If you like creamy sauces and bacon (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), then this Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce is for YOU!! Very French-country-chic. 😉 And the sauce…..the sauce is ridiculously good.
This is totally the sort of thing I make for company during the cooler months because it’s one of those meals that’s a crowd pleaser, can be prepped in advance then popped in the oven and left without checking on it. Low risk cooking that tastes fabulous – I like!
Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce
If I have a dinner party anytime during June – August (winter here in Sydney), chances are that I’ll make something like this Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce.
I know some people like to serve much more refined food for company. Sous vide fish, confit, and other posh food you find at fine dining restaurants. While learning and trying new techniques interests me, it is not the way I cook on a day to day basis.
I could never work in a fine dining restaurant. I simply don’t have the genes for precision and plating up using tweezers. I have much admiration for those who do, and I’m very fortunate to have dined at some of the top restaurants not just here in Sydney, but in the world. And I learn and admire chefs like Thomas Kellar of Per Se and French Laundry, Tetsuya, Matt Moran, Neil Perry, Guillaume – to name a few. “Serious” chefs!
But for me personally? This is more “my type” of food. Hearty. Want to reach through the screen, lick-the-plate type food. 🙂
This Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce (with BACON because it makes everything better!!) is a variation of a recipe I shared in this month’s Super Food Ideas magazine, Australia’s top selling food magazine. Honestly, every time I go to the supermarket and see the magazine there, I can’t help grinning like a fool. It’s been almost a year since I started my monthly features in Super Food Ideas, and it still makes me do a little jiggy every time the latest issue appears in my letterbox!
This Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce is adapted from a recipe by Nigel Slater, from his cookbook “Real Food”. His sauce is much richer – he uses more than twice as much cream as me and no chicken broth. I made the original then cut back on the cream to adjust to my taste. I honestly find that this sauce is rich enough, and the addition of chicken broth adds even more flavour into this sauce.
White wine is key in this! Wine and alcohol generally adds a wonderful complexity to sauces that cannot be completely replicated by using just broth. But I understand that for religious or other personal choices, some people cannot cook with wine so I have included notes for how to make this without wine.
I served this Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Stovetop Glazed Carrots because it’s faster than roasting and I forgot to put the carrots into the oven. 🙂 Plus you get better caramelisation on the carrots when they’re made on the stove. And it’s useful for those times when your oven is jam packed with other things (this is a life saver for Thanksgiving and Christmas).
Chicken + Bacon + Creamy Sauce + Creamy mashed potato.
Pretty hard to go wrong with that combination, don’t you think? 🙂 – Nagi x
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Chicken in White Wine Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2.5 lb / 1.2 kg chicken pieces , bone in thigh & drumsticks are ideal (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp / 15g / 0.5 oz butter
- 3 garlic cloves , crushed
- 1 onion (brown, white, yellow), finely chopped (~1 cup)
- 5 oz / 150 g bacon , diced
- 2 cups / 500 ml dry white wine (Note 2)
- 1 cup / 250 ml chicken broth / stock or water
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
- 3/4 cup / 185 ml cream (pouring or heavy cream, but not low fat cream)
Garnish
- Finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet (with lid) over high heat. Add chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove chicken from skillet. Drain excess fat from skillet (do not wipe).
- Reduce heat to medium high. Melt butter then add garlic and onion. Cook for 3 minutes until softened, then add bacon. Cook until golden.
- Add wine. Bring to simmer, scraping the bottom of the skillet to mix the brown bits into the liquid. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, thyme and return chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Cover with lid or foil, then transfer to the oven. Bake for 60 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes to recrisp the skin. The chicken should be very tender.
- Remove chicken or move to side. Stir cream into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with plenty of parsley. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. Mine are pictured with Glazed Carrots.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Save this Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce to your “BEST RECIPES” Pinterest Board!
And let’s be friends on Pinterest so you can see all the delicious food I’m pinning!
Life Of Dozer
Still out of action and feeling sorry for himself. When I took him to the vet, they asked “Does he rumble? Does he chase rabbits, run on gravel, run over the rocks at the beach?”
Errrm. Yes, yes, yes and yes. He is quite a rough-and-tumble sort. No wonder he gets injured so frequently!!! 😉
I made this today… The only thing I changed was using tarragon instead of thyme and using creme fraiche instead of cream because it’s what I had on hand. It’s so good, I’m actually shocked. I’ll be having it with egg noodles for my dinner or lunches for the next few days. Can’t wait!
I love that – “It’s so good, I’m actually shocked…”!!! But I get you – the recipe looks so simple, it’s hard to believe it makes something so incredible, isn’t it??? 🙂 N x
You already sold me with “creamy chicken in white wine sauce”. The bacon put it right over the top!
I know, right?? I mean, how can you go WRONG???? 😉
A winner! I made this over the weekend and it was a huge success. I don’t use alcohol in my cooking but was worried that the chicken broth plus Djon concoction might not pack the punch I was looking for- however I was mistaken, worked really well 🙂
Nagi my girl- I’m soooo glad I discovered your site, this is recipe #3 that I’ve tried and I’m so incredibly impressed. Not only do you explain things in a really easy to understand manner but your choice of recipes is spot on. They are inspiring! Keep ’em coming 🙂
WOO HOO! Seems, I am SO GLAD you enjoyed this even without the alcohol in it! Thank you for trying it! N x PS I plan to keep ’em coming, that’s for sure!!
Hi Nagi
Made this at the weekend. When the time came to add the wine, I tasted it and found it was definitely on the sweet side. Bearing in mind your instructions for alcohol substitutes, I added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the wine. Result was delicious. Will try to use the correct wine next time
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Robyn! Thank you for letting me know! And PS great fix adding the Dijon! N x
This. is. amazing. I bought skinless legs and thighs, not realizing the skin might be beneficial…..it did not matter. This was soooo good. My house smelled so good while it was cooking. The only thing I think I did wrong was not cook the bacon long enough, as I did not have “pieces” to scrape – otherwise, the one thing I will do next time is have a big loaf of crusty bread to dip into the sauce. You rock, Nagi! Seriously good!
THANK YOU Suzie!! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed this!!! PS Not cooking the bacon long enough is not a big deal at all, it doesn’t really matter because there would still have been plenty of flavour left in the skillet to flavour the sauce! N x
Hi Nagi. I cooked two of your recipes over the weekend, Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce and Homemade Sausage rolls. Both were absolutely delicious!! What I love about your recipes are, the ingredients are readily available and the recipes always turn out the way they should even the two and half pastry sheets for the sausage rolls was spot on!! Keep those recipes coming, as I have just thrown out all my other cook books as all I need now are your emails! 🙂
Thank you so much Fiona! I am so thrilled you enjoyed them! PS Ohhhhhh I hope you are joking about throwing out your cookbooks! 😉
Nagi, love your receipt and ideas. Also love simple hearty meals for winter. Have good w/end!
Thanks Vera!!! Are you suffering through winter like I am, or are you enjoying a summer? 🙂
I’m a newcomer to your blog, and I am LOVING your recipes! THIS one caught my attention because I’ve been looking for a recipe to try with the duck breasts and thighs in my freezer. This looks like the ticket! I can’t wait to give it a try. I’ve been avoiding the duck meat because I have NO idea how to cook it. I’m going to be culling out my drakes again soon and really want to find THE recipe that makes the amazing!
Hi Dawna! This will work with duck thighs but to be honest, I am not sure about duck breast. I worry it will be too lean and it will toughen up and dry out with the long cook time. 🙂 My favourite way with duck breast is pan frying to make the skin super crisp then finishing them off in the oven but keeping them pink inside. This sauce wold go fantastic with it!
Nagi, I’ll keep that in mind. The meat I have in the freezer is from culling my own drakes out of my little flock, and I opted to skin them rather than try to pluck them, so I’m left with just the meat to deal with. I think that’s why I’m having such a tough time finding recipes I’m willing to try with them. I have another half dozen drakes that I need to cull next month, so I’m trying hard to find good recipes for them.
Looks fantastic! Is there a way to adjust the recipe for in a crock pot?
Hi Ashley! To be honest, no, because the browning of the chicken is quite key to this and the time it is cooked covered in the oven (which could be done in a slow cooker) is not that long so I don’t think it’s worth browning in pan, transferring in slow cooker then finishing in oven 🙂
Hand me a fork and a napkin, I’m going in… Saucy deliciousness + bacon = 🙂
Hard to go wrong, isn’t it? 🙂
Hi Nagi, nice looking recipe , and Dozer he could wear booties for a while ,get used to it by walking around in the house ,or try to make summer ones with leather on the bottom Velcro around the ankles , just for now ,keep doing what you do in cooking , great recipes and Dozer with Mom ,, Lily ~~~
BA HA HA! Don’t give me any IDEAS Lily, that’s dangerous!!! N x
So, even when we are on different food paths, we can still sync 😉 Guess who I was discussing in my last blog post!!!!!!!
This is my sort of entertaining dish too. Creamy chicken and bacon. YUM!
And those carrots!!! They look sensational!
Awwww, really?? Your ears must be burning – I was chatting to Dorothy today and we were talking about how AWESOME you are!! She adores you! N x
Yay!! I would be jumping if I were you too. The pictures look brilliant Nagi and you so deserve this and more! As for the chicken, yum!! I made Nigel’s chicken in wine sauce too and we loved it. This is lighter than that but looks incredible. Totally saving this for a rainy night in.
Thank you Swayam! You’re so sweet! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, this looks fabulous! I notice you say specifically not to use low fat cream. Why is that? Thanks!
Hi Hannah! The reason is because it is thinner and I already use so much less cream than the original recipe, when I tried this once with low fat pouring cream it was almost just like adding milk. 🙂 But if you REALLY want to watch your calories, you could use low fat….. 😉 N x PS I probably SHOULD. Just that with this recipe, I feel like if I’m going to make it, I want to go all the way!!!
Your recipes are the BEST Nagi! I am so thankful that I found your blog.
I’m so glad you found me too Pattie! 🙂 And I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes!! N x
Is there any substitute for wine?
Hi Rashid! In the notes! 🙂
Flavour, flavour, flavour….that’s all I can think of when I see this dish. And the perfect winter dish!
Yes yes YES!!! 🙂
Fully agree with you on home cooked comfort meals for friends: dishes like osso buco, beef in burgundy and cassoulet – no tweezers here either, tho’ have seen many during the current rather fun “Masterchef’ which is my evening relaxation on quiet nights! This is such a French-Swiss classic and does look moreish to the ‘x’th!! And the amount of white wine and broth almost ‘cancel’ out the ‘naughty’ bacon and cream divided amongst quite a few anyways: yum indeed!!
Oh my GOSH Eha, you have literally just listed all my favourite winter stews!!! I was just planning out my recipes for the rest of winter and I realised how I have no chance of doing all the ones I want!!! PS I’m watching Masterchef too. Did you watch last night’s when the contestants were pitted against the judges??
Course I did: just ‘talked’ to another fave Aussie blogger about THAT one!! [hmmm, supposed to be working of course !!] It has been a yearly funfest as long as I can remember but honestly George Calombaris, Harry Foster and Matt Sinclair could have a second career on the stage!!! I think Elena will win, but I have a soft spot for Matt – methinks he will do much more than just have a food truck . . . !!!
ME TOO! That’s exactly what I think!!! I actually “don’t mind” either of them winning. 🙂 There have definitely been other seasons where I have not been rooting for any of the finalists – MasterChef AND MKR!!!!
Hi Nagi, I make a similar dish to this, but instead of cream I whizz in a can of cannellini beans at the end. Looks creamy, tastes creamy, but no cream!
Liz! The is GENIUS!!!! That would thicken the sauce so much I bet it’s lovely! Do you use a whole can? 🙂 N x
Yes, a whole can, makes a beautiful sauce.
Hello Nagi,
I have never commented before but want you to know how much I appreciate your blog. Everytime I make one of your recipes, it turns out delicious and everyone raves. So I pass your recipes along because you can’t fail. Thank you so much for providing them. Your efforts are appreciated and applauded.
I have a big dog too, this is our 4th boxer. They love to play and sometimes play rough – they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hi Kathy! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes, thank you for trying them!! I bet your Boxer and Dozer would have some serious fun rumbling….Dozer likes to play rough!!! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend Kathy!
Such a lovely comforting dish and bacon of course improves its odds of being delicious to me. I always get your features in Super Food Ideas Nagi. Its very exciting to see you in there.