Photo Jun 29, 9 04 15 PM.jpg

Lemony Basil White wine chicken

If you need a quick and easy weeknight meal that still tastes fresh like summer but is flavorful and rich enough to still feel special, this is the dish for you. Using only a few simple ingredients, you can use all of that fresh basil in your garden, as well as other pantry staples to put this one-skillet chicken dish together. It tastes delicious served alongside roasted garden veggies, topped on pasta or rice, or really with anything you can use to sop up this yummy, lemony white wine sauce. A great dish for the family, but also wonderful for one or two people with the promise of delicious leftovers (I know because these are the leftovers I had today…it was almost better!)

Enjoy!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Level: Easy

Ingredients - serves 4

  • 4 portions of chicken breast OR bone in, skin on chicken thighs

  • 1 .5 tbsp. olive oil

  • 4 cloves of minced garlic

  • 1 finely chopped shallot

  • 3/4 cup dry white wine

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (or about 1 tbsp. lemon juice)

  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped or shredded

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

 

  1. Begin heating up a skillet with the olive oil in it over medium high heat.

  2. While the skillet heats up, get your chicken nice and dry. Season generously on both sides with Kosher salt and black pepper. Once the skillet is hot, add the chicken on one side. If it doesn’t sizzle, it’s not hot enough yet! Cook the chicken on one side for about 6-8 minutes before flipping to the other side and cooking for another 6-8 minutes. Cook no longer than that, even if they’re slightly underdone, as they’ll have a chance to cook more a bit later. If they begin to burn after a few minutes, reduce your temp. You’re looking for a crusty golden sear, not necessarily blackened.

  3. Once chicken has seared up on both sides, remove from the skillet and put on a plate. Turn off the skillet and let cool for 5 minutes.

  4. After cooling, add the minced garlic and the chopped shallot to the skillet and begin to sauté. Turn it back up to around medium or medium low to get a little sizzle going. Once soft, add the white wine and bring to a gentle simmer. Let reduce almost in half. This should take about 3-4 minutes or so of simmering.

  5. Add the heavy cream, the lemon juice, and the basil. Stir together and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back in and let the sauce simmer and thicken up around it. Leave the chicken in for a few minutes, or however long it takes for the chicken to be fully cooked and sauce slightly thickened. You can spoon sauce over the chicken or flip them from side to side to cover in the sauce as it cooks up. Chicken should be 165 inside when done.

  6. Remove and serve warm with more fresh basil and some lemon wedges from the half a lemon not used!

    Plating: This chicken is great served on pasta, rice, roasted veggies, potatoes, or basically anything that will sop up this tasty, rich sauce. Enjoy!