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    Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs

    Nov 7, 2017 · 173 Comments

    204.3K shares
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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    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. Juicy roasted chicken is deliciously tender addition to your family dinner table. What an easy comfort food recipe!

    Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs

    Tender and juicy chicken with crispy golden skin in amazing herb flavor! We roast chicken thighs at 400 F in the creamy white wine sauce. The silky sauce is so smooth & addictive – perfect for weeknight dinner or weekend dinner party.

    Tips on baking your chicken thighs

    • First things first, pat the skin of the chicken thighs dry with paper towels in order to prepare the chicken skin.
    • Use a cast iron skillet as we are going to roast the chicken in a very hot cast iron skillet.
    • Once again, the chicken skin needs to be very dry and the pan needs to be very hot to get the best color and texture.
    • Next, use tongs to handle the chicken so you don’t have to touch it.
    • 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.
    • How long does it take to roast chicken thighs in the oven? About 35 minutes at 400 F.

    What kind of wine to use

    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 herb roasted chicken thighs are no exception. They are full of flavor and taste as a restaurant dish, yet the preparation is so simple and basic.

    For wine I used a regular drinking dry white wine. The good choices are Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Riesling. But for this particular recipe I used Pinot Grigio.

    herb roasted chicken thighs

    So with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bunch of herbs in the other, these herb roasted chicken thighs can become the most decadent item on your weekly menu! But how about if you are unable to tolerate alcohol, can you still enjoy it?

    Wine substitutions

    • 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.
    • Lemon. Squeeze 2 wedges of lemon (½ a lemon) into the sauce.

    How to lighten up this recipe

    Half-and-half. Use half-n-half instead of heavy cream, or omit it altogether and replace with chicken broth.

    What skillet to use for herb roasted chicken thighs

    Cast iron skillet. 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!

    Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead?

    WE NEED THE BONE! This recipe is designed for juicy chicken thighs that do need a bone to bring out the extra juices and flavor.

    How to make creamy sauce

    • BUTTER ONION BASE: Start by adding butter and chopped onions and sauté until the onion is browned, 3-4 minutes. Next add chopped garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook for another minute.
    • ITALIAN SEASONING: I almost always use Thyme, Oregano and Rosemary combination, also known as Italian seasoning for this baked chicken recipe.
    • SICILIAN SEASONING: The alternative is to use Sicilian seasoning in this dish. It has all the usual 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.
    Chicken thighs
    • ADD FLOUR: Now add flour and cook it in the oil of the pan for only a minute, until it’s no longer white.
    • POUR WINE: Next pour the wine slowly to the hot pan, increasing heat from medium-high to high and cook for a few minutes.
    • Add chicken stock and heavy cream. And you know what? 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.
    Chicken thighs sauce

    More Chicken Recipes with Wine to Enjoy

    • Italian Chicken Pasta
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    • Chicken Pasta in White Wine Sauce
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    Herb Roasted Chicken in White Wine Sauce
    Print Recipe
    4.41 from 145 votes

    Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce

    Chicken thighs are so deliciously tender and the creamy white wine sauce is silky, smooth & simply addictive. What an easy one skillet chicken recipe!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: baked chicken thighs, herb roasted chicken thighs
    Servings: 8
    Author: Olya

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
    • Salt and pepper
    • Italian seasoning, (divided)
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
    • 3-4 thyme sprigs (leaves only)
    • 1 tablespoon flour, for thickening the sauce
    • ½ cup white wine
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 F.
    • Heat 1 tablespoon 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 tablespoon butter, onion and sauté until the onion is browned, 3-4 minutes. Add chopped garlic, thyme and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.
      Next add 1 tablespoon 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 chicken stock and 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.
    Nutrition Facts
    Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in Creamy White Wine Sauce
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 500 Calories from Fat 342
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 38g58%
    Saturated Fat 13g81%
    Cholesterol 195mg65%
    Sodium 497mg22%
    Potassium 426mg12%
    Carbohydrates 5g2%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 29g58%
    Vitamin A 460IU9%
    Vitamin C 2mg2%
    Calcium 39mg4%
    Iron 1.6mg9%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

    Notes

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

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Frances says

      March 13, 2023 at 9:28 am

      Made this last night!! It was amazing!! Will make again!!.. so happy I have leftovers!

      Reply
      • Olya says

        March 13, 2023 at 5:46 pm

        Sounds like you nailed those thighs, Frances!

        Reply
    2. Crystal says

      November 18, 2022 at 9:58 pm

      Made this tonight for the family, everyone loved it!!

      I didn’t have heavy cream so I used whole milk and a little extra flour as a substitute… I was worried it wouldn’t turn out but it was delicious. ❤️🙌

      Reply
      • Olya says

        November 20, 2022 at 11:32 pm

        Sounds like you nailed it, Crystal!

        Reply
    3. Laurie P says

      October 16, 2022 at 8:28 pm

      I made this today for my company. I used fresh rosemary fresh oregano and fresh sage in the sauce. I used dry thyme to season the chicken. Everyone loved it. So much flavor and lots of gravy for the brown rice! Thank you for sharing. My new go to for an elegant but simple meal!

      Reply
      • Olya says

        October 17, 2022 at 6:40 pm

        Thank you Laurie for this wonderful compliment!

        Reply
    4. Tammie Berry says

      October 06, 2022 at 8:42 pm

      I am keto , can I use xanthangum to thicken the sauce ? I tried putting my name , it would not give me the option . It did allow me to put my email I can’t wait to try this It sounds amazing thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • Olya says

        October 07, 2022 at 2:24 pm

        You can definitely use xanthan gum.

        Reply
    5. Angela says

      October 04, 2022 at 5:33 pm

      Made chicken recipe today. Delicious.

      Reply
    6. Joseph says

      October 02, 2022 at 9:03 am

      This is an absolutely fantastic recipe. The grocery store was out of fresh thyme so I used dried thyme but it still came out fantastic. Definitely one of my top ten pinterest recipes.

      Reply
      • Olya says

        October 02, 2022 at 2:36 pm

        Wow! So glad you found my recipe! Thank you

        Reply
    7. Nancy says

      August 26, 2022 at 10:47 pm

      This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted! My thighs were small so they didn’t need to bake as long, according to my meat thermometer. I could eat this every day!

      Reply
      • Olya says

        August 27, 2022 at 12:20 pm

        Nancy – you just made my week!

        Reply
    8. Sherry McWilliams says

      August 14, 2022 at 7:38 pm

      This is the best sauce I’ve ever made! I could eat this on anything! Fabulous recipe!

      Reply
      • Olya says

        August 15, 2022 at 2:21 pm

        What a great complement! Thank you!

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Olya! Welcome to the online home of my recipes that will make you look like a pro, yet without having to spend too much time in the kitchen! More about me →

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