This Feta Chicken recipe was one of our first blog posts on Garnish with Lemon - and it's still one of the most popular to date. Come see why so many people love this quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Chicken served with a creamy feta cheese sauce has long been a crowd-pleaser at my house. It's not super fancy food, and it's not complicated to make, but it's always a hit.
There are only so many ways you can excite people about chicken, but this Feta Chicken recipe is one of them! That flavorful, tangy feta cheese sauce steals the show here - with good reason.
Have some dinner guests you want to impress, but don't have the time to spend hours prepping a complicated dinner menu? No worries, I have you covered with this easy recipe everyone will love, and the best part is, no one will know it actually took no time at all.
This easy chicken recipe will give you weekend date night quality flavors, and only require weeknight busy schedule time and effort. It's really a win-win situation all around!
Instructions
I love a good homemade cheese sauce, especially when it's a recipe that takes less than 10 minutes to make. You can have the whole recipe, chicken and all completed and on the table in under 30 minutes, and here's how!
The chicken in this recipe can be grilled or cooked on the stove. Since we eat this Chicken Feta recipe all year round, we usually grill the chicken in the summer months and cook it on the stovetop in the winter.
The instructions for cooking the chicken remain the same regardless of how you cook it:
- Heat skillet or grill over medium-high heat.
- Lightly coat chicken breasts with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken to the pan or grill when hot. Cook on each side until cooked through.
- Remove from heat and keep warm.
Tips
Never made a feta cheese sauce before? Here are a couple of tips to get your sauce to look as thick and smooth as this one:
- If using a block of feta cheese, grate it as finely as possible. If using pre-crumbled feta cheese, try to break up the cheese into as small of pieces as possible. (There are always huge chunks in my feta whenever I buy it pre-crumbled). The finer the grate of the cheese, the easier your feta cheese will "melt".
- Stir in your cheese a few handfuls at a time to ensure a smoother and more even incorporation into the sauce.
- I like to use a "gravy" whisk when making any sort of sauce. Not familiar? It's basically a flat whisk that allows me to get into the edges of the pan better than a traditional balloon whisk.
FAQs
Not exactly. Feta cheese will not fully melt like a mozzarella or other softer cheese. This has to do with the varying moisture content in the different cheeses but I'm not going to get all scientific on you.
Know there will be a few bits visible in your sauce and that's totally fine and doesn't impact the flavor at all.
Yes, you can make the sauce ahead of time if you're in a time crunch. Simply reheat when ready to serve. It also never fails to add new life to any assortment of leftovers, so feel free to use it on other things, too
Serving Suggestions
The recipe world is your oyster when it comes to what to serve with this chicken with feta cheese sauce recipe. I honestly can't think of anything that would be wrong to pair with this combo. Serve it with potatoes, vegetables, salad, pasta, or anything else you can think of.
What's fun about this one is that with the right sides this can turn into a meal fit for a sophisticated dinner party, or a casual weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy.
My family's favorite way to eat this dish is with couscous or rice to soak up the savory sauce. Add a veggie of choice, like Oven Roasted Asparagus With Brown Butter, and voila, dinner is served!
Another great serving option is to make enough for the whole week and use it for lunch meal prep. Just grab a few airtight containers and fill with the chicken and feta sauce, veggie of your choice, and white or brown rice and you have a perfectly portioned and ready-to-go lunch for the rest of the week.
More Chicken Recipes
Tequila Lime Chicken Fajitas - Garnish with Lemon
Oven Baked Crispy Chicken - Barefeet in the Kitchen
Easy Pizza Chicken - All Day I Dream About Food
See all of our main dish recipes here!
Recipe
Feta Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat chicken breasts with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan when hot. Cook 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for one minute. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly. Stir in chives and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5-7 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Add cheese by the handful and stir until cheese is melted.
- Spoon sauce over chicken and garnish with additional fresh chives, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Just say no to boring chicken! Make a meal your family will crave with this delicious Feta Chicken recipe with fresh chives. Seasoned, seared chicken breasts are drizzled with a flavorful, tangy feta cheese sauce. Easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough when having people over for dinner.
Winner winner chicken dinner. Looks amazing! Can't wait to try it!
This looks incredible. I'm a sucker for a delicious chicken recipe!
Looked through all the recipes. Got some feta cheese in a Greek salad and don't like it. Came online to see if I could find a way to melt it down or fry it to change the taste a bit. Didn't want to waste it. I mainly don't like how dry it is. Melting it into a white sauce sounds like it would work-no dry chunks and the strong taste mellowed out a little by the rest of the white sauce. I'll give it a try and let you know. Don't have evaporated milk so will use heavy cream. (On a Keto diet)
I made this today and couldn't get the sauce to be smooth. The feta just wouldn't melt. I added s little at a time like you said. Kinda bumned!
Hi Jessa, hope it still tasted great!
The feta cheese in this dish can be replaced by another substitute of it such as cheddar cheese, can't it? Since the feta is high in saturated fat so i want to use something instead.
Hi Lita, I've never subbed in another cheese so I can't say for sure, but please stop back and let us know how it works for you!
Can you use heavy whipping cream instead?
Hi Whitley, I've never substituted heavy cream for the evaporated milk in this recipe. Would love to hear how it turns out for you. Please stop back and share your experience!
Oh my goodness, this recipe is AMAZING! We grilled several chicken breasts that had olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, and smoked paprika sprinkled on them. The feta cheese sauce was so delicious smothered over the top of the chicken breast. I felt like I was eating a meal from a fancy restaurant... Couldn't believe how easy it was to prepare. This recipe is a keeper!
That sounds so good, Melissa! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping back to let us know!
So pleased to come across your recipe for Feta Cheese Sauce. Definitely will prepare and enjoy this! Believe it would be lovely on grilled Salmon.
Hi Linda, we enjoy the sauce in a variety of ways, too. Hope you enjoy it!
I can't wait to make this! I love feta cheese on anything.
I made this tonight and we absolutely loved it! I added fresh oregano & it imparted an amazing flavor throughout the sauce. Super easy recipe that is now on one of my pinterest boards. Thanks.
Hi Lisa, So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping back to let us know!
This sauce should do wonders with broccoli, beets or chard as well - don't boil these veggies, but use the pan you baked the chicken in to stir fry or char or grill them. If you don't like feta, try any mature cheddar. I even like it with blue cheeses and garlic.
Great ideas, Alice. Thanks for sharing!