Make this delicious Creamy Chicken in White sauce in just 15-20 minutes with 4 ingredients. Perfect for busy weeknights!
Who knew that combining shredded breasts or pieces of roasted or rotisserie chicken with a simple white sauce could taste so good?! While the white sauce can be made in the microwave, you'll want to cook it on the stovetop for best results.
In fact, the white sauce is very similar to the sauce I make for mac and cheese, but because my kids prefer a creamier sauce with chicken, I use the stove. Simple as that!
No joke, this is one of our favorite chicken recipes! Let me show you just how easy it is to make chicken in a creamy white sauce and ways to serve it.
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😍Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple dinner recipe You just need four simple ingredients (flour, olive oil, milk, chicken), plus salt and pepper. That's it!
- Easy Recipe This is a great way to use leftover shredded cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken. With a few easy steps, you'll have dinner ready in no time! And even if you have to cook the chicken as the sauce thickens, you'll have one more step but it's still so easy!
- High in Protein 24 grams of protein in one cup!
- Kid-Tested, Parent-Approved I've been making this for years and eating it for even longer (thanks, mom! 😉). When I made this just the other night, my 16-year-old said, "You're making that creamy chicken recipe? Let's go!"
🙋♀️Dietitian Tip
This recipe is a perfect example of how a creamy sauce can be made with less saturated fat than traditional recipes for creamy sauces. For example, I use olive and milk instead of heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese, or butter to make this recipe.
I believe that it's important to start thinking about heart health even for kids, no matter their body size. This is why I have a passion for developing recipes that are more nutrient-dense, higher in fiber, and/or lower in saturated fat than they would traditionally be made.
👩🍳Recipe Variations
- Garlic If you love garlic, consider adding minced fresh garlic cloves to the roux or stir in a small amount of garlic powder. You could also change it up by adding Italian seasoning or fresh herbs.
- Creamy mushroom sauce Stir sauteed mushrooms in with the sauce before stirring in the chicken.
- Creamed turkey This is my number one 'go to' recipe for using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! All you need to do is use turkey instead of chicken.
- Curry I haven't made this version in forever, but if you love curry, add a small amount of curry powder to the white sauce.
- Parmesan cheese Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the chicken in white sauce before serving for a little more flavor.
- Creamy chicken pasta Turn this into a creamy chicken pasta recipe subbing half of the chicken with pasta. Or double the amount of sauce, and instead of doubling the amount of chicken, stir in cooked pasta. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese!
🐔Ingredient Notes
- Cooked chicken Cooked, shredded boneless skinless chicken breasts, pieces of chicken from a cooked whole chicken (or turkey!), slices of leftover chicken thighs, or rotisserie chicken will work just as well.
- Milk I have used both skim milk and 2% milk to make this.
- Flour I suggest using unbleached all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour can be used instead, but, in my experience, the sauce will be tan in color, not white.
- Olive oil I use extra virgin olive oil. Avocado oil, vegetable oil, or melted butter can be used instead.
- Salt & Black Pepper For flavor
📲Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is a summary of how to make chicken in white sauce. For a complete list of ingredients and full instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux (roux is just a fancy name for a mixture of flour and oil or butter that is used to thicken sauces).
- Stir in the milk using a whisk or wooden spoon. Continue to cook over medium or medium-high heat, until the sauce is thickened. If cooking over medium-high heat, stir very frequently and when the sauce starts to bubble, reduce the heat to medium.
- Add cooked tender chicken pieces to the white sauce. Stir to combine. Heat through.
- Serve and enjoy!
🍲What to Serve with Chicken in White Sauce
- Mashed Potatoes My kids love mashed potatoes, so this is what I've been serving it with.
- Toast I grew up eating this creamed chicken on top of a piece of toast. A nice piece of crusty bread would taste great, too! So simple!
- Rice Wild rice, brown rice, or white rice. You pick!
- Broccoli Parmesan
- Green Beans
- Roasted Carrots & Asparagus
🥸Helpful Tips
- Stir the sauce frequently to keep the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The sauce can be made a few hours ahead of time.
- Let leftovers come to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
❓Questions You May Have
Yes! In fact, I just made this so we could just reheat it the next night.
I always make sure the chicken is cooked through before adding sauce. Once the sauce is added, it's really hard to tell when chicken is done cooking.
This can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. If the sauce is too thick when cooking on the stovetop, you can stir in a small amount of milk, chicken broth, or chicken stock to thin it out.
Believe it or not, Bechamel sauce is French white sauce. The main difference between Bechamel sauce and this white sauce recipe is that Bechamel is made with butter instead of olive oil.
More Easy Recipes
- Green Goddess Salad with Green Goddess Dressing (Homemade)
- Green Goddess Salad Dressing (No Oil, No Mayo)
- Meals for After Wisdom Teeth Removal (Ideas from a Dietitian)
- Everyday Chicken Seasoning Recipe - The Best!
Did you make this creamed chicken recipe and love it? Please let me know by rating it 5-stars or commenting below!
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📖 Recipe
20-Minute Chicken in White Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Medium Saucepan
- 1 Whisk or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken about 1 ½ pounds
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1½ cups milk I use skim or 2% milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
- Add oil to a medium saucepan. Heat oil over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux.
- Whisk milk into the flour and oil mixture. Increase heat to medium high. Stir frequently, being sure to stir along the bottom of the pan to keep the flour from settling.
- When the sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in chicken. Heat through and serve.
Notes
- Stir the sauce frequently to keep the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The sauce can be made a few hours ahead of time.
- Let leftovers come to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Check out the complete post for recipe variation ideas and ways to serve it.
Diane Hansen says
Can corn starch be used instead of flour to make it gluten free?
Kristi Ruth RD says
Hi Diane, From what I've read, sweet rice flour or a gluten-free all-purpose flour are the best gluten-free options when making a roux, as with this recipe for white sauce. While you can use corn starch to thicken sauces, you'll want to use less of it (it's not an equal substitution for flour) and it needs to be mixed with a cold liquid for it to dissolve before adding it to a hot dish. I hope this helps!
T.A. (ToniAnne) Wyner says
It was perfect for leftover cooked chicken.......& served over Jasmine rice with lima beans.
Kristi Ruth RD says
Yum! So glad to hear!
Gene J Lattanzi says
The directions were not very clearly laid out. It took way longer than twenty minutes. The prep and the time spent was
Super aggravating!!!
Kristi Ruth RD says
Thank you for your honest review! I'm so sorry you did not have a good experience making this recipe. Just like other recipes that require ingredients to come to a boil, if you live at a high altitude or cook on a lower heat setting, it will take longer. I will add a disclaimer to the recipe card reminding people of this.