FridgeToTable

What to Make With Chicken and Cream Cheese: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners

Chicken and cream cheese can turn into a heavy sauce if you add the whole brick and a packet of ranch. You don't have to. A few ounces makes a skillet sauce, a stuffed-enough roll-up, or a tomato skillet that tastes like dinner instead of a dip. Keep it under 30 minutes by cutting the chicken small. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

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Quick picks: 3 dinners with chicken and cream cheese in 30 minutes or less

Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner

20 min

Creamy skillet chicken

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Small chicken pieces and a few ounces of cream cheese melted with garlic and a splash of water.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Cut the chicken small, salt it, and sear it until just cooked.
  2. Add the garlic, then the cream cheese and water.
  3. Stir on low until the cream cheese melts into a sauce that coats the chicken. Don't boil it hard.
  4. Taste. It should taste like chicken and salt, not like a naked block of cheese.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

One-pan option

Creamy skillet chicken is already one skillet. There is no second pan to wash.

The other dinners

25 min

Chicken and cream cheese roll-ups

Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Thin chicken pieces spread with cream cheese, rolled, and baked on a sheet pan.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp oil

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Pound or slice the chicken so it is thin. Salt it.
  2. Spread a smear of cream cheese on each piece and roll it up.
  3. Set the rolls seam side down on an oiled sheet pan. Dust with paprika.
  4. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cut one to check.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

25 min

Tomato chicken with cream cheese

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

A tomato skillet finished with a spoon of cream cheese so the sauce goes soft, not sugary.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Salt and sear small pieces of chicken. Set them aside.
  2. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the cream cheese off a hard boil until the sauce turns smooth.
  4. Return the chicken to warm. Taste. The tomato should still be the main flavor.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

Make it with leftovers

Cooked chicken is what the skillet sauce and the tomato pan want. Warm it in the sauce. Don't boil cream cheese or it can split. Leftover sauce keeps and thickens. Loosen it with a splash of water, not more cheese.

More dinners from leftovers

Pantry staples you'll need

  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Oil
  • Paprika
  • Crushed tomatoes

No cream cheese: the chicken still cooks. See chicken and spinach for a lighter skillet. No chicken: cream cheese on a tortilla is a snack. This page wants both.

When there is nothing in the fridge

Picky-eater and healthy tweaks

Plain chicken with a little cheese sauce on the side is easier than a sauce that coats everything. The tomato version looks like a familiar red dinner. Skip ranch seasoning. Salt and garlic are enough.

Use a few ounces, not the whole box. The chicken and a vegetable, if you have one, are the meal. Cream cheese is the sauce, not the main ingredient. We are not printing calories.

More dinners in under 30 minutes

Have something else in the fridge?

Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

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Related dinners

More dinners with chicken

Questions

What can I make with chicken and cream cheese in 20 minutes?

Creamy skillet chicken takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Small chicken pieces and a few ounces of cream cheese melted with garlic and a splash of water.

What's the easiest dinner with chicken and cream cheese?

Creamy skillet chicken is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 20 minutes. Small chicken pieces and a few ounces of cream cheese melted with garlic and a splash of water.

Can I make this with leftover or cooked chicken?

Cooked chicken is what the skillet sauce and the tomato pan want. Warm it in the sauce. Don't boil cream cheese or it can split. Leftover sauce keeps and thickens. Loosen it with a splash of water, not more cheese.

What else can I add to chicken and cream cheese for a full meal?

The cards already use chicken, cream cheese, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.

Is chicken and cream cheese a healthy dinner?

Use a few ounces, not the whole box. The chicken and a vegetable, if you have one, are the meal. Cream cheese is the sauce, not the main ingredient. We are not printing calories.

How do I make chicken and cream cheese kid-friendly?

Plain chicken with a little cheese sauce on the side is easier than a sauce that coats everything. The tomato version looks like a familiar red dinner. Skip ranch seasoning. Salt and garlic are enough.

Can I make chicken and cream cheese in one pan or a sheet pan?

Creamy skillet chicken uses one skillet and takes 20 minutes. Small chicken pieces and a few ounces of cream cheese melted with garlic and a splash of water.

What if I don't have cream cheese?

No cream cheese: the chicken still cooks. See chicken and spinach for a lighter skillet. No chicken: cream cheese on a tortilla is a snack. This page wants both.