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Garlic Herb Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes

Garlic herb chicken with mashed potatoes is a comfort food dinner featuring golden-seared chicken and a herb-flecked garlic pan sauce. Tender, buttery Yukon gold mashed potatoes get mashed smooth with warm cream for a creamy side every weeknight can handle.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.25 tsp salt for seasoning chicken and boiling potatoes
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper for seasoning chicken and mashed potatoes
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried herbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for searing
  • 3 tbsp butter divided; 2 tbsp for mashed potatoes and remaining for pan sauce
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup heavy cream for pan sauce
  • 1 fresh thyme and rosemary use fresh sprigs; leaves stripped as needed
mashed potatoes
  • 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 4 tbsp butter for mashed potatoes
  • 0.5 cup warm heavy cream add gradually until smooth
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper to taste adjust during mashing

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, then drain thoroughly. Mash with butter and warm heavy cream until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the boneless skinless chicken breasts with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and sear until golden and cooked through, 5–6 minutes per side, then set aside.
Build the garlic herb pan sauce
  1. Melt the remaining butter in the same pan, then add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken broth and heavy cream, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  2. Simmer the pan sauce for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened, then add fresh thyme and rosemary. Spoon the garlic herb pan sauce over the chicken and drizzle generously onto the mashed potatoes so some sauce pools and runs into the potatoes.

Notes

Pro tip: Use a wide cast iron skillet so you get strong browning on the chicken; don’t move the breasts for the first few minutes of searing. Store leftover chicken and mashed potatoes separately in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently to avoid drying the chicken, and add a splash of broth if needed for the sauce. Freezing: chicken freezes well up to 2 months, but mashed potatoes may change texture. Dietary swap: for a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for the pan sauce and mash.