Why you'll love it

Chicken Riesling is a restaurant-quality favorite that you can make right at home. It's on the Cheesecake Factory menu, but you can easily make an even better version in your kitchen with a few simple ingredients. I think you'll be thrilled with my take on it!

If you've never tried it, this Chicken Riesling is one of those easy chicken recipes that's straight out of the Salt & Lavender playbook, so I'm thinking you will adore it. It's ideal for both a quick weeknight meal and for serving guests.

Ingredients for it

Bacon - we're using 5-6 strips of bacon cut into small pieces. Try using kitchen shears to make this easier.

Chicken - two chicken breasts are cut into 4 smaller cutlets

Garlic powder, salt & pepper, flour - for seasoning and dredging the chicken. Flour helps to get a great crust and also thickens the sauce, so I wouldn't skip it.

Mushrooms - we're pan frying cremini mushrooms in butter

Italian seasoning - it's a blend of tasty dried herbs that comes in a single jar for convenience

Garlic - I went for 3 cloves, but if you're a garlic lover, you can use more

Riesling - the signature dry white wine flavor of the sauce

Heavy cream - for the luxurious cream sauce. I wouldn't sub it for anything else.

Pasta - If you want to serve it with pasta, our simple buttered parmesan pasta has just three ingredients: butter, parm, and spaghetti!

How to make Chicken Riesling

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

frying bacon in a skillet and then pan frying chicken

Boil the pasta if using. Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in a skillet until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, leaving behind some of the bacon fat. Cut the chicken into smaller cutlets, dredge in the flour, garlic powder, and salt & pepper, and pan fry until golden.

sauteing mushrooms in a cast iron skillet

Transfer the chicken to a plate. Sauté the butter, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning until the water from the mushrooms has cooked out. Stir in the garlic. Add in the Riesling, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let it reduce.

Stir in the cream, and then add the chicken back in along with the bacon. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Add extra salt & pepper and garnish with parsley if desired. Serve with the parmesan noodles if you're making them.

Tools for this recipe

A garlic press is a game changer for mincing garlic. You don't even need to peel the cloves first.

Don't overcook your chicken! It's easiest to tell if it's done when an instant read thermometer registers at 165F when you place it in the thickest part.

Always grate your own parmesan cheese. The pre-grated stuff just isn't as fresh and doesn't taste as good. I like using my Microplane zester for it.

Substitutions and variations

Since this is Chicken Riesling, I of course recommend buying a bottle of Riesling. However, it could be subbed with another dry white wine (try a chardonnay or pinot grigio) or even something like marsala or sherry for a different but equally delicious sauce.

Try subbing the chicken breasts for thighs. I'd sear them for a bit longer to ensure they're melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Swap cremini mushrooms for another variety if you wish.

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