If you are looking for a restaurant-quality meal that you can actually pull off on a busy weeknight, this Easy Creamy White Wine Chicken is the one! It is a simple, from scratch dish that uses just a few pantry staples to create a sauce that tastes amazing!
The secret to this recipe is the "fond", those little brown bits left in the pan after searing the chicken. When the white wine and chicken stock hit the hot pan, it lifts all that flavor to create a rich, flavorful base for the cream. It's elegant enough for company but fast enough for any night of the week!
Table of contents
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken Breasts - I recommend slicing larger breasts into thin cutlets, so they cook quickly and more evenly. Substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs if you have them!
- Dry White Wine - For the best flavor, use a dry wine like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. They are fantastic pairings for a cream sauce. If you don't regularly keep white wine in your kitchen, you can grab a bottle of white cooking wine. It's shelf stable and works great in this recipe.
- Heavy Cream - A must for the creamy sauce.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Easy Creamy White Wine Chicken
I love how easily this skillet recipe come together! It really doesn't take much time at all to make it. Here is how to pull it all together:
- Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with the spice mixture.
- Sear the chicken in a hot skillet until golden brown and cooked through (165°F). Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and deglaze the pan with the wine and chicken stock. Scrape up those flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until it has reduced by half.
- Stir in the heavy cream and a splash of lemon juice. Continue simmering until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add the chicken back to the pan to heat through.
- Garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Enjoy!
See the recipe card below for the full recipe.
👉 Sky's Tips
- Don't rush the reduction. If you add the cream before the wine and stock have reduced by half, your sauce will be too thin. Patience here pays off in flavor!
- Use Thin Cutlets. If you are working with chicken breasts that are very thick, they will take longer to cook. Slicing them into cutlets ensures a quick, even cook. This also reduces the chances of burning the fond!
- Switch to thighs for more flavor! If you have boneless skinless thighs, you can swap them for the chicken breasts and cook to the same 165°F internal temp.
- Want to add veggies? This sauce is very versatile. Feel free to stir in some fresh spinach, kale, or sautéed mushrooms right before adding the chicken back into the pan.
What to Serve with Creamy White Wine Chicken
This creamy white wine sauce is so good! I love serving it with something to soak it all up! Here are my favorite parings:
- Rice Pilaf is fantastic with this chicken!
- Roasted Potatoes pair really well with the sauce. You can even serve it with mashed potatoes.
- Sautéed Green Beans with Mushrooms, Roasted Asparagus, or Roasted Broccoli are great vegetable sides!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat leftovers, gently reheat in a skillet over low heat. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a tiny splash of chicken stock or water to loosen it back up.
I really hope you give this Easy Creamy White Wine Chicken a try soon! It's so easy to make and tastes so good!
-Sky🩷
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If you tried this Easy Creamy White Wine Chicken recipe or any other recipe on my blog, I'd love to hear from you! Leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comment section below!
📖 Recipe
Easy Creamy White Wine Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts or 2 thick breasts cut into thin cutlets
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 splash fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Mix together the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Season both sides with the spice mixture.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the oil, allow to heat up. Add the chicken and cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes per side until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Pour in the white wine and chicken stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits (the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
- Stir in the heavy cream and a splash of fresh lemon juice. Continue simmering until the cream has thickened into a sauce. To check when the cream is thick enough, dip a spoon into the sauce, it should coat the back of the spoon. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the chicken to the pan to warm through. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Variations: To use chicken thighs: Sear boneless thighs to 165°F or bone-in thighs to 180°F.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of stock to loosen the sauce.
Sonya says
Made this recipe tonight. I love it. The sauce is so good. Next time I will ad mushrooms ?
Simply Scratch Made says
So glad you liked it!