Enjoy this refreshing White Wine Sauce with Chicken on a hot Summer’s Night. Light, bright and easy, the chicken is cooked in a lemon wine sauce then sprinkled with a combo of chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest (gremolata). Perfect for when you want flavor that feels like sunshine on a plate.
This is a simple straight forward recipe for pan seared chicken & white wine sauce. And with no cream, it’s fresh and light! Quick and easy, it also comes with that special and elegant restaurant feel. It’s simply perfect for a Summer evening meal.
I was browsing a very old Williams and Sonoma cookbook right after the holidays at about the time I needed a break from rich food. This recipe was exactly what the doctor ordered. I’m obsessed with this recipe on so many levels.
What sets this recipe apart from other recipes for Chicken with White Wine Sauce is the topping of Gremolata. Amazing flavors.
Why This White Wine Sauce Works For Chicken
- This simple sauce is made with lemon juice, white wine and chicken broth, it simply works beautifully for chicken breasts.
- It brings brightness, acidity, and fresh complexity to a mild flavored and lean protein like chicken breasts.
- White Wine: White wine complements the lemon by adding floral acidity. It becomes part of the liquid that deglazes the pan, pulling up all the flavorful bits.
- Balance: This combination keeps things vibrant without masking the flavor of the chicken. It’s simply a zingy with a brightness that feels clean, fresh, and satisfying.
- No Cream: This is a white wine sauce that works beautifully without cream. Making it very Summery.
Finishing Touches – The Gremolata
Once plated, the chicken is topped with a combination of parsley, garlic and lemon zest, a mix that we call Gremolata. What is gremolata? It’s famous and commonly used to finish the Italian dish, Osso Buco. Chicken with Gremolata infuses the finished dish with garlicky warm, savory depth.
The recipe is so easy, that you’ll find yourself turning to it again and again, no matter how busy your life seems. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- Lemon, for fresh squeezed juice. Don’t try to save time by using bottled lemon juice.
- White Wine
- Parsley and Lemon Zest: Will be used to make the fresh topping to finish the dish.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is always a better choice that chopped jarred garlic.
Chicken Tip: purchase chicken breast from a reputable, and local (if possible) source. Chicken breasts from factory farmed providers are overly large due to practices to grow chickens larger and faster. In my opinion, they’re harder to cook and keep tender, and many times have a rubbery texture. Stick with the slightly more expensive route and choose a reputable company. It’s especially important for delicate recipes like this pan seared chicken breast. A good example is Red Bird Farms.
Ingredient Substitutions
- White Wine: If you prefer not to use white wine, just substitute with additional chicken broth and add a splash of white vinegar for acidity for a wine free cooking sauce.
- Oil: Olive oil is used to sautee the chicken breasts. You can substitute canola or vegetable oil.
- If you prefer this recipe to be gluten free, simply dust the chicken with gluten free flour. You can also dust the chicken with cornstarch for an additional gluten free meal.
How To Make White Wine Sauce with Chicken, Step by Step
- Step 1: Make The Gremolata: Finely chop the garlic cloves. In a small bowl stir together 2 – 3 cloves of the minced garlic, parsley and lemon zest, reserving two chopped garlic cloves. Set aside and proceed with the recipe.
- Step 2: Prep the Chicken: Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Spread the flour on a plate and add the salt and pepper, stir to combine. Lightly coat both sides of each chicken breast with the flour. Shake off any excess flour. The flour serves to sear the chicken golden and thicken the sauce without cream.
Pro Tip Knife Skills: Always keep the hand that’s gripping the knife clean and dry. A wet hand could cause slips resulting in nicks or worse a nasty slice on your hand.
- Step 3: Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the chicken and sear to lock in flavor, turning once until lightly browned and golden. About two minutes per side.
- Step 4: Make The Sauce: Add the chicken stock, lemon juice and white wine to the skillet. Stir to remove any browned bits from the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for about three minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Continue until chicken is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to determine an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Step 5: Plate the chicken: Remove chicken to plates. Bring the sauce to a boil and pour over each chicken breast. Top each with the Gremolata and serve immediately.
Plating and Presentation Tip
Serve this white wine sauce with chicken in a large shallow white bowl style plate. Garnish with a few slices or wedges of lemon and parsley leaves.
Tips For Success
- Use a meat mallet to gently pound the chicken breasts to make them more even in thickness. No need to turn them into cutlets, you just want to them to cook evenly.
- Simmer the sauce just long enough for the alcohol flavor to cook off. Don’t rush it by turning the heat up high as you can ruin the flavor of the wine.
- Don’t Over-cook: Be careful not to cook the chicken breasts over a temperature of 165 degrees, which can cause the chicken to become dry in texture. Use a digital meat thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken.
Side Dishes, What To Serve?
- Keep this dinner fresh and light and serve it with a simple Accompaniment Salad. If you want something a little fancier, take a look at this Hearts of Palm with Avocado .
- Potatoes are always a popular side. Check out this recipe for Garlic Butter Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes, or this recipe for Zucchini Potato Skillet.
- A healthy side dish option would be this Martha Stewart recipe for Green Vegetable Medley. It’s wonderful.
- Or how about simple mashed potatoes, or Green Beans.
FAQ’s
You can, however, the presentation will not be as pleasing. Bone and skinned chicken thighs are very irregular and odd in shape. However, the flavor will be enhanced by the dark meat and the cooking instructions will stay the same.
Keep it dry. Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. And remember the rule, always cook with wine you’d drink. But no need to break the bank. Save those expensive whites to pair with that special dinner.
Using red wine would change the entire profile of the delicate bright flavors that white wine and lemon brings to this recipe. Stick with white wine.
Leftovers and Storage
- This chicken in wine sauce is best when served fresh. But leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days, in an airtight container.
- You can also freeze them. Add chicken and any left over sauce to a zip-lock style freezer bag. Squeeze the air out and freeze for up to three months.
- To reheat, let chicken thaw in the refrigerator overnight. I like to use the microwave and reheat any leftovers at 50% power in one-minute increments. Food seems to react better to the lower temperature reheating.
More Chicken Breast Recipes To Try
And don’t miss my category for Chicken Recipes. You’ll find lots of great recipes including one of the most popular recipe on my site for Galliano Chicken with Boursin Cheese.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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White Wine Sauce With Chicken and Gremolata
Ingredients
- 3 – 5 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup Italian parsley flat leaf, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper black or white,
- 4 Chicken Breast Halves boneless, skinless, about ½ pound each
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ¾ Cup chicken broth
- ½ Cup lemon juice fresh
- ½ Cup Dry White Wine Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot grigio
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic cloves. In a small bowl stir together 2 – 3 cloves of the minced garlic, parsley and lemon zest, reserving 2 chopped garlic cloves.
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Spread the flour on a plate. Lightly coat both sides of each chicken breast with the flour. Shake off any excess.
- Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the chicken and saute, turning once until lightly browned. About 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the remaining chopped garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice and white wine. Stir to remove any browned bits from the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan and reduce heat to medium Cook until chicken is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to determine internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Remove chicken to plates. Pour the sauce over each chicken breast.
- Top each breast with some of the parsley mixture.
Notes
- Use a meat mallet to gently pound the chicken breasts to make them more even in thickness. No need to turn them into cutlets, you just want to them to cook evenly.
- Simmer the sauce just long enough for the alcohol flavor to cook off. Don’t rush it by turning the heat up high as you can ruin the flavor of the wine.
- Don’t Over-cook: Be careful not to cook the chicken breasts over a temperature of 165 degrees, which can cause the chicken to become dry in texture. Use a digital meat thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken.
Nutrition
White Wine Sauce with Chicken and Gremolata … It’s What’s for Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Your first shot sure displays your presentation skills. There is not much about big city living that appeals to me but having places around like Red Bird Farms is one of the advantages. I have to give the breasts we buy a heavy dose of the Jaccard to not have the chicken you described. This dish looks delicious and I think we won’t wait until a warm summer evening to give it a try. Glad you are able to easily access my posts again.