Chicken in White Wine Fennel Sauce

The Mediterranean flavors of fennel, garlic, and rosemary are perfect with chicken. The fennel and chicken are sautéed and then briefly braised in a chicken wine broth, which becomes a tasty light sauce.

Want to cook with wine? Always! Adding wine to a sauce makes it taste like it’s from a fancy restaurant…but it’s easy to make at home! The flavor is tangy from the wine and savory from the fennel rosemary, and garlic. It’s a perfect combination! 

Why cook with wine? Italian and French style recipes often call for white wine in the ingredient list. It’s used to deglaze the pan or add a complex, acidic flavor to dishes. It adds incredible complexity to risotto or pan sauces like this dish!

What wine to use for cooking? You can use any dry white wine for this recipe. You’ll want a crisp white wine that doesn’t have any hint of sweetness. A few types of white wine that are great for cooking are:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Grigio
• Pinot Gris

Making a white wine sauce is easier than you think! It might sound fancy. But it takes just 15 minutes to whip up with a short list of ingredients. 

So grab a bottle of your favorite dry white wine, pour yourself a glass and let’s get cooking!

The fennel and the rosemary will pair especially nicely with a full-bodied red wine such as Scout & Cellar’s ETNICO PINOT NOIR. Elegant and bright with black cherry, pomegranate, herbs, and a hint of turned earth on a light-bodied frame with a lingering finish.

I served this dish with my creamy parmesan orzo.  

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/3 pounds in all)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large fennel bulb (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 pint sliced mushrooms
• ½ medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• ½ cup canned low-sodium chicken broth  
• ½ cup white wine, such as Scout & Cellar Gallivant Chardonnay
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Fresh-ground black pepper and Salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan with 1 teaspoon of rosemary and cook until brown, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes longer. Remove chicken and set aside. We will finish cooking the chicken in the broth in the oven. 

Deglaze the pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of wine in the pan, scrape the bottom with a wooden spatula vigorously as the liquid comes to a boil. Do not let it boil for more than a few seconds and you make sure you’ve released all the particles from the pan. 

Add butter and melt. Add fennel, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is golden brown and almost done, about 12 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 1-2 minutes, add the shallot and garlic, stir and cook for additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes.  

Add the wine and broth bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 3 minutes. Nestle the chicken into the pan and bake for 10 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 185 . 

Stir in the parsley.

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Lemon Parmesan Chicken

This is definitely one of my favorite dishes! It’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a date night!

With this recipe you get perfectly tender, golden brown pan seared chicken coated in a quick lemon garlic butter pan sauce. It will have you wanting seconds and maybe even thirds! 

I like to serve this over a bed of spinach or with my Garlic & Spinach Orzo- recipe coming soon! 

As for my wine, this dish pairs perfectly with Scout & Cellar Clean-Crafted™Che Fico Pinot Grigio. It’s tart and fresh with lemon, underripe peach and a subtle minerality and a refreshing finish. Perfect on a hot summer night! 

Click the link to order the wine pairing- Scout & Cellar Clean-Crafted™ Che Fico Pinot Grigio.
http://www.scoutandcellar.com/whiskawaykitchen

Ingredients for Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

• 1 1/2 lb chicken breast or 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp parsley to garnish
• 1/2 lemon sliced for garnish

Ingredients for the Egg Mixture:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• For the Parmesan Breading Mixture:
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Lemon Butter Sauce:

• 8 Tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. 

Lightly beat with a meat mallet until even in thickness.

In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the egg mixture. 

In another bowl, combine the ingredients for the parmesan mixture. 

Dip chicken into the egg mixture, then dredge chicken in the parmesan mixture. 

Allow any excess ingredients to fall off from each bowl.

In a large skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet. 

Once hot, add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes per side, or until crispy, golden and cooked through to 165˚F. 

Transfer to  a plate. 

In the same saucepan, melt butter and garlic, cook until fragrant. 

Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and pepper. 

Allow the sauce to cook for about 2 minutes. 

Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken, turning to coat. 

Garnish with lemon slices and finely chopped parsley if desired.