Chicken in White Wine Sauce
A light and easy recipe for chicken in white wine sauce turns ordinary chicken into an elegant and delicious dinner. Equally perfect for a regular weeknight supper or your next dinner party!
If you’re anything like me, you can never have too many easy chicken dinner recipes in your back pocket—and this one has earned a permanent spot in the rotation.
Tender chicken breasts are nestled under a silky buttered white wine pan sauce made with shallots, fresh thyme, and just enough butter to make everything taste a little bit magical. It’s a simple one-skillet chicken dinner that’s ready in about 30 minutes, elegant enough for company, and easy enough for a busy weeknight.
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🍗 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 Here’s how to make this recipe
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ Want to round out your meal?
- Chicken In White Wine Sauce
- 👩🏻🍳 Recipe Variations
- 💕 Other easy chicken recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Tender chicken with a silky, buttery white wine sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4 servings
- Calories: 515 calories
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Easy weeknight dinners, Date nights at home, Casual dinner parties, Family Sunday suppers, Meals when you want something elegant without a lot of effort!
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🍷 A buttery white wine pan sauce makes ordinary chicken feel restaurant-worthy. A few simple pantry ingredients create a silky, elegant sauce in minutes.
- ⏱️ It’s ready in just 30 minutes. Fast enough for busy weeknights but special enough for company.
- 🍗 One skillet means easy cooking and cleanup. Everything comes together in the same pan, so you get maximum flavor with minimal dishes.
- 🌿 Fresh herbs brighten every bite. Thyme or parsley adds fresh flavor that balances the rich, buttery sauce.
- 🍽️ It pairs with almost anything. Spoon that delicious sauce over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or vegetables for an easy complete meal.
🍗 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Chicken: We like using boneless chicken breasts for this recipe, but if you prefer boneless chicken thighs, those will work just fine!
- Shallot: Shallots are part of the onion family. They are a little smaller and sweeter, and can be found in the produce section. You can swap in a half a sweet onion if you prefer that. Or you can leave it out altogether if you want a milder flavor.
- Butter: Keep your butter in the fridge until you are ready to add it. It will melt more slowly that way, which will make your delectable sauce nice and smooth.
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 Here’s how to make this recipe
STEP 1: Heat the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, pounded to ¼-inch thickness, and cook until golden and the centers reach 165°F, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
STEP 2: Add the chopped shallot, if using, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Pour in the white wine, stirring up those lovely browned bits, and simmer until only a tablespoon or two remains. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cold butter a few pieces at a time until the sauce is smooth. Keep it below a simmer while adding the butter.
STEP 3: Stir in the fresh thyme or parsley, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Turn the pieces gently in the sauce until warmed through, then serve with that buttery sauce spooned over the top!
🤔 Recipe FAQs
I start by putting a dishtowel on my counter (to both protect the counter and cut down on the noise). Then I put the chicken in between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound it until it flattens out – sometimes I will flip it over if I have an especially big piece. No meat mallet? A rolling pin or even a can of soup will also do the trick.
Well technically yes…it will be much more of a butter sauce then, which isn’t bad! Add a few more herbs to add to the flavor.
Yes! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work beautifully in this recipe. They stay extra juicy and pair just as well with the buttery white wine pan sauce. Just cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Choose a dry white wine you enjoy drinking, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or an unoaked Chardonnay. Skip sweet wines, which will change the flavor of the sauce. You don’t need an expensive bottle—save the fancy stuff for your glass!
Adding cold butter at the end is a classic French technique called u003cemu003emonter au beurreu003c/emu003e. The cold butter melts slowly into the sauce, making it silky, glossy, and rich without making it greasy. It’s the secret to giving a simple pan sauce that restaurant-quality finish!
Pop your question here and I will answer pronto!
🍽️ Want to round out your meal?
We love this recipe for carrot mashed potatoes with this chicken…and if you like your mashed potatoes in a more traditional way, you can’t go wrong with this baked mashed potatoes recipe. Roasted green beans are also a great side.
And for dessert, how about some banana cake with cream cheese frosting? Mmmmmmmm.
Let’s turn a few simple ingredients into a chicken dinner that tastes like your favorite little neighborhood bistro!
Chicken In White Wine Sauce
Tender chicken breasts in a buttery white wine pan sauce that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast halves, pounded to ¼ inch thickness
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, chopped (optional)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
- Chopped fresh thyme or parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, pounded to ¼-inch thickness, and cook until golden and the centers reach 165°F, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Add the shallot, if using, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Add the wine, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until reduced to a tablespoon or two.
- Add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the 4 tablespoons cold butter a few pieces at a time until the sauce is smooth. Keep the sauce below a simmer while adding the butter.
- Stir in the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, turning gently in the sauce until warmed through.
- Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned over the top.
Notes
-
- Chicken: We like using boneless chicken breasts for this recipe, but if you prefer boneless chicken thighs, those will work just fine!
-
- Shallot: Shallots are part of the onion family. They are a little smaller and sweeter, and can be found in the produce section. You can swap in a half a sweet onion if you prefer that.
-
- Butter: Keep your butter in the fridge until you are ready to add it. It will melt more slowly that way, which will make your delectable sauce nice and smooth.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe Variations
- 🍋 Add fresh lemon zest for a brighter sauce.
- 🍄 Stir in sautéed mushrooms.
- 🧄 Add minced garlic with the shallots.
- 🌿 Use fresh tarragon instead of thyme.
- 🌱 Stir in a couple cups of baby spinach at the end until it is wilted.
- 🧀 Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
💕 Other easy chicken recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.
🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
Excellent! Husband gives it five stars!
Hi Jeri and hurray! Five star husband ratings are the best – thank you for making my day! 🤗
Can I use chicken tenders
You can! Chicken tenders will work just fine with this recipe. :)
Love this fast cook meal that I can make during the week. The sauce was delicious!
I also added garlic like some of the other commenters but kept the shallots. It’s like a fancy restaurant dinner but really fast to throw together! Thanks for this one!
Hi Charlotte! Clearly I need to give this recipe another spin with some garlic! Hurray for speedy chicken dinners! :)
I made this recipe, and loved it, and lost it! I have tried so many recipes trying to equal this one, and none came close! I made this one tonight and lo and behold, the holy grail! I am known for my cooking and am often asked to cook for events. I am very picky, and this recipe lived up to that expectation of excellence. The taste of that sauce just lingers. I really wanted to lick the pan. I wanted to eat more just to taste more, but I was full!
This recipe is easy. There are no hard to find ingredients and it’s cheap to make. You really need to give this recipe a try. We had ours with wild rice and roasted butternut squash and it’s amazing
Jeanna! Thank you so much for this sweet comment – you made my day! And wild rice and roasted butternut sound like perfect sides, YUM! xx