FALLING IN LOVE WITH ROSEMARY CHICKEN AND WHITE WINE SAUCE


Have you ever had a dish at a restaurant that was so good and so simple that you couldn't wait to go home to try to replicate it? Perhaps a scrumptious farmer's market salad? Seafood pasta? Creamy, savory, bacon-y mac and cheese? Or if you're really ambitious, cracking the code to a restaurant's secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies? I've encountered many meals that have inspired crazy adventures in the kitchen where I tenaciously guess, test and tweak recipes over and over again until I achieve the same inspiring results. Many end in utter failure and a handful so close, it makes all the trials that much more worthwhile. It's kind of like falling in love, and trying to replicate everything that brought you to such a heavenly state. I know, the recipe may not love you back, but you've simply got to try.


The center of my admiration in this post is a meal that I enjoyed in 2004, not at a restaurant, but a friend's house while studying for a finance industry exam.  Typically in these situations, you just ask for the recipe. Unfortunately there was none, it was simply thrown together on the fly with available ingredients. But it was so incredible, the memory of it still haunts me to this day. Tender, succulent,  fall-off-the-bone chicken with a rustic smoky and savory rosemary white wine sauce. And after years of testing, I think I've got the recipe. So now you can try this at home!


ROSEMARY CHICKEN WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE
  • 4 chicken thighs or drumstick
  • 4 bacon strips
  • 1 cup of chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, roughly 6-inches
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Method
  1. Optional step, lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper, marinate overnight. 
  2. In a medium to large pan, brown the bacon on each side, remove and set aside on a cutting board. Turn the heat down to medium. Take the chicken, blot dry with a paper towel, add the chicken in the pan with the bacon drippings. Brown the chicken pieces for 5 minutes on each side. 
  3. In the meantime, combine the chicken stock and white wine in a bowl or measuring cup, stir in flour until well blended, set aside.
  4. Set the chicken towards the sides of the pan, and minced garlic. Toast the garlic in the center of the pan until golden. Stir in half of the chicken stock mixture until the sauce thickens. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, rosemary sprigs and an additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock and butter. Coat the chicken with the sauce and bring to the center of the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer. If the sauce is too thick for your preference add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Salt and pepper to taste. Chop the bacon into half inch pieces, add to the pan and mix. Cover the pan halfway and allow the chicken to cook on medium-low on a gentle simmer for 30 minutes. Discard rosemary sprigs.
Serve over pasta.  
 

Serves 2.

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76 comments:

Dolce said...

This is a foolproof recipe that everyone will love for sure!

And thank you for the backlink to the chocolate chip cookie :)

Erica said...

That sounds delicious!Beautiful shots, love the mushroom picture.

Michelle said...

I know it's early but this sounds so good and I'm starving right now!

Gorgeous photos!

Angie's Recipes said...

The recipe sounds quite easy, and the dish came out perfect!

kat said...

It sounds pretty fabulous to me! I wish my hubs could taste rosemary to enjoy dishes like this

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fantastic dish! I love the pictures of the ingredients!

Claudia said...

Love this dish, adore it, crave it. Yours came out perfect! Now... I want soome.

KennyT said...

It looks stunning!!

I replicated insalata caprese, coz it is easy for me to handle, hahaha

Cristie said...

Oh, this does sound delicious. Thanks for doing the work for the rest of us.

Chef E said...

I love rosemary, so much I have a bath soap with it as an ingredients, now mushrooms, I love them too, but hubby would boot me out if I came home with that soap LOL!

That dish is beautiful Christine!

George Gaston said...

This dish looks beyond amazing! It's filled with wonderful flavors from just a few 'at-hand' ingredients. I'd call it perfect...

chow and chatter said...

oh wow looks wonderful your a great cook Christine Rebecca

Bob said...

Heh, doesn't look to hard to fall in love with.

The Diva on a Diet said...

Chicken, bacon, rosemary, mushrooms ... so many of my favorite things in one recipe! This looks excellent, FLB, I can't wait to try it!

Don't you just love it when you can recreate the magic of an awesome meal?! Congrats!

Ravenous Couple said...

rosemary is one of those herbs that is just so fragrant--we used to have access to a rosemary bush--now just need to get a house to plant one :)

Amy @ Cheerful Cookery said...

Your mushrooms look so lovely, and this dish seems like it would come together quickly. I'll have to try this one too - I'm always looking for new ways to use chicken thighs, as they are so economical, but so good...

Mimi said...

Chicken and rosemary is such a delicious combination.
Mimi

Namitha said...

Lovely dish..this is my kind of chicken..love the wine flavor in chicken..mushrooms is a great addition in it :-)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Nothing beats a delcious chicken dish that you can customize to your own palate.

Nancy said...

Looks great! Can't go wrong with white wine and rosemary.

le ricette del glutine scomparso said...

almost feel the scent ... ^ _ ^

Joanne said...

I definitely know what you mean! There are so many meals that I've eaten at restaurants that make me think..I NEED to make this. Somehow. Some way.

This looks fantastic! I can see why you've spent so long trying to recreate it.

TKW said...

Chicken and rosemary are so good paired together. This looks amazing!

Sunitha said...

yes yes I feel the same way about replicating some recipes that I think I might have decoded after having it in a restaurant. Nice photos..

Tasty Eats At Home said...

I love rosemary and chicken. It's like they belong together. This sounds so perfectly delicious.

Juliana said...

Yummie, what a nice dish...love rosemary chicken and the white wine sauce sounds and looks so tasty...great pictures as always :-)

Unknown said...

mmm...Bet this dish smells wonderful too!

Mari @ Once Upon a Plate said...

Christine, Perfect description of attempting to recapture a dish that you've tasted and loved!

This one looks stellar and I would love to try it, too. Thank you for sharing! xo

Trissa said...

I certainly know that feeling that something tastes so good you just want to replicate it! I had the same feeling, this time just looking at the pasta dish I knew it would be a winner!

nancy at goodfoodmatters said...

Looks like we've got foodblogging synchronicity---I just cooked up a chicken with rosemary, red wine version.

Yours looks lovely, and right on target with its simplicity--allowing the flavors to speak for themselves.

Kitchen Butterfly said...

:-) yep...I know exactly what you mean. When I think of my friend's sweet pepper rice, I stop thinking.....and want to cry for it is DELISH! Recreating memories of meals past is a gift, we hope for success like this when we venture to make them!

NKP said...

Oh yes, that is a recipe for love!

Mari Nuñez said...

I'm already in love, with rosemery, it is one of my favorite herbs !!!!!

It looks really good!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I love rosemary with chicken! What a beautiful, delicious dish!

Christo Gonzales said...

I love how the sauce glistens - I can taste it now!

Lea Ann said...

0hmy I have to give this a try. This looks so wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.

Apples and Butter said...

Sounds delicious! I can taste the creamy smokiness from here!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

what beautiful photos...

looks amazing

The Cooking Photographer said...

Hi Christine,

I can see why you'd want to reproduce this one. It's lovely. I can't wait to see what you find in Provence on your trip.

I need to find your address and send you my contact info for the trip too. Hopefully there will be some time to meet up with you.

Laura

Kathleen said...

This sounds absolutely delicious and your photos are beautiful! Thanks for staying with it and perfecting the recipe!

sophia said...

Gosh, this sounds GOOOOOOOD. Bacon. Mushrooms. Rosemary. White wine! what a combination!

Sook said...

I Love using white wine for cooking. It's got such a nice flavor. I made something with rosemary and white wine today too. This recipe looks so great. I'll have to give it a try.

Deb in Hawaii said...

Beautiful dish--I just love rosemary and with the chicken, white wine and mushrooms it is just perfect!

Tina said...

Simple and elegant - great combination there. When I first saw the sauce I thought it was marsala. Very lovely.

Jennie said...

I'm always trying to replicate foods I have in restaurants. Sometimes they work out, sometime not.
This sounds great Christine!

Ju (The Little Teochew) said...

Wow! That looks fantastic! Rosemary chicken served OVER pasta? It doesn't get any better than that!

Lori Lynn said...

Hi Christine - Your chicken dish looks fabulous.

Please stop by Taste With The Eyes, I have a wonderful surprise for you! HINT: You might want to check out the truffle giveaway post!
Lori Lynn

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Your sauce looks so bright and fresh. I adore the combo of lemon and rosemary too!

lululu said...

such a simple and delicious recipe!
lemon+rosemary always goes great with chicken!
btw, i've just made some rosemary lemon cookies! what a nice coincidence!

Travel Eat Love said...

Yum, that looks very hearty, but elegant and delicious!

The Duo Dishes said...

If there's rosemary, it's going to be good. Fresh herbs can make a meal.

Barbara said...

My mother was able to replicate recipes. My sister too. Not me. I can tweak, but not replicate.

I leave it up to talent like yours. And yes, I am already in love with your rosemary chicken!

Pam said...

What a beautiful dish, it really makes me want to love rosemary but for some reason, it's the one herb, I just don't like the taste of.

El said...

What a beautiful dish. I don't eat chicken but would definitely like to try a version of this with veggies. Delicious.

Mar Varela said...

That see delicious! my father in law is from NYC
A kiss from Spain

Katy ~ said...

I've developed a new appreciation for rosemary, love chicken. This recipe sounds like a delicious way to combine two flavors that I really enjoy. Thank you for this!

3 hungry tummies said...

Very satisfying dish, I try to make dishes that I tried at restaurants all the time! :)

Penny said...

So glad you were able to replicate the recipe. It looks divine.

Table Talk said...

I'm such a food nerd that I even keep a little note pad in my purse when we go out so I can jot down the flavors I am tasting (incase I forget when I get home due to old age or too many glasses of wine :))
Bacon + rosemary+ chicken = delicious!

Deeba PAB said...

Gorgeous recipe with fabulous flavours! What's not to love!! YUM!!

theUngourmet said...

I love everything in this dish! Your mushroom photo is awesome!

DianasaurDishes said...

Rosemary is so great with chicken, I will definitely be giving this a try!

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

Impossible to not fall in love with this luscious combination of ingredients…adore everything done with white wine..sweeter, better ;)

Cheers,

Gera

megan said...

as soon as I read white wine sauce, I knew I wanted to make this! And served over pasta? this is bookmarked for an upcoming dinner recipe!

Reeni said...

It must of been truly memorable considering it was from so long ago! That's excellent that you replicated it! It looks and sounds incredibly delicious.

DAVID(HOUSTONWOK) said...

Anything with bacon has me sold,haha this is delicious,hope u are doing well ,your brother from another mother.

Lori said...

I've got several on my list to recreate at the moment. :) This sounds wonderful. I don't cook nearly enough with white wine.

MaryMoh said...

Lovely pasta dish. I can have it now, eventhough I have just taken my lunch. It just looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Delicious Dishings said...

Ooh... this would definitely be a hit in our house!

Unplanned Cooking said...

Anything with white wine sauce makes my list.

tigerfish said...

Simple recipes always win me over ;)

Unknown said...

Ooooh...yes I've had a few of those kinds of recipes! This one looks great! I plan on giving it a try while you're in France :)

Paula said...

Looks delicious and EASY. Sometimes the missing ingredient is the mood or how hungry you were when you ate it. Hard to replicate.

I looked for a print button on your site. Am I missing it?

Kim said...

Your photos look stunning and I adore all chicken that is bathed in white win sauce. It's one of my favorite things to eat!

kelliscakes said...

i love cooking with white wine! This looks delicious! I've cracked the code to a great recipe for CCC's (as we call them in my house!) they are addicting!

The Burmese Mom said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. This loks delish..I have a huge rosemary bush and am always looking for more ways to use them!