Chicken with Herby White Wine Gravy

Are you looking to mix up your Thanksgiving menu this year? This Chicken with Herby White Wine Gravy is the perfect option!

While a classic Thanksgiving turkey is a tradition I appreciate, I truly don’t get enthusiastic about cooking it and eating it…and I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment! Don’t get me wrong, the turkey is good and all, but it’s a ton of work and sooo much effort for a giant roasted turkey? It’s just a lot! Enter your Thanksgiving hero: Chicken with Herby White Wine Gravy.

Last Thanksgiving, we went to my sister’s and she had just moved into her house. The thought of roasting a Thanksgiving turkey in her new kitchen felt like an undertaking. I offered to take the reins and said, “I’m making chicken in a gravy sauce so we can still enjoy all the sides.” As soon as this hit the table, everyone agreed: Why even make a turkey with how good this is?!

Ingredients:

• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Thyme
• Fresh Sage
• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Cayenne Oepper
• All-Purpose Flour 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Unsalted Butter
• Garlic
• Dry White Wine I use chardonnay
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• Lemons
• Fresh Parsley

Step-by-step:

step one: make the herb mix

In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, sage, and thyme and stir to combine. Set aside.

step two: prep the chicken

To cut a chicken breast into a cutlet, start by placing the breast flat on a cutting board. Hold it steady with one hand, and with a sharp knife, slice horizontally through the middle of the breast, starting from the thicker side, until you have two thinner pieces. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound the chicken until it is a uniform ½-inch thickness. Pat dry with paper towels.

step three: season the chicken

Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place each piece of chicken in the flour and dredge of both sides, shaking off the excess flour. Set aside. Continue until all chicken is dredged in the flour. Reserve the additional flour in the bowl as you’ll need a bit of it for the roux.

step four: brown the chicken

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet (or braiser) over medium heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked through as it will finish in the sauce. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside and continue until all of the chicken is browned.

step five: make the roux

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the butter and garlic and cook, stirring, allowing the butter to melt and the garlic to toast slightly, being careful not to burn. Sprinkle in the reserved flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, toasting the flour so that it is lightly browned but being careful not to burn, about 2 minutes.

step six: deglaze the skillet

While stirring, add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Add the broth and the herb mixture and continue to whisk until well combined. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer and let cook, simmering and whisking often, until the broth begins to slightly thicken, about 4 minutes.

step seven: finish cooking the chicken

Reduce the heat so that it is lightly simmering (You don’t want a rapid simmer, but a nice steady simmer, about medium-low heat) and nestle the chicken into the sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

step eight: finish and serve

Reduce the heat to low and carefully stir in the lemon juice. Taste the gravy and add a pinch more of salt, if desired. Garnish with a tiny bit of fresh parsley, if desired.

Recipe FAQs:

If you try this incredible herby chicken for your Thanksgiving, please let me know what you think!

Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? Try these!

Dry-Brine Thanksgiving Turkey

Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Kale Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash and Miso Dressing

Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle

4.94 from 15 votes

Chicken with Herby White Wine Gravy

Servings: 12 people

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves 1 sprig
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• ▢ 8 small fresh sage leaves
• ▢ 6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Kosher salt plus more as desired
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1/3 cup all-purpose flour sub gluten free 1:1 flour
• ▢ 2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsaltedbutter
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ ½ cup dry white wine I use chardonnay
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
• ▢ 1 tablespoon freshly squeeze lemon juice ½ lemon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish if desired

Instructions 

• In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, sage, and thyme and stir to combine. Set aside.
• To cut a chicken breast into a cutlet, start by placing the breast flat on a cutting board. Hold it steady with one hand, and with a sharp knife, slice horizontally through the middle of the breast, starting from the thicker side, until you have two thinner pieces. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound the chicken until it is a uniform ½-inch thickness. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place each piece of chicken in the flour and dredge of both sides, shaking off the excess flour. Set aside. Continue until all chicken is dredged in the flour. Reserve the additional flour in the bowl as you’ll need a bit of it for the roux.
• Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet (or braiser) over medium heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked through as it will finish in the sauce. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside and continue until all of the chicken is browned.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the butter and garlic and cook, stirring, allowing the butter to melt and the garlic to toast slightly, being careful not to burn. Sprinkle in the reserved flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, toasting the flour so that it is lightly browned but being careful not to burn, about 2 minutes.
• While stirring, add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Add the broth and the herb mixture and continue to whisk until well combined. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer and let cook, simmering and whisking often, until the broth begins to slightly thicken, about 4 minutes.
• Reduce the heat so that it is lightly simmering (You don’t want a rapid simmer, but a nice steady simmer, about medium-low heat) and nestle the chicken into the sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low and carefully stir in the lemon juice. Taste the gravy and add a pinch more of salt, if desired. Garnish with a tiny bit of fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

Hosting Tips:

If making this for a crowd, you can reduce the heat on the stove to the lowest setting and keep it warm until ready to serve. Honestly, the longer it soaks in the gravy, the more fork-tender the chicken is! Just keep an eye on how hot your stovetop is because the gravy could burn or get overly thick. You can always thin out the gravy with more broth, as needed.

Alternatively, once you’ve made the gravy you can place the chicken cutlets in a slow cooker and pour the gravy over the top. Let it finish cooking on low heat (takes about 2 hours) and keep it warm until ready to serve!

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 77mg, Sodium: 527mg, Potassium: 460mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.2g, Vitamin A: 127IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Alex Snodgrass

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 193

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