Chicken in white wine sauce is a such a great and easy way to prepare chicken. It is quick to make with makes it perfect for a weekday meal but is also the perfect dish for entertaining guests.
Need a new chicken dish to spice up your weekly rotation? This is one of my favorites to make when I need to change it up a little bit. I love it because there aren’t many things you need to go out to buy. Plus you can have a glass of wine while you make it. Another reason this recipe is so wonderful is that it is done in just about 30 minutes which makes it a great weekday meal. The other great thing about this is if you are entertaining others it doesn’t take long to make so you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
In this recipe
There are just a few key ingredients in this recipe which is always something I love. The less I have to shop or prep the better! Here are a few on them you will want to consider when making this dish.
Chicken thighs: It is better that you use boneless as they will take less time to cook as you can lay them out flatter. However if you use bone in chicken thighs then you will need to cook each side longer. This will also mean you will need to turn them more often to keep from burning.
Wine: You will want to make sure that this wine dry, a little sweet is ok but good options would be Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or an unoaked Chardonnay.
Bread it up
One of the things you want to make sure is that you get a nice layer of flour on the chicken. It is important to make sure that you season the meat before adding the flour. Then once the chicken has been coated make sure you shake off the excess. Then lay the chicken as flat as possible. This is why it is better to have boneless chicken thighs. They will cook in 6-10 minutes depending on their size. If you have bone in you will need to flip them more often and they can take up to 12-15 minutes to cook.
Deglaze the pan first
Once you take the chicken out of the pan do not clean it out. All of that caramelized goodness is called fond. We don’t want any of that to go to waste. It will add tons of flavor to the sauce so we want to deglaze the pan first. You can do this by adding about a half a cup or so if the chicken broth to the skillet. That will help loosen all of the bits from the skillet and break apart before adding the rest of the liquid. Deglazing is always a wonderful way to enhance the flavors of a dish.
Making chicken in white wine
Once the pan has deglazed you will want to add the herbs and rest of the liquid except for the part that was set aside to make the cornstarch slurry. Then once that has been reduced by half you will add the slurry to sauce and remove the bay. The sauce will thicken and that is when you will add the spinach until it is wilted and the chicken back to the pan. You want to cook only long enough to heat up the chicken again if it has cooled. Spoon some of the sauce over the tops of the chicken to prevent them from drying out.
Looking for other quick meal ideas?
Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Equipment
- 12 inch cast iron skillet or another skillet of the same size
- Plate
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken thighs boneless preferred
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1½ cups spinach
- 1¼ cup white wine dry such a Sauvignon Blanc
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup shallots finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced about 3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground white pepper or ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 4 bay leaves fresh, 2 dried
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Pour the flour onto a plate and dredge all sides of the chicken thighs in the flour and shake off the excess.
- Place into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes per side. If the chicken thighs have the bone inside then you will need to cook for a total of 12-15 minutes as they will be thicker. Might need to be done in 2 batches to ensure enough room. Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil if you need multiple batches.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Do not clean the skillet and return it to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook until translucent and tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. No more than a minute or so to prevent burning.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chicken broth and mix in the cornstarch and set aside.
- Add about half of the chicken broth into the pan to deglaze the pan and then add in the remaining chicken broth and wine. Stir in the bay leaves and thyme.
- Increase the heat to medium high to bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring back to a boil to thicken.
- Add the spinach and cook until wilted then add the chicken back to the sauce and spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken.
Nutrition
Wow! This is so delicious and I love how easy to make this with just a few ingredients. So yummy!
What a new, easy, and delicious way to cook your chicken.
I can’t wait to make this for everyone!
This is the recipe where anyone cannot miss out! Definitely looks good, i’ll make myself some of that now, thank you for this!
This Chicken in White Wine Sauce is a culinary masterpiece! The tender chicken, paired with the rich and flavorful white wine sauce, creates a dish that’s simply heavenly.