Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce rely on humble ingredients and just a single pan to bring out the most delicious flavors! Chicken thighs are so deliciously tender and the creamy white wine sauce is silky, smooth & simply addictive. What an easy one skillet chicken recipe!

Cooking chicken thighs with wine

I love cooking with wine. It has to be one of the best cooking ingredients out there, providing so much flavor with so little effort. And this Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs recipe is no exception – it’s full of flavor and tastes as a restaurant dish, yet the preparation is so simple and basic.

For wine I use dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Riesling. For this particular recipe I used Pinot Grigio.

With a bottle of wine in one hand and a bunch of herbs in the other, a humble chicken thigh can become the most decadent item on your weekly menu!

But how about if you are unable to tolerate alcohol, can you still enjoy this herb roasted chicken?

Wine substitutions if unable to tolerate alcohol:

• White Wine Vinegar: This is an ideal substitute for dry white wine. Made from white wine, it has many of the same flavor characteristics, minus the alcohol. In this recipe use half of what the wine portion calls for and substitute the remainder with chicken stock: 1/4 cup vinegar + 1/4 cup chicken stock.
• Rice Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar work too in the same proportion as White Wine Vinegar.
• Chicken or vegetable stock: Substitute stock for white wine entirely if not a fan of vinegar or sensitive to sulfites in vinegar. For extra flavor, try mixing a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of stock.

To lighten up this recipe: use half-n-half instead of heavy cream, or omit it altogether and replace with chicken broth.

Make sure to brown chicken skin side first on medium high heat and brown it well. Resist the urge to move the chicken thighs while it’s being browned.

Cooking time is 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes.

If you have boneless and skinless chicken, I do have post on how to brown boneless chicken breasts. Here’s the link to the article, if you are interested: Tips on browning the chicken.

What skillet to use for herb roasted chicken thighs

It’s important to use a good heavy skillet to brown chicken thighs, such as cast iron and a large one too. I used 12 inch Lodge Pro-Logic Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet in this recipe – it’s well designed, has a helper handle and sloped sides – very sleek looking for cast iron!

I have other cast iron skillets, but prefer this one due to its size (it’s very large with even more space due to its sloped sides), it also never sticks or leaves weird black dots on meat like other cast iron skillets do. And it’s one of my most used kitchen tools!

Method of Making Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs

Start by heating 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and cook on medium-high skin side to brown it for 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet.

Next add 2 tbsp butter, onion and sauté until the onion is browned, 3-4 minutes. Add chopped garlic and 1 tsp Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.

Besides Italian seasoning, I also frequently use Sicilian seasoning in this dish. It has mixed spices of Italian seasoning (fennel, oregano, thyme and basil), but also includes red pepper flakes, roasted garlic and sea salt.

This is the base of the Creamy White Wine Sauce, that will give it such a wonderful flavor.

Add 1 tbsp flour and cook it in the oil of the pan for only a minute, until it’s no longer white. Pour the wine slowly to the hot pan, increasing heat from medium-high to high and cook for a few minutes.

Now add 1 cup chicken stock and ½ cup heavy cream. Creamy white wine sauce is almost ready! Stir to combine and let everything cook until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

Taste the sauce and add fresh thyme, salt and pepper, to taste.

Return chicken thighs back into the pan with sauce, arranging the thighs around the skillet.

Put in the oven uncovered and cook at 400 for 35 minutes. Take out of the oven , check if chicken is done and serve with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes or rice.

These Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce is an amazingly easy one skillet meal recipe!

If you enjoy wine in your cooking as much as I do, I have a number of recipes on my site with wine in it for you to enjoy:

• Chicken Pasta in Creamy White Wine Parmesan Sauce
• Pasta Da Vinci
• Seared Chicken Pasta in Chardonnay Wine Sauce
  How about cooking with vodka:)? There you go:
• Pasta Bolognese in Creamy Vodka Sauce

Our new favorite creamy chicken recipe is this Creamy Cajun Chicken and Sausage Pasta dish! It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and is so unbelievably good that I cannot recommend it enough:

4.36 from 17 votes

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Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Chicken thighs are so deliciously tender and the creamy white wine sauce is silky, smooth & simply addictive. What an easy one skillet chicken recipe!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: herb roasted chicken thighs, one skillet chicken

Servings: 8

Calories: 500 kcal

Author: Olga

Ingredients

Chicken thighs:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

White Wine Sauce:

• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp flour for thickening the sauce
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3-4 thyme sprigs (leaves only)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

   Cook chicken thighs on medium-high skin side down first to brown it for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook on the next side for about 4 minutes, for a total of 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet.

3. Add 2 tbsp butter, onion and sauté until the onion is browned, 3-4 minutes. Add chopped garlic, thyme and 1 tsp Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.

   Next add 1 tbsp flour and cook it in the oil of the pan for only a minute, until it’s no longer white. Add the wine slowly to the hot pan, increasing heat from medium-high to high and cook for a few minutes.

   Now add 1 cup chicken stock and ½ cup heavy cream. Stir to combine and let everything cook until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. 

   Make sure to taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Return chicken thighs back into the pan with sauce. 

   Put in the oven uncovered and cook at 400 for 35 minutes. 

   Once time is up, take the pan out of the oven, check if chicken thighs are done. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes or rice.
   

Recipe Notes

I indicated 8 servings since I had 8 chicken thighs, which makes it 1 chicken per serving.

Nutrition Facts

Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 500 Calories from Fat 342

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 38g 58%

Saturated Fat 13g 65%

Cholesterol 195mg 65%

Sodium 497mg 21%

Potassium 426mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%

Sugars 1g

Protein 29g 58%

Vitamin A 9.2%

Vitamin C 2.4%

Calcium 3.9%

Iron 8.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

For other popular chicken recipes see Balsamic Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Apples and Chicken Pasta in Creamy White Wine Parmesan Sauce.