Pound and Season the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag (or between two sheets of parchment paper), and use a rolling pin (or meat tenderizer) to pound the chicken evenly to a 1/3 inch thickness.
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Season the chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper (a few sprinkles over the chicken breasts on both sides).
salt, black pepper
Sear the Chicken: Add the olive oil to a large skillet (that will fit all the chicken), over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the seasoned and pounded chicken breasts and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Make the Creamy Herb Sauce: In the same skillet, reduced to medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter (salted or unsalted). Add the diced onions and a pinch of salt.
2 tablespoons butter, 1 onion, salt
Saute for about 4-5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute for another minute, until fragrant. Add the white wine, using the wine and a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
3 garlic cloves, 1 cup dry white wine
Add the heavy cream, chopped parsley, black pepper (a couple turns of the pepper grinder) and another pinch of salt. Give everything a stir and allow to simmer, uncovered, until slightly reduced, about 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and chopped sage. Stir to combine.
salt, black pepper, 2/3 cup heavy cream, 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage, 1/2 lemon
Combine: Add the cooked chicken to the cream sauce, flipping to coat the chicken in the sauce on both sides. Allow the sauce and chicken to simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly reduced and chicken cooked through (165F internal temperature using a meat thermometer).
Use Chicken Thighs: Chicken breasts have a mild flavor so that's what I recommend for this dish, but if you'd like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, that's definitely a substitute option. You won't need to pound the chicken down (unless the thighs are quite thick), and just adjust the cooking time accordingly until the chicken is cooked through.
Make it Dairy-Free: If you need to make this dish dairy-free, I recommend full-fat canned coconut milk. This is going to the closest dairy-free alternative to heavy cream. It will carry a coconut taste to the cream sauce, so just keep this in mind.
How to Serve: Change up how you serve the chicken in cream sauce each week: over Instant Pot mashed potatoes or Instant Pot rice (both will cook quickly using the Instant Pot while you focus on preparing the chicken) or pasta, with roasted broccoli or roast potatoes or a salad or green beans, or add spinach to the cream sauce.