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
Try These Next!
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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
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry 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 5-7 minutes, until it begins to naturally release from the skillet. Don’t move the chicken around while it cooks, as it will disrupt the sear and may cause the chicken to tear.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate once seared. Repeat with remaining 4 chicken thighs, adding an tablespoon of oil as needed. Transfer to a plate once finished.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the butter and mushrooms. Cook until they begin to brown and caramelize, about 8 minutes.
- Add the white wine and use a silicone spatula to "clean" the bottom of the skillet. This will give the sauce excellent flavor.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream.
- Add the chicken back, sear-side up, along with any juices from the plate. Baste the chicken with the sauce and cook for 5 additional minutes over medium heat.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the lemon juice. Ensure the thickest part of the chicken is at 165° F prior to serving.
Notes
This recipe makes 4 servings at 2 chicken thighs/serving. Nutritional information is per serving.
Nutrition
Family favorite
Wahooo! That makes me so happy, thanks so much for the great review!💗
New favorite recipe! Highly recommend using sun dried tomatoes for you fellow mushroom haters, the sauce was so flavorful! And LOVE the searing method, SO good cozy cook!
I served with Cookie+Kate’s smashed potatoes and Cozy cook’s garlic bread spread on ciabatta, so good to sop up the sauce!
Sounds like a great meal, nice work! I love the idea of the sun dried tomatoes, yummmm! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Wow! What great flavor. I almost didn’t make it because the list of ingredients was small, thinking it wouldn’t be as flavorful. I should have known from all of your other recipes that I have made. This is SO delicious, AND simple! It is a great chicken thigh dish to make for company. Thank you for yet another delicious, flavorful recipe! My family LOVED it.
I am soooo happy that you loved it Anna! I know, it’s a simpler one, which is great, but not lacking flavor! I’m SO glad that you liked it and really appreciate your review, you made my day!! -Stephanie
Another great recipe from this girl!!!
Wahooo! I’m so happy to hear that, thanks so much for the support Tonilu!💖
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!💗