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This creamy white wine chicken is incredibly easy to make on a weeknight but good enough for company! It’s ready in only 30 minutes for an impressive yet simple meal.
I think you’ll enjoy my popular Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe, Creamy Mushroom Chicken, or Creamy Chicken Florentine next for a few more hassle-free skillet chicken recipes.
Why you’ll love it
If you’re a regular around here, you’ll know that I really enjoy creating creamy chicken recipes. There’s just something so undeniably special about pairing tender chicken with a white wine sauce, flavorful herbs, and then when you add in a splash of cream, it becomes an elegant restaurant quality dish at home. That sauce, though. It’s SO good.
This white wine chicken would make a fabulous date night meal, and it also doubles as a fantastic dinner after a long workday since it’s so quick and effortless to make in half an hour! It also happens to be a great and accessible chicken recipe for beginners, and it’s really satisfying to feel like a gourmet home chef. Who knew the simplicity of this easy white wine sauce for chicken could taste so heavenly?
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using two boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into four smaller cutlets so they will cook faster
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, we’re seasoning the cutlets directly with it to infuse savory flavor
- Flour – for dredging and getting that irresistible crust when pan searing and thickening the sauce
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and making the base of the sauce
- White wine – use a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or chardonnay. Make sure it’s one you actually enjoy the taste of since its flavor shines, and definitely don’t use a cooking wine.
- Chicken broth – it adds another deeper, savory dimension to the sauce
- Herbs de Provence – it’s fragrant herb blend that includes dried herbs like thyme and rosemary and then lavender for a special touch. It’s wonderful with poultry, so I always keep a jar in my pantry! You should be able to find it at most grocery stores.
- Heavy cream – to give the sauce its signature luxurious texture and taste
Pro tip
- As with any creamy sauce, it’s important to salt this one enough to properly bring out all the delicious flavors.
How to make creamy white wine chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to make four smaller cutlets. Season them with salt & pepper and garlic powder, then dredge with the flour. Pan fry until lightly golden, and then set aside on a plate. In the skillet, add the wine and chicken broth. Let it bubble for a bit, and scrape up the brown bits.
Add the remaining butter and the Herbs de Provence, and simmer. Stir in the cream, and return the chicken to the skillet. Let the sauce thicken and the chicken cook through. Garnish with chopped parsley if using, add extra salt & pepper as needed, and serve right away along with drinking the rest of the bottle of wine!
Substitutions and variations
- I would advise against substituting the heavy cream for a lower fat alternative like half-and-half. The sauce is very likely to curdle, and nobody wants that to happen. It also won’t have the desired texture, taste, or richness.
- If you can’t find Herbs de Provence, Italian seasoning will be a decent substitute. It has a number of the same herby flavors, but keep in mind that it does lack the floral lavender quality.
- You can definitely use chicken thighs, but you’ll likely have to sear them for longer. Just make sure they’re cooked through to at least 175F (I like to go higher for chicken thighs so they end up nice and tender).
What to serve with it
- For a starchy option, serve it over pasta like these Quick and Easy Garlic Butter Noodles or with Garlic Mashed Potatoes or my Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.
- You could also steam some broccolini or serve sweet corn or Roasted Green Beans with it.
- Or make a side salad for a lighter pairing. Try mixed greens with my Homemade Italian Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- This creamy chicken is best when freshly made, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat in a small saucepan over a very low heat and slowly so that the sauce doesn’t separate.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers. Cream sauces don’t do very well in the freezer.
I hope you’ll give this creamy white wine chicken recipe a try! Questions? Let me know in the comments below. As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram with your creations.
Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 pinch Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving optional
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and garlic powder, then dredge them in flour so they’re nicely coated.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes/side until golden. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside (chicken shouldn’t be fully cooked yet).
- Add the wine and chicken broth to the pan and let it bubble for about a minute. Stir to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the remaining butter and the Herbs de Provence to the pan, and continue simmering for another 2 minutes.
- Add the cream and the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed and sprinkle with fresh parsley if using.
Notes
- I suggest reheating this recipe at a low heat so the sauce doesn’t separate.
- Chicken is safe to eat when it has an internal temperature of 165F. Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on February 13, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Everyone even my picky eater LOVED this recipe. Thank you 😊❣️
Aww wonderful!
Fantastically tasting easy recipe for livening up chicken. I didn’t have Herbs de Provence so used Italian mixed herbs instead. I also didn’t have double cream so used single. I did have to thicken the sauce with some cornflour at the end.
Sauce was lovely and the chicken was really moist due to cooking in the flour to start.
Thank you Natasha, I will definitely be cooking this again and look forward to cooking more recipes in the future.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, David!! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment. 🙂
Best chicken in a creamy white wine sauce I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious. Finished eating and couldn’t stop smiling afterwards.
Awww I’m so happy to hear that, Mark! 😀 Thanks for letting me know.
I tried this recipe for date night tonight and the result was amazing 🙂 I served it with steamed broccoli, and a cheese plate. As “Herbs de Provence “is not available here, i found recipe and prepared by myself. There are two different recipes in which the amount of other spices are same but one recipe uses 1 teaspoon of lavender, the other 2 tablespoon of lavender, I wonder what is the lavender ratio in your spice mix? Is it in the same amount of thyme, savory or basil, or in less amount compared to them. Can you make me understand? I prepared with 1 teaspoon of lavender, but planning to add 1 tablespoon lavender more.
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! 🙂 I use McCormick brand Herbs de Provence… I’m not too sure of their ratio, but there isn’t a huge amount of lavender flavor in there.
I added one table spoon of lavender to the home made Herbs de Provence, and retried the recipe. The result was amazing again. Thank you so much Natasha.
Yay!! 🙂
Right now that my husband and I are both working from home […] and I am having a great time trying new recipes for our Date nights. We still get dressed up! This one is awesome and so versatile! I made it the first time and it was great over Angel Hair Pasta. I added a little Paprika to the chicken and some grated lemon peel during the boiling process of the wine and broth. Served it with Vermouth rice and salad. It really gave it a whole different flavor the second time I made it just adding those two ingredients. I am going to try it with shrimp next and some Cajun spices I have. We shall see!
I love how you guys do the date nights at home! 🙂 So glad you’ve had fun tweaking this recipe. (I edited your comment because bloggers have been advised not to use any buzzwords that are surrounding the current events – it could impact our Google rankings)
Delicious recipe. I wanted to make again tonight but don’t have white wine, is it ok to just leave out or substitute with something else?
So glad you liked it! I’ve had success replacing white wine with the same amount of chicken broth and a bit of Dijon mustard if you have it. Like a 1/2 teaspoon up to about one teaspoon or so.
I’m looking to make just the wine sauce and I’m not sure if I would follow the same steps. I’m making stuffed chicken that’ll be pan seared and then in the oven for about 20 min and I wouldn’t plan on putting them back on the stove. Would the sauce follow the same steps?
I can’t say for sure without testing it. I’m not even sure I understand what you’re asking exactly. The flour on the chicken in my recipe helps thicken the sauce… I don’t know if 20 minutes in the oven for your recipe will reduce it enough or not. Or if you’re just making the sauce separately on the stove? Like literally by itself? It may take a few more minutes to reduce. I’d encourage you to make it in the same pan you’re cooking the chicken in since the brown bits from the bottom of the pan add a lot of flavor to the sauce.
I made this recipe, but I added some mushrooms and it was delicious
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know!
This was so good….well done..thankyou for sharing. I also used this sauce for mussels.
So glad you liked it, Corina! And great idea re: the mussels… mmm!
Thank you for this recipe! Really enjoyed cooking it and eating it yum!
You’re very welcome! XO