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There’s only one word to describe these incredible, pan-seared chicken thighs: PERFECT. Juicy bone-in chicken thighs, seared until crispy then oven-roasted and finished with a rich white wine pan sauce. It’s a gourmet recipe that’s surprisingly easy, but elegant enough to impress any guest.
🍗 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This recipe for pan-seared chicken thighs is one that everyone in my family has requested for almost every special occasion for years. Of course, I’m happy to oblige because it’s a super simple recipe that doesn’t take much time or effort at all… even though it looks (and tastes) elegant and delicate. If you want an equally-elegant side to pair with it, you have to try my recipe for the best risotto ever!
- The combination of cooking methods is what puts this chicken dish over the top! The chicken thighs are seared until the skins are beautifully crispy, almost as if you fried them. After that, they’re oven-roasted to perfection, ensuring the chicken is cooked through while staying tender and juicy. It’s a total 1-2 punch that absolutely makes this recipe.
- Of course, there’s a simple pan sauce that completes the whole dish. It’s a combination of shallots, white wine, chicken stock, butter, and fresh herbs that tastes totally gourmet – and is totally foolproof. It’s really versatile, though, so feel free to swap out ingredients for whatever you like best. You can even give the chicken thighs a nice dry rub if you want.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- Don’t force the chicken thighs out of the skillet. Seriously. Once you place them in the pan, leave them alone the entire 7-8 minutes. After that, try to lift them very, very gently. If they don’t release easily, let them sear another minute and then try again. Keep repeating the process until the skins do release easily – that’s the key to getting perfectly crispy chicken thighs in a skillet!
- If you’ve got time to spare and you really, really want to take this recipe to the next level, use my quick chicken brine on your chicken thighs before you begin this recipe. The brine flavors the chicken from the inside out, but it also makes the meat SUPER moist. That gives you a little buffer in case you forget to set your timer. 😉 Just be sure to pat the chicken completely dry before searing it, otherwise you won’t get that crispy chicken skin.
- Now that you know the magic method for perfectly pan-seared chicken thighs, you can use it for literally any recipe that calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken. No, really! I use it all the time myself. Maybe you recognize it from my cranberry apple chicken thighs recipe?
More of Our Favorite Chicken Skillet Recipes
- Marry Me Chicken
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Honey Sriracha Chicken
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Skillet
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
- Very Favorite Stir Fry Noodles (with Tofu or Chicken)
- Chicken Bryan
- Creamy Boursin Chicken
- Chicken Scarpariello
- Cream Cheese Garlic Skillet Chicken
- Truffle Honey Chicken
Perfect Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs
Juicy chicken thighs, pan-seared with a simple sauce made of butter, white wine, and shallots. It's a budget-friendly recipe that's simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner but elegant enough to serve to company.
servings
Equipment
- Oven
- Cutting board
- Paper towels
- Large oven-safe skillet
- Tongs
- internal meat thermometer
- Potholder
- Large plate
- wire whisk or silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Chicken Thighs
- 4 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs approximately 1 ½-2 pounds
- sea salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil avocado oil, refined, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.
For the Sauce
- ½ cup finely minced shallots
- 1 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
- 1 ⅓ cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs thyme, rosemary, sage, etc.
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee; at room temperature, cubed
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- mashed potatoes or steamed potatoes
- pasta of choice
- risotto
- orzo
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Adjust oven racks as needed so that skillet sits in center of oven.
- Place chicken thighs on cutting board. Pat chicken completely dry on all sides with paper towels. Liberally season chicken with sea salt, then flip chicken over and salt other side. Set chicken aside.
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is very hot, add oil and swirl pan to distribute oil evenly across pan surface. Continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, place chicken thighs in skillet skin-side down. Sear chicken thighs 7 to 8 minutes or until skin is golden brown and releases easily from pan. If skin sticks to pan, continue searing until skins release easily.
- Flip chicken thighs over, then immediately place skillet in preheated oven. Roast chicken thighs 15 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 162° to 163° Fahrenheit. Note: skillet will be very hot. Always use potholder when moving skillet or checking chicken temperature.
- Once temperature is reached, carefully remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken thighs to plate and set aside.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons chicken fat from skillet, then return skillet to heat. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Allow skillet to cool slightly, then add minced shallots. Sauté shallots, stirring frequently, approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until softened.
- When shallots have softened, add white wine to deglaze skillet. Stir to incorporate wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits of chicken that might be stuck to bottom of skillet.
- Increase heat under skillet to medium-high. Allow mixture to boil until liquid is reduced by 50%.
- Add chicken stock to skillet and bring liquid to boil again. Boil mixture until liquid has reduced by 50%. Mixture should be slightly thick, resembling sauce rather than soup.
- Stir in fresh herbs of choice, then remove skillet from heat. Allow mixture to cool slightly, then add butter and whisk until butter is completely melted. Taste sauce and add salt as desired.
- Plate chicken thighs with sides of choice. Ladle butter sauce over chicken thighs and serve immediately.
- Shallots: Minced garlic and finely chopped onion can be used in place of the shallots for a slightly different flavor.
- Dry White Wine: I recommend pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc for recipes like this.
- Make it Alcohol Free: Replace the white wine with additional chicken stock, or use no-sugar-added apple juice.
- Make it Paleo: Replace wine with chicken stock. Use ghee instead of butter.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 519calProtein: 26gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 172mgSodium: 290mgPotassium: 509mgTotal Carbs: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 511IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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This is so delicious that I had to make it two days in a row! My husband took the first night’s leftovers for lunch and I made more for dinner the next night! Did not have white wine but I substituted it with red wine and it was fabulous. This is one that I will make over and over again and it will become a part of our families traditions. I cannot thank you enough!
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Well, that was easy; and delicious!
I just used a cast iron pan for the chicken, then for the sauce. No white wine, but sure that would be delicious. I had Herbs de Provence on hand and used those. Fabulously easy dish that got great compliments!
Made it today with some broccoli and mashed potatoes. My wife and I loved every bite, great recipe!
Perfect combo!
Delicious! I had this last night, am having it again tonight, and will be making it in a few days when my mother comes to visit. I’m on a low carb diet, so this is perfect. Based on the flavor, you wouldn’t know how quick and easy this is to make! Thanks for the recipe!
Tried this for the first time; but was missing a few ingredients. I substituted white wine with 1 cup of rice vinegar (garlic flavored) and used 1 cup of chicken broth (instead of stock). Also didn’t have onions so just used a half-cup of fresh minced garlic and herbs de provence for the herbs. Came it freaking amazing!!! thanks so much for this, I had no idea doing reductions was so easy.
Wow! I’ve never written a review on a recipe before, but I just made this and it was amazing. Ended up looking and tasting like a restaurant quality dish. It will definitely be a staple in my recipe rotation!
Wow! I’m honored that you loved this enough to write a review! Thank you. 🙂
The flavor in this dish is amazing! It was such a hit especially with my kiddos. This is a definite keeper. Thank you so much!
I am so glad you liked it as much as we do!! It’s one of my all-time faves here!
I really would like to try this but I am on a Whole30. Is it worth it with the broth or should I wait until I’m not on a round?
We make this recipe on a Whole30 pretty regularly and it’s so good! Of course, it’s a little better with wine and butter but still SO good with just the broth and ghee! 🙂
Is it bad that I (kind of) want to lick the screen? Because these photos make this dish look absolutely, decadently wonderful… and I want it for dinner. Like, rightthisverymoment. Even though I’m not hungry for dinner just yet.
Love this idea, and we’ll absolutely be making this in our kitchen sometime soon. And I totally feel you on the whole new recipes all the time for the blog. It IS pretty fun to come across something that makes you stop and think twice and make several times. This sounds like the perfect thing for that.
This looks awesome, Cheryl. My family is mostly vegan, but every now and then I get to cook a pastured chicken, usually roasted. This looks much easier and faster!