seasoning (people call it both)
- avocado oil
- green onions or chives (for garnish, optional)
How to make the best chicken in cream cheese sauce recipe
Coat both sides of boneless skinless chicken breasts with everything bagel seasoning. I like to use Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. (I love ALL the Trader Joe spices.) You can also use McCormick Everything Bagel Seasoning or any other one you find. So many brands are making it these days.
Pre-heat a skillet and add the avocado oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and sear on both sides until browned. When I need to sear something at a high heat, I prefer to use avocado oil. It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, meaning it can get hotter before it starts smoking.
This is a great article comparing avocado oil and olive oil. It's good to know when it's best to use which one!
Also, this is my favorite skillet to use for searing chicken (among many, many other uses!)
Remove chicken when it is browned on both sides.
To the same skillet, add the chive and onion cream cheese and half and half.
Heat until cream cheese is melted and you have a velvety, creamy sauce.
(Just as a note, this is one of the most amazing cream cheese sauces, and I use this on anything and everything. Pasta. Veggies - especially broccoli. Pizza. Endless possibilities!)
Add the chicken back to the skillet with the sauce, and cover. Cook on low-medium until chicken is fully cooked through. Poultry should reach 165°F when it's completely done.
Top the cooked chicken with the most delicious creamy sauce ever!
Garnish with chopped green onions or chives if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
The typical blend is sesame seeds (white and black), dried onion, dried garlic, poppy seeds and salt.
You can use any of the spices that go into the actual seasoning blend, although you won't get the authentic taste that everything bagel we all love. You will think, something is missing!
Yes, you can cook the chicken in an air fryer or bake it in the oven on a sheet pan, but the reason I prefer the skillet method is that it leaves behind the fond in the skillet, which is the browned bits left after searing the chicken. This fond gives the sauce the extra flavor that you won't get if you just heat it up without it.
What can I serve with this easy dinner recipe?
I like to serve this with a side of brown rice and some simple steamed or roasted veggies. The rice is my favorite since I like to add some of the sauce to my rice as well.
Other recipes that would work well with this chicken dinner would be:
- The Best Buttered Sweet Corn with Cream Cheese
- Easy Roasted Green Beans
- Cheesy Ranch Garlic Bread
- Loaded Baked Cauliflower Mash
- Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
📋 Recipe
Everything Bagel Chicken with Cream Cheese Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts *cutlets will cook faster
- 4 ounces chive and onion cream cheese
- ¼ cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- green onions or chives, for garnish - optional
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with the Everything Bagel seasoning.
- Heat skillet over medium to high heat. Add oil and heat until hot.
- Add chicken breasts to the skillet and sear on both sides until browned. Remove from the skillet.
- Turn heat down to low to medium. Add cream cheese and half and half. Cook until cheese is melted and you have a smooth sauce.
- Add chicken back to the skillet and cover. Heat until chicken is cooked through. It should reach 165°F when done.
- Top chicken with the sauce and chopped green onions or chives.
Notes
- Chicken cutlets, which are just chicken breasts cut into thinner pieces will cook faster. If you can't find cutlets, you can slice the breasts in half lengthwise. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken tenders.
- I like to double the cream cheese sauce. It's so good you may want it to top your sides and veggies.
- Substitutes for Everything Bagel Seasoning: sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, sea salt, poppy seeds.
- You can also try other flavors of cream cheese for tasty variations!
Jo Anne Williams
I love this recipe because it's so tasty and so simple- and not so many calories as you might think! I had leftover cooked chicken which i cut into chucks. Per the suggestion, i doubled the sauce and just used 2% milk. I cooked fresh broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave for 3 minutes, then cut it up and added it in. Any vegetables will taste great in this sauce. I used the recommended amount (doubled) of Everything Bagel, threw in some mushrooms from a jar and I had some pimientos in a jar so I threw those in. Cooked down to a sauce consistency and I served over angel hair pasta that cooks in 4 minutes. Sprinkled more Everything Bagel on the top. Delicious, easy, quick, tasty. The sauce is 3 ingredients: Everything Bagel, Chive and onion cream cheese, and mil (for lower calories. Works with whatever you have. As said, it's a recipe you can do from your head. Love it!!
Teri
Thanks for the comment. I love all the additions you made. I'm going to have to try your variation very soon!
Laura
Very good, pretty easy, and not a ton of ingredients! The only thing I ran into was when I browned the chicken, it was still pretty raw inside, so when I added it back to the cream sauce, it needed a good amount of time so my sauce kind of globbed together. It was still really good, I will just cook the chicken almost completely before I remove it to make the cream sauce. That way, I have that beautiful sauce as soon as it melts. I served it with smashed potatoes and broccoli. I'd recommend it and funny story: I'm going to make paninis this weekend and I asked my husband what kind he wants. He wants me to make this chicken into a panini! So thank u!
Teri
Sometimes I pound the chicken into thinner pieces if the breasts are too big. I'll remember to add this suggestion when I update this post. I'm glad you liked it!