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
Follow me on PINTEREST to get more recipe ideas!
Chicken thighs are so deliciously tender and the creamy white wine sauce is silky, smooth & simply addictive. What an easy one skillet chicken recipe!
- 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
- 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
Preheat oven to 400 F.
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.
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.
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.
I indicated 8 servings since I had 8 chicken thighs, which makes it 1 chicken per serving.
For other popular chicken recipes see Balsamic Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Apples and Chicken Pasta in Creamy White Wine Parmesan Sauce.
Hello.. is it possible to cook this entirely on the stove instead of the oven? Thank you.
You do need the heat of the oven because of the bones in the chicken thighs for them to cook through. You could break the thighs into smaller pieces to allow them to cook through on the stove top. And just make sure that the temperature on the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.
Thank you so much for the explanation. I’ll use the oven as well then.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Made this! Was awesome! Will try skinless and 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1.5 cup broth and .5 cup water. May try adding some sautéed Bella’s shiitake next time! Thanks for this yummy recipe!!
Thank you! I like your adjustments to lighten it up.
Made this for dinner tonight. I doubled the sauce and served over zucchini noodles. Huge hit. Will definitely make this one again.
Tried was very good but I had to use red since I thought I had white so not sure if it could of been awesome. Not just very good. Lol
This was absolutely delicious. My sauce came out a tad greasier than I would have liked so next time I’ll try the skinless. Already saved it & shared it ! Thank you.
Thank you. I would save that grease and pour it on mashed potatoes:)