The only saucy chicken breast recipe you’ll ever need…
This is definitely one of my all time favourite go-to chicken recipes when I want a pretty flash meal, but don’t have much time to fluff around! The chicken is beautifully tender and juicy, the sauce rich and mouthwatering. I’d go for skin-on chicken if you can – not only is it cheaper, it’ll give the dish more flavour. You end up rendering a lot of the fat out when you sear it at the start anyway, and it goes nice and crispy. I like serving this with a fresh salad and crusty garlic bread in summer, or either roasted potatoes/pumpkin mash/mashed potatoes and seasonal veges in winter. Don’t skip the resting of the chicken – or it will lose all it’s juiciness when you cut into it!
Serves 4-6
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 35 minutes
Ingredients
4-5 chicken breasts (I prefer skin-on)
Oil for frying (grape seed, rice bran or light olive oil)
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 shallots, minced (or ½ onion)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup white wine
1 ½ cups chicken stock (salt-reduced if possible)
¾ cup cream
¼ cup chopped fresh chopped herbs – I like thyme leaves, sage leaves, finely chopped rosemary
Greens or salad, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 210c fan bake.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. When the pan is very hot, add 1 tbsp of the oil and place the chicken (2-3 at a time) skin-side down in the hot pan. Fry for a few minutes until the skin is golden brown and very crispy. Turn over and fry for another couple of minutes to brown the bottom.
Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes depending on how large the chicken breasts are (generally if your chicken isn’t free range, the breasts will be bigger (around 250-300g), so cook for 13 minutes. Free-range ones are much smaller (about 150g), and only need 9 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
While the chicken is in the oven, tip the excess oil from the chicken pan with paper towels, but leave the crispy browned bits there. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter and oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes. You want it very soft and golden, not crispy and dark.
Add the wine to the pan, turn up the heat and let it bubble rapidly for 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. Add the stock and herbs and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds (5-10 minutes depending on how hot your pan is).
Add the cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened to a lovely sauce consistency and gone golden brown. Make sure you add the juices from the roasting tray once the chicken is rested as well. Taste, and if need be, season with salt and pepper.
Slice the chicken and arrange on plates (I’d warm the plates if you’re serving the meal with veges as opposed to a salad). Pour some sauce over and garnish with a few extra fresh herbs if you like. Add your choice of sides (potatoes, kumara, pasta, rice) and tuck in.
Good for keto diet also… Yummo!
Hi Chelsea, love this recipe but trying to give up dairy. Is there a dairy free alternative to the cream that might work for this recipe?
a soy cream would work nicely x
Hi, can you use coconut cream instead of cream?
yes!
I made this last night. The sauce is amazing! The herbs and wine made the sauce absolutely divine. I followed your instructions exactly when cooking the chicken and for once I didn’t over cook it …… Another new family favourite of Chelsea’s.
Is this recipe online only or in a recipe book? Trying to find it to make tonight and don’t want to print off if I don’t need to! Thanks
Sorry it’s only online at the moment!
I made this with beans and roast potatoes (sprinkled with sweet basil and paprika) as a side and my partner and I devoured it! Thank you so much Chelsea, for putting these recipes up online! As a student I love them because they are so easily adaptable to what’s in the pantry and relatively inexpensive to create!
Yum, it’s a keeper! Thank you Chelsea!
Hi, I have been looking for a chicken drumstick recipe with a creamy sauce. Would this recipe work with drumsticks?? Thanks
Hi Chelsea,
What book is this recipe in? Made it and it was amazing!
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS – and a huge hit with the family. So easy to cook too. Thanks
Made this one tonight and omg that sauce is to die for you never fail to disappoint I am impatiently awaiting my pre ordered copy of Eat for more deliciousness .
Do i need to change the oven from fan bake to bake when I put the chicken in?
Sounds incredible!
I am making this tonight, sounds absolutely delicious is there enough sauce where it can be served with pasta?
You might want to double the sauce liquid :)
I love your recipes so tasty and not at all complicated for Mums on the go. I made this tonight and it was delicious!
If oven isn’t a fan bake what temperature do I use
This was delicious!! My sauce didn’t thicken though, anyone know why that would be?
Just made this and it was divine! Great depth of flavour. i added mushrooms and served the chicken with a side of roasted cabbage broccoli ad bacon. All the family loved it. Thanks!
Made this last night Chelsea. It was beautiful. I used normal chicken fillets as I couldn’t find any with skin on. The sauce was soooo yummy. Went down a treat. Served with baby boiled potatoes with chives, roasted carrott & parsnip, green beans & a yummy broccoli salad. Everyone was v happy. Definetly will be making this again. Thank you.
Made this tonight for a dinner with my Mum. Used 1/2 an onion and fresh rosemary and thyme. The chicken was moist and tender (12 mins in oven after browning) and the creamy herb sauce was rich, fragrant and completely delicious! Just wonderful! Thanks for another great recipe Chelsea, you rock!!! :D
Do you need to mice the shallots or will finely chopping be ok
Finely chopping is fine.
Making this now for the second time. The whole family loved it. It will become a staple I think. Love your recipes Chelsea.
I can’t wait to try this. Making this week. Making me hungry now lol .
Can the sauce be made without the wine. This sound lovely but I cant have any alcohol due to Bariatric surgery.
Yes, you could just add a bit of lemon juice at the end to add some tartness.
Absolutely delicious Chelsea! I’m not normally a fan of chicken breast thigh is normally my go to but this recipe sang out to me and i thought i would give it a go. I took your advice and bought the skin on Breast. That sauce is to die for, hubby has requested me to make it again this weekend. This is definitely going to be one of my go to recipes!
Could you double the sauce recipe to make more sauce?
trying to find something to go with the roasted veggies I am wanting to load into my family! The best part of this recipe advice has come through in the comments…. I also have no white wine, don’t want to open a bottle arts too cold for white. So thanks I have two alternatives! Thanks everyone.
Brrrr its cold outside & a big day at work, what to have for dinner…. so i choose this, made this in no time at all… the result.. amazeballs… Delish, thanks a bunch Chelsea… yet another of your recipes that are fast, fabulous and delish… :-)
Hi Chelsea! I have free range chicken breast (skin off tho!) in the fridge! How can I cook a similar dish without drying out the chicken? Need to make toddler friendly so thought I’d try sauce with chick stock and lemon as you suggest. Thanks, Sarah :)
Making this once again for the family, probably made it half a dozen times now, family has renamed this to be simply “Chicken Delicious”, love it!
This recipe is amazing. I made it the other week and loved it! I have the chicken out ready to remake it tonight but realised I am out of white wine! I have red wine, can this be used instead? If not what alternative can i use?
Thanks
Red wine is fine!
Hi Chelsea I have made this heaps and its a ‘to go to’ recipe for me; home alone or entertaining – love the flavours!
Hi Chelsea, thank you for being so generous with sharing your recipes. Made this dish tonight and it was a hit. Every dish I have made of yours has had the thumbs up from my household. Your website is my go to every time. Simple ingredients, great taste. Thanks again;)
Have now made this three times and what a hit it is just delicious. I have a coelic child so this coverts into gluten free so easily by using a gluten free chicken stock. Thanks so easy and tastes amazing.
Hi Chelsea, this recipe looks amazing! I’m going to try it tonight however what would you suggest to use instead of cream? Just wanting to try and make it slightly healthier…my partner just had surgery so trying to make really healthy but yum meals for him! Thanks :)
Try evaporated milk!
Awesome thanks I’ll try that!
Hi Chrissy contrary to what most media says the cream is a great healthy option it has all the good fats in it
3 words – OH MY GOODNESS!!!
Chelsea this sauce is mouth watering just thinking about and literally the MOST DELICIOUS sauce I have ever made. I make it as much as possible and know it off by heart now. My fiance just licks his plate clean, pretty funny to watch as he doesn’t typically like creamy sauces.
First time I made this my chicken breasts were quite small and I overcooked them a bit but every other time I have made this its just perfect. I have to refrain from making it often as I never want to tire of this dish.
I have been adding Spinach to the sauce and I use Rosemary and Parsley as my herbs with Basil thrown into the mix as well. Fresh herbs are definitely a must, I couldn’t imagine what this would taste like with dried herbs…
Its delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this as its one recipe il be making forever and ever! Haha.
Thank you! That’s awesome to hear!
I’m so excited to make this tonight, but I’ve only got rosemary, thyme and parsley no wine but do have lemons. Can’t find any sage anywhere. Will it be OK with out? Might be able to find some dried at the local country 4 square.
Totally fine without sage! And lemon juice is great instead of wine :) Just about the juice of 1 lemon!
Hi Chelsea ,
Can you make this in advance and just reheat as having guests for dinner and looks a great recipe to try. Thanks
Hi Anne, you have to be careful with reheating sauce as it can split – add a little more cream before you reheat it and only do it very gently :)
Hi Chelsea, i made this on Saturday night for my family, i served it with mesclun salad and a potato bake . My family raved about it said it was the best chicken recipe i have ever cooked. Thanks for all the great recipes you put on Facebook really love them. ?
Absolutely delicious. Used sage, rosemary, thyme and parsely in sauce . Served with potato gratin , broccoli and carrots . Served it to five people and all five loved it.
Made this for my man a few weeks ago and it was soooo beautiful and such a hit I cooked it for the family and they all want the receipe too. Very YUM!!!
Made this tonight Chelsea and oh my goodness it was amazing!!
Just tried this for dinner and it was absolutely lovely. My new favourite chicken dish. Thank you :-)
Love, love love this chicken dish! Thankfully the recipe for the sauce makes far too much so we got to enjoy the sauce on all sorts of other things from toast to in mashed potatoes, absolutely delicious.
This is a new favourite in our house now! Love your recipes!!
Mmmmmmm, just made this for tea and it was Devine! Had to play with the herbs as didn’t have exactly as recipe… But was still good!
Hi chelsea, just wondering, can u use, white wine vinegar? I don’t have wine at my house, only beer lol
Hi Toni, you can just use chicken stock instead, and maybe add a squeeze of lemon at the end for a bit of cut-through and acidity (which is why the wine is there). Thanks!
Made this tonight, absolutely gorgeous. I have a very similar recepie but this beats it hands down. Has it with mashed orange kumara and salad. Can’t wait to make again and others from you book :)
Wonderful to hear, thank you Kylie!