Chicken Beurre Blanc

Juicy chicken thighs meet rich, buttery beurre blanc in this simple French-inspired dish. Master this decadent sauce with ease and wow your taste buds!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 4 Servings

Equipment

Normal Kitchen Utensils

Ingredients

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
2 Sticks Cold Unsalted Butter, Divided into 1 Tbsp Pieces
1 C Dry White Wine Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio work well
2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar Or Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Shallots, Finely Chopped About 1 medium; you can also substitute onion.
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste Typically White Pepper, but you can just use Black Pepper

Instructions

Start the Sauce
In a sauce pot, over medium heat, add the white wine, white wine vinegar (or lemon juice) and shallots. Bring these to a boil.
1 C Dry White Wine, 2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar, 2 Tbsp Shallots, Finely Chopped
Let this mixture reduce until about 2 Tbsp of liquid remains, stirring occasionally. It should take around 7-10 minutes.
Cook the Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
While that heats up, season both sides of the chicken thighs with a few heavy pinches of salt and pepper.
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, Salt and Pepper to Taste
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.
Let the cooked chicken rest while you finish the sauce. You can tent it with foil if you like.
Finish the Beurre Blanc
Once the white wine mixture has reduced, drop the heat to low.
Stirring constantly, add in 2 Tbsp of your cold butter. Stir and cook until the butter is almost completely melted. Then add another 2 Tbsp.
2 Sticks Cold Unsalted Butter, Divided into 1 Tbsp Pieces
Repeat the previous step until all of the butter is mixed into the sauce.
Do not make this sauce over high heat. The goal is not to completely melt the butter, but to emulsify (form a semi-stable mixture) it into the sauce. Using too much heat will break the emulsification and leave you with flavored melted butter – still great, but it won't stick to the chicken very well.
You should end up with a gravy-like consistency if you use low heat and emulsify properly.
As you stir the butter into the sauce, it should start to thicken and become cloudy. Right before the last piece of butter finishes dissolving into the sauce, cut the heat.
Add a heavy pinch of salt and pepper, and then taste to check seasoning.
Serve
Serve the dish right away. Add the chicken to some rice or mashed potatoes and top with the beurre blanc sauce.

Notes

Try to finish beurre blanc right after you make it. The emulsification will almost surely break if you reheat it as leftovers. It will still be delicious, but just won’t coat the chicken anymore.

You can easily make this dish with bone-in chicken, chicken breasts, or even a nice light fish. Just adjust the protein cooking times as necessary.

Keyword Butter, Chicken, Classic, French, Sauce, Shallot, Thighs, White, Wine

Mastering Chicken Beurre Blanc: A Rich French Classic

Chicken Beurre Blanc is your ticket to mastering a seemingly fancy French sauce in a totally approachable way. The dish pairs juicy, pan-sautéed chicken thighs with a rich, buttery sauce that’s surprisingly simple to make. It’s the kind of indulgence that begs for a post-meal nap—two sticks of butter will do that to you! Don’t be intimidated by the process; with a bit of low-heat stirring, you’ll be enjoying a decadent meal worthy of a French bistro.

Beurre Blanc: A Classic French Sauce Worth Knowing

Beurre blanc (literally “white butter”) is one of the foundational sauces in French cooking. It starts with a reduction of white wine, vinegar, and shallots, which forms the base for emulsifying cold butter. The result is a velvety sauce that feels both luxurious and versatile. While the French might drizzle it over seafood, like my Shrimp Stuffed Snapper with Lemon Beurre Blanc, this chicken version is just as special.

The beauty of beurre blanc lies in its simplicity. Don’t let words like “emulsify” scare you—it’s just a fancy way of saying, “add butter slowly and stir.” Keep the heat low, whisk constantly, and the butter will melt into the reduction like magic. That’s it! You’re making French culinary history in your own kitchen.

Pro Tips for Beurre Blanc Success

While the base reduction of wine, vinegar, and shallots is flavorful, the acidity mostly cooks out. That’s why a final splash of lemon juice or extra vinegar is a game changer. The zing brightens the sauce and balances the butter’s richness. Don’t skip it—it takes the sauce from delicious to unforgettable.

When you return the chicken to the pan, the beurre blanc does something wonderful. The sauce absorbs the browned bits left behind from sautéing, adding an extra layer of flavor. Let the chicken warm up and marry with the sauce before serving.

Chicken Beurre Blanc is more than a meal—it’s a lesson in French culinary confidence. And the best part? It’s really just about stirring butter into a pan. So, go ahead, pour yourself a glass of wine (use the same one you’re cooking with!) and get ready to impress yourself.

After all, you’ve just mastered classic French sauce—and it tastes incredible.

If you want to check out a classic French soup, here is a recipe for French Onion Soup. French sandwich? Check out a Jambon Beurre.

_{Some content generated with the help of ChatGPT | OpenAI: https://www.openai.com/}

Chicken Beurre Blanc