The Cozy Cookbook is here! These crisp, golden baked chicken thighs are smothered in a flavorful white wine sauce with mushrooms and baked right in the pan.
Try my Pioneer Woman Meatloaf Recipe next!
I am a 33 years old and didn’t know that I liked chicken thighs. My husband is also 33, and didn’t know that he liked chicken thighs. Have we been living under a rock?!
The key is 100% in the sear. The golden, crispy outside makes all the difference. So let’s get into it, this is important.
Sear the Chicken Thighs, then Bake: This is Why.
–Searing chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet prior to baking is a great way to add color, taste, and texture to the chicken prior to baking it.
-Not only does it add flavor to the chicken itself, but it allows you to deglaze the pan with the wine, giving you more flavorful sauce from the chicken remnants.
-Plus, you’re left with less baking time in the end, and will have a better tasting, more visually appealing meal.
White Wine Substitute:
-If you don’t have white wine or prefer not to cook with alcohol, you can substitute equal amounts of chicken broth instead of white wine.
Omitting the Mushrooms:
-You can absolutely omit the mushrooms in this meal if desired, simply follow the recipe as-is, leaving the mushrooms out.
-Sliced Onions can also be used, or check out these ideas for alternatives to mushrooms.
Chicken Breast instead of Chicken Thighs:
-If cooking with chicken breast instead of thighs, it’s best to butterfly the chicken and sear 2-3 pieces at a time. If the chicken is fairly thin, you could choose to cook it completely on the stove-top, or simply cut the baking time in half.
What To Serve with Baked Chicken Thighs:
- Instant Pot Roasted Potatoes
- Easy Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, or Roasted Green Beans.
- Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole
- More Side Dish Ideas
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Baked Chicken Thighs in White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless Chicken thighs
- Salt/Pepper
- 1 Tablespoons vegetable oil, separated
- 1 cup white wine, see notes
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 8 oz. white button mushrooms, washed and sliced
- ¼ cup heavy cream, optional
- Parsley, roughly chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 chicken thighs, smooth-side down, and sear for 13 minutes. Don’t move the chicken around while it cooks, as it will disrupt the sear and may cause the chicken to stick to the pan.
- Rotate the pan to move the oil around to help loosen the chicken from the pan. Use a thin spatula and carefully lift the chicken and transfer to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium if oil begins to splatter. Repeat with remaining 4 chicken thighs, using the remaining tablespoon of oil as needed and transferring the remaining chicken to a plate once finished.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the butter and mushrooms to the pan and cook until they begin to brown and caramelize, about 8 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and use the metal spatula to scrape up the chicken remnants. This will give the sauce excellent flavor.
- Add the garlic and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream. Add the chicken thighs, sear-side up, and heat for 5 additional minutes.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with parlsey, and serve with your favorite sides. Brown rice and roasted green beans are excellent with this meal.
Notes
This recipe makes 4 servings at 2 chicken thighs/serving. Nutritional information is per serving.
Nutrition
Great recipe! I’m in my 20s and learning to cook more “real” meals, so concepts like searing and deglazing are a bit intimidating. But these instructions were so easy to follow. I loved the precise number of minutes on each step, and the little tips along the way helped a ton.
My chicken thighs were a bit thinner than usual, and I had a hard time managing the cast iron heat so the oil didn’t splatter, so I ultimately reduced the sear time to 10 minutes and it worked perfectly.
So delicious and simple to make, plus now I know some important tricks when searing meat!
I love that you’re learning! I’m happy to hear you found the tips helpful, I think you’re going to get confident in the kitchen quickly! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💗
Made this last night and it was amazingggg!!!
Wahooo! So great to hear Nancy! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💗