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!
This is one of the best chicken recipe’s I’ve made. I omit the shallots and use garlic instead. I have done it with and without dredging the chicken in flour before browning – both results are delicious. Now that I’m on a KETO diet, this is perfect over Zoodles. I would make this for a fancy dinner party – it’s that good!
Eric! Thank you for this lovely comment – you made my whole day! I have a recipe for pesto zucchini zoodles that you might like. :) Have a great weekend!
Curious to know what kind of white wine you use. I haven’t ever cooked with wine and haven’t really ever found any I liked to drink in particular.
Hi Frank! I tend to use chardonnay because that’s what we have in the house – I find it is a good balance between sweet and dry.
I was looking for a simple way to jazz up chicken. This was SO delicious! I even subbed fresh rosemary for the herbs. It went straight into the virtual recipe box. Yum!
OOOH, fresh rosemary! The best! :)
This was amazing! I didn’t have shallots, so I just sauteed the chicken with 1 clove of garlic and sauteed sliced crimini mushrooms before deglazing the pan with wine. I can’t wait to try again with shallots! Thank you!
Hey Jenna! Love your quick thinking on the substitutions – they sound delicious! Glad you liked this. :)
Very good and tender! I used Perdue Perfect Portions which are pretty thin so I didn’t need to pound them. Didn’t have any shallots so I used finely chopped sweet onion. My husband (who normally only likes plain old chicken) LOVED it and asked me to make it again! Definitely saved this pin to my “Proven Main Dishes” board! Thank you!
Thanks so much for this sweet note Wanda! And quick thinking on the sweet onion instead of shallots! :)
Thanks for making it seem so simple and accessible, I’ll use this to surprise my fiancee who said I can’t cook anything beyond scrambled eggs!! I’ll show her ha!
Henry! I have faith in you – you can do it!! (She is a lucky girl!)
Add me to the list of people who loved the recipe. It was the first time I’ve cooked with white wine and it was easy and delicious! Thanks!s
Hurray! And you are so nice to stop by and let me know. :)
I’ve gone back to this recipe time and time again. My family loves it and it’s a definite go to- thank you!
Thanks Laura! I’m so glad, and you’re so nice to take the time to tell me so! :)
This was delicious- and fantastic without heavy cream which is what most recipes call for. Only tweak I made was using 4 shallots versus 1, and white mushrooms. Loved the mushroom addition to this and will be making this lovely recipe again. It’s like a lighter take off of the cheesecake factory Madeira chicken
Thanks Laura! I love heavy cream, but I don’t like what it does to my waistline. Love your additions to this recipe!
can i sup dried basil instead of thyme or parsley?
Hi Kim! You definitely can – whatever herbs taste best to you will work in this recipe. :)
My chicken was dry what did I do wrong
Hi Maryanne and oh no! Usually the reason for dry chicken is either that the heat is too high, or the cooking time is too long for the thickness of the chicken. Next time try and lower the burner a little, and make sure the chicken isn’t too thin – it’s better to err on the side of having it a little thicker than a little thinner. Hope you try it again! :)
I made this tonight. I tweaked slightly due to availability of certain things.. I seasoned with greek seasoning replaced shallots with onions; I paired with roasted red potatoes with an basil garlic olive oil drizzle and parmesan cheese melted over them…
delicious
Patti, I just LOVE these tweaks – I’m going to try them the next time I make it! :)
This was delicious and easy tasted like something you would get at a nice restaurant !thank you!
Hi Sara! So glad you liked this – this is one of the chicken favorites in our house! :)
This recipe is amazing. My husband absolutely enjoyed every bite. We will definitely be making this delicious chicken recipe again. Thanks for sharing
I’m so glad! My husband feels the exact same way about this chicken recipe. :)
I needed a quick recipe for a butter & wine sauce for chicken and this fit the bill perfectly — simple and delicious! Definitely a keeper ????????
I’m so glad! And you are so sweet to leave me this comment letting m know how it turned out. :)