Chicken in White Wine Sauce is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Crispy pan-fried chicken cutlets are nestled in a rich, creamy, and extra garlicky white wine sauce. It’s a 30-minute meal done in one skillet!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love it
If you’re looking for a simple dish with straightforward ingredients and BIG flavor, this Chicken in White Wine Sauce checks off every box. This delicious dish showcases crisp and tender pan-fried chicken nestled in a creamy wine sauce made in just one skillet.
I’m a big fan of skillet dinners featuring pan-fried chicken, as evident in my Classic Chicken Marsala and Mushroom Chicken recipes. But at the heart of this recipe is the creamy white wine sauce. In it, you’ll find layers of savory chicken broth, dry white wine, cream, and LOTS of garlic. What’s not to love?
The best part is this garlicky chicken dish is easy enough to make during the week (it’s ready in just 30 minutes), yet still sophisticated enough to serve for special occasions. It’s sure to become your new go-to.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – For a quick cook time, the chicken breasts are cut in half and pounded into thin cutlets. Feel free to use chicken thighs instead, but remember that they take a little bit longer to cook through.
- Flour – You can coat the chicken cutlets in all purpose flour or gluten free all purpose flour.
- Italian seasoning – To season the flour dredge.
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic – Garlic is the most profound flavor in the sauce, so it must be fresh. Feel free to add an extra clove or two for more garlicky goodness.
- White wine – No need to be picky here. Any dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc, that you already enjoy drinking will do. Sweeter wines, like Riesling, will throw the flavors off balance. Here are 13+ of my favorite white wines for cooking.
- Chicken broth – A rich, savory chicken broth is best for this dish, but you can make it work with vegetable or bone broth if you need to.
- Heavy cream – This wouldn’t be a creamy white wine sauce without it! Whole milk works in a pinch, but the sauce won’t have the same velvety texture. If you have leftover cream, you can freeze it!
- Parsley – Brightens the flavors and improves presentation with a pop of color.
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
How to make it
- To cut the chicken into cutlets, slice each breast in half and cover the individual halves in plastic wrap. Pound to an even ¼-inch thickness.
- Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk the flour and Italian seasoning together, then press the chicken into the mixture, covering both sides.
- Cook the chicken in a hot oiled pan until it begins to brown, then flip. Once each piece is evenly browned on both sides, transfer them to a platter and tent with foil.
- Reduce the heat and add the butter to the pan. Saute the garlic in butter until fragrant, then add the wine and broth. Bring it up to a simmer.
- To finish, pour the cream into the pan. Add the chicken and lower the heat. Cook until the chicken is warmed through and the liquid thickens into a creamy white wine garlic sauce.
- Season with fresh parsley, salt, and pepper, then enjoy.
Customize it
Get creative and customize the dish with different vegetables, aromatics, proteins, and more:
- Upgrade the chicken with a crispy pretzel coating using the directions in my Crispy Pretzel Crusted Chicken recipe.
- Elevate the aromatic, savory flavors by sauteing a minced yellow onion or shallot along with the garlic.
- Sauteed mushrooms (baby bella or white) would fit in perfectly with the creamy garlic sauce.
- Add a green element by stirring in a handful of baby spinach leaves immediately before returning the chicken to the pan.
- Make this recipe with pork or veal cutlets instead of chicken.
- Coat large shrimp, sea scallops, or salmon filets lightly in the seasoned flour before pan-searing and braising them in the creamy sauce.
Recipe FAQs
No, you don’t have to. Chicken cutlets cook faster and more evenly than a regular chicken breast, resulting in moist and juicy meat (which is why it’s my preferred method). If you want, skip this part or buy packaged chicken cutlets from the store.
Yes, you can replace the white wine in the sauce with extra chicken broth.
The cutlets should be evenly browned and crisp on both sides when they’re done. If you still aren’t sure, use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches 165ºF.
To make this white wine sauce with no cream, you can use whole milk, canned full-fat coconut milk, or cashew cream. Avoid lower-fat ingredients like half and half, as it tends to curdle once heated.
What to serve with it
Serve the chicken and white wine sauce over a bed of lemon risotto, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or long pasta noodles like capellini, linguine, or spaghetti.
Balance the meal with a simple arugula salad or any of these veggie sides:
- Green Beans
- More → the BEST side dishes to serve with chicken cutlets.
If those sides didn’t grab your attention, check out these 50+ Sides for Chicken for more ideas.
How to make ahead & store
The creamy chicken is best served immediately. Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Wine pairings
- I typically pair this recipe with the same wine used in the sauce. A crisp and dry Chardonnay is perfect both in the sauce and on the side.
- MORE —> the 8 BEST Wines with Chicken
More chicken recipes
- Plus, 25+ Simple Sauces for Chicken
More skillet dinners
Did you try this white wine sauce for chicken?
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Full Recipe
Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut half horizontally and pounded to 1/4 inch thick)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- ⅔ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl and whisk to combine. Then, dredge the chicken in it. Shake off the excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 TBSP of the olive oil. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer to a platter and keep warm under a tent of foil. Warm the remaining 1 TBSP oil in the pan and repeat to brown the remaining chicken. Place that chicken under your foil tent as well.
- Reduce the heat to medium and melt 1 TBSP of the butter in the pan. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and broth, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the remaining 2 TBSP butter to the pan, and continue simmering for another 2 minutes.
- Add the cream and return the chicken to 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 slightly. Sprinkle in parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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