This Chicken in Garlic and Herb Sauce features incredibly juicy chicken thighs in a simple and amazing garlic, herb and sherry sauce all in one pot.
CHICKEN THIGHS
I’m back to cooking with some of my favorite ingredients like garlic, fresh herbs, wine and chicken thighs. Simple ingredients with amazing results. I don’t know if you all cook with chicken thighs but I love them because they’re so economical.
You can usually buy those big packages and from one package you can make 2 or 3 dishes depending on the size of your family. But just because the main ingredient is cheap doesn’t mean the dish has to be lacking in flavor. And this is why I love this chicken dish.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN CHICKEN IN GARLIC AND HERB SAUCE
Lots of garlic and I mean lots of garlic. About 8 cloves of garlic, to be precise. Lots of fresh herbs like fresh oregano and fresh thyme. The garlic with these fresh herbs are amazing together.
I also use some low sodium chicken broth and some sherry wine. Sherry is a fortified wine and can range from sweet to quite dry. Because it’s a fortified wine it’s usually higher in alcohol and longer-lasting. In some countries like Spain, sherry wine is savored like a fine whiskey.
The sherry I used here is a dry red wine, so if you don’t have sherry on hand, a regular dry red wine would work. However, I always keep a bottle of sherry around because it’s perfect for deglazing and making delicious pan sauces.
HOW TO COOK THE CHICKEN THIGHS
In this recipe, I first pan sear the chicken thighs in a bit of olive oil on both sides, until they’re nice and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. At this point they will not be cooked completely through, but that’s ok. We’ll continue cooking them later in the sauce.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN IN GARLIC AND HERB SAUCE
In that same pan you cooked the chicken thighs, add the garlic and the fresh herbs. The more fresh herbs and garlic the better. Cook until the garlic becomes aromatic, and trust me your entire house will smell heavenly. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and chicken broth, scraping all those brown bits, that’s where the flavor is, my friends.
You can then add the chicken back to the saucepan and cook for around 20 minutes on low until the chicken becomes really juicy and tender soaking up all the incredible sauce. Alternatively, you can pop the pan, if it’s oven safe, into the oven and continue cooking in the oven for 20 minutes at 375 F degrees.
SIDES THAT GO WITH CHICKEN IN GARLIC AND HERB SAUCE
I love serving this over mashed potatoes, or simply with a side salad. You can also serve it over pasta, rice or zucchini noodles.
LOOKING FOR MORE CHICKEN THIGH RECIPES? TRY THESE:
- Chicken in a Hurry
- Skillet Braised Greek Chicken Thighs
- Crockpot Thai Chicken Thighs
- One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
Chicken in Garlic and Herb Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs with skin and bones (about 3 lbs)
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp thyme fresh, chopped
- 2 tsp oregano fresh, chopped
- 1/2 cup sherry or a dry red wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth low sodium
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the olive oil to a large saucepan or skillet and cook the chicken on both sides, for about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from the saucepan and set aside.
- Add the garlic, thyme and oregano to the saucepan and cook until garlic gets aromatic. Add the sherry and chicken broth to the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits. Bring to a boil.
- Add chicken back to skillet and saucepan, reduce the heat to low and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes, until chicken is tender.
- Garnish with more fresh herbs if desired and serve warm.
Notes
- Chicken breasts can be used as well, though I would recommend using bone in, skin on breasts because the chicken will turn out juicier. Also chicken drumsticks would be great as well. For both of these, I would leave the cooking time the same. If you're unsure if your chicken breast is cooked through, the best way to tell is by using a kitchen thermometer and when the internal temperature is 165 degrees F, your chicken breast is done.
- If you're using a red wine, I recommend using a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or a Pinot Noir.
- Nutritional information assumes 1 thigh with sauce. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition
I love this recipe, I didn’t have fresh oregano so I used 1 1/2 tsp of dry. It came out great. I’ll be cooking this few times a month. My husband and son love it.
Wow, love the sherry wine addition! And my family loves chicken thighs, surely trying this one out. Way to go Joanna!
Can u freeze this dish
If so should you cook it first
If you freeze it, don’t cook it first. Cook from the freezer at 375F for 50-60 minutes.
I love every thing chicken and this is my new favorite!!! Cooked this several times and cant get enough of it!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Yum yum yum!
Could I use white wine
For sure, that would taste great.
I made this last night sith 4 thighs amd 8 legs. I browned in pan then transferred to large foil pan while i made the gravy. Poured gravey over whole shebang , covered pan with foil. Put in oven for 1 hr, 15 min on 325. (Husband likes it to fall off the bone). Then removed chicken and put under broiler till browned. YUMMY
It’s looks like my mom foods. It’s suprised me this is American cuisine
Please, please, PLEASE, let us know when we can use breasts instead of thighs. Not everyone is in love with thighs as you are. I am sure that the juiciness of the chicken changes when the switch is made, but personally, I am not a fan of dark meat in any poultry, Can use breasts is all that is needed. A good many bloggers are in favor of thighs. Please help sorting through recipes easier for the breast people. As it stands now we have to wait until the comments to get your opinion as to whether the switch is advisable or not. We love both you and your recipes. Just give us backward breast eaters a heads up to save us going through the entire recipe to find out that you have had a bad experience with breasts and don’t recommend a switch. We are usually looking last minute for a dinner idea. B Karr
Hi Barbara,
Yes, you can use breasts instead and I’ve updated the recipe notes to include that. Enjoy!
What do you pair this chicken with?
I usually serve it with a salad, but it’s really nice over some rice as well.
Gnocchis
I made this with white rice, sweet potatoes, and sauteed broccoli rabe. You can also do red beans, or any beans/peas of your choice if you don’t want to do the sauteed broccoli rabe.
My family love it.
I just made this tonight. Flowed yourcdirections and thiscturned out delicious!! Madecwith a side salad and mashed potatoes. Used the sauce from the pan. A keeper!
Thank you for posting.
Yay! That’s great, so glad you liked it!
I can’t look at the pic of this recipe. Its looking amazing in that pic and my mouth is watering. lol.. Joanna thanks for this wonderful recipe. I really want to taste it right now. I’ll try to make this recipe.
Sydney thanks for your comments and the laugh today. Glad you like our recipes
Without any red wine or sherry in the house, can I substitute white wine?
Sure that should be fine.
can you make this with skinless boneless chicken breasts or would it come out too dry?
Absolutely you could, normally chicken breast is a bit more try than chicken thighs, but there’s enough sauce in this dish to make up for that. 🙂
I am going to attempt this tonight. Wish me luck. I’ve grown tired of my usual recipes. Im pretty excited as I’ve just stumbled upon your blog.
Thanks, I’m sure you don’t need any luck, just lots of appetite. 🙂
Hi
What brand of sherry did you use in this recipe.
I used Williams & Humbert dry sherry.
Hi there. What can i substitute the sherry with? I can’t take alcohol.
I would use chicken stock instead or maybe mix some chicken stock with some grape juice or apple cider.
Cherry juice works pretty well.
Looks amazing! I was wondering if you have any suggestions for a side dish that will pair good with it?
I actually served this with mashed potatoes and a green salad, but some rice would be nice as well.
This chicken looks TOO good.. loving the garlic and herb sauce especially – think it would taste and smell so amazing.
It does Thalia, whole house smells incredible as you cook this.
Looks great. I’m sure it gives the chicken a lot of flavor. Thanks for sharing
Jo,
As always this recipe looks wonderful. Do you know how to store and how long you can keep a bottle of sherry? I do not use it very often and worry that it will turn rancid before I get to it again. Also, how do you store it>
Hi Karen,
You can keep a bottle of sherry for a few months, I usually use it mostly for cooking. Once you open it, you could store it in the fridge, but honestly I don’t, I just keep it with all my other wine and it seems fine to me.