Easy Chicken with Garlic-Parmesan Gravy

Prepare to be amazed! You can turn simple chicken breasts into something freakin' spectacular with this quick-and-easy gravy. Here's the quick process: chicken is seared; gravy is made with a butter-flour roux, milk, garlic, and parmesan; chicken returns to pan; dinner is served. Creamy, cheesy gravy, golden chicken, one skillet. For me, all boxes are checked.

I hope you feel the same way. As you probably know, I adore 1-skillet meals, but only if they kick butt and taste like 5-skillet meals. This is one of those meals. The chicken is seared so we can get (and taste) a caramelized exterior. Then, a gravy is made, scooping up the chicken's brown bits and incorporating them into a milk and cheese-based sauce. The chicken is finished in the sauce, so it stays caramelized while cooking through (this ensures that the bird stays moist).

As you can see, I wasn't being flippant when I used the term "easy" in the title. Chicken seared, sauce made, chicken finished. This is your quintessential weeknight meal. It's quick, easy, healthy, and a total crowd-pleaser. Like the whole crowd. Unless you invited a vegan.

Easy Chicken with Garlic-Parmesan Gravy 

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1-inch thickness
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon grated fresh garlic (1-2 cloves)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is bubbly, whisk in the flour, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the milk and garlic and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the cheese. When the cheese is melted, return the chicken to the pan with any accumulated juices from the plate. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens.
Remove the pan from the heat, top the chicken with the parsley and serve.
Serves 4