This White Wine Braised Chicken recipe is hearty, simple, comforting and elegant – inspired by the classic French dish, Coq au Vin Blanc. It’s made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, bacon pieces and mixed veggies cooked in a savory white wine sauce.

Original recipe shared on November 2, 2015 – updated January 27, 2025 with improved photos, recipe, tips and ingredient explanations.

How to Make this Recipe

1. Sear Chicken: Cook thighs, skin side in a hot pan until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side to brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Cook Bacon: Fry bacon in the same pan and cook a few minutes until golden.
   • TIP: You need the rendered bacon fat to sauté the veggies, but too much fat will make for a greasy dish. If needed, dab some of the excess fat away with a paper towel an a pair of tongs. Make sure to leave behind enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Sauté Veggies: Add the leeks, carrots and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes to soften.
4. Add Liquids: Stir in the chicken stock and wine. Mix together.
5. Add Chicken: Return chicken to the pan. Place the thighs, skin-side up. Cover and cook for for about 15 minutes.
6. Add Broccoli: Move chicken to the side, then add broccoli to the pan. Mix into the veggies and cover in liquids. Place the chicken back on top.
7. Finish: Cook, covered for about 5 minutes, then uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Tips

• Pat Thighs Dry: Make sure to pat the thighs dry with paper towels first, then season chicken as normal. This will remove excess moisture making which will ensure an even crispier skin.
• For a Thicker Sauce: If you prefer a more gravy-like sauce, stir in 1 tablespoon of flour into the sautéed leeks, garlic and carrots and cook for 1 minute. Then add the chicken broth and wine and continue as instructed.
• Crispy Skin: After cooking on the stove top, finish off your dish by popping it in the oven. Broil for 3-5 minutes to crisp up the skin and that’s it!
• Best Internal Temperature for Chicken Thighs: 165°F/74°C is the minimum temperature required for food safety. This is ideal for white meat like chicken breast.  Dark meat like thighs and legs are actually best around 195°F/90°C for a better texture (fall off the bone) and richer flavor.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

• Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs & Carrots
• Cilantro Lime Marinated Chicken
• Baked Paprika & Za’atar Chicken Thighs
• Baked Ginger Miso Chicken Thighs
• Ping Gai Chicken
• Mushroom & Artichoke Chicken

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this White Wine Braised Chicken Thighs recipe! I’d love to hear what you made with it and how it turned out! Please leave a comment and review with your thoughts and suggestions for me and future readers.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

White Wine Braised Chicken Thighs

Yield: 4-5 Servings Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs braised in a simple, white wine sauce with savory bacon pieces and a mix of tender, juicy vegetables mixed throughout.

Ingredients

• 6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in & skin-on (2 lbs or about 1.15 kg)
• course sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or avocado oil (15ml)
• 8 oz thick cut bacon slices, diced or bacon lardons (225g)
• 1 whole medium leek, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb carrots, washed or peeled and cut into 2 1/2 inch sticks (225g)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine (240ml)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (120 ml)
• 1/2 lb tenderstem broccoli (225g)
• fresh or dried parsley for topping

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Warm a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven with a fitted lid (at least 12 inches) over a medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering.
3. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down and let cook without moving until golden brown and crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Flip chicken and lightly brown the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and set aside.
   Add bacon to the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes until lightly browned, stirring often.
4. Add leeks, carrots and garlic. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the leeks.
5. Stir in the wine and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken thighs back to the pan skin-side up mostly above the liquid with most of the meat fully submerged. Make sure to tip all the excess chicken juices from the plate into the pan as well.
6. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over a medium-low heat.
7. Uncover the pan. Move the chicken pieces to one side of the pan for a minute, then add the broccoli florets. Gently push the broccoli to submerge in the liquid then move the chicken back in place.
8. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, then uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes to let the sauce reduce into a thicker consistency. Chicken is technically cooked to a safe temperature when it reaches 165°F/74°C, but I recommend letting thighs/dark meat get to about 190°F (90°C) for a better texture and flavor.
9. Optional: Set oven to broil. After taking it off the stove, transfer to the oven and broil uncovered for 3-5 minutes to crisp the chicken skin back up.

Notes

• Wine: I recommend something like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Marsala.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4

Serving Size:

2 thighs w/ veggies Calories: 48Saturated Fat: 13gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 45g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Mains Cuisine: French