If you love restaurant-style comfort food but hate complicated recipes, meet your new weeknight hero: Chicken Riesling. Crispy, golden chicken cutlets swim in a silky white-wine cream sauce studded with sautéed mushrooms and smoky bacon. Pile it over buttered parmesan pasta and you’ve got a meal that tastes like you ordered out — only better, because you made it.
Why This Chicken Riesling Wins (and How It Fits Your Dinner Rotation)
What makes this dish so irresistible? The sauce. A splash of Riesling reduces into a luscious, velvety cream that clings to the chicken and mushrooms. Add crisp bacon for savory crunch and a hit of garlic and Italian seasoning, and you’ve balanced richness with a fresh, herb-y lift. This is comfort food that actually tastes sophisticated.
Plus: it’s a total answer to “what’s for dinner?” — quick enough for a busy weeknight and fancy enough for guests. Seriously, who doesn’t want food that does both?
Ingredients For This Creamy Chicken Dish (and why each one matters)
- Chicken breasts, sliced into thinner cutlets — cooks fast and stays juicy.
- Bacon (5–6 strips), chopped — renders salty fat and adds crunch.
- Cremini mushrooms, sliced — they soak up flavor and add meaty texture.
- Riesling (or another dry white wine) — the sauce’s signature flavor.
- Heavy cream — the base that makes this a true Chicken With Heavy Cream Recipes winner.
- Flour + seasonings — dredge the chicken for a golden crust and to thicken the sauce.
- Garlic, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper — simple aromatics that build big flavor.
- Pasta, butter, and grated Parmesan — the easiest, dreamiest side.
These are your Ingredients For Creamy Chicken Dish — nothing fussy, everything tasty.
The Story Behind the Recipe (short & relatable)
This dish lives somewhere between a Cheesecake Factory favorite and what you can actually pull off at home. I adapted it after craving that restaurant version and decided to do it my way — more bacon, a tad more garlic, and a sturdier sauce so it pairs perfectly with a simple buttered noodle. The result? A recipe friends ask for again and again. (No humblebrag. Okay, slight humblebrag.)
Quick How-To: Make Chicken Riesling in Under an Hour
- Cook the pasta for your buttered parmesan noodles; set aside.
- Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain onto paper towels but leave 1–2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
- Dredge the chicken in flour seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pan-fry in the bacon fat until golden; transfer to a plate.
- Sauté mushrooms in a bit of butter until they release and evaporate their liquid; add garlic and Italian seasoning.
- Deglaze the pan with Riesling — scrape up the brown bits and let the wine reduce by half.
- Stir in heavy cream, bring to a simmer, then return chicken and bacon to the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken hits 165°F.
- Serve over buttered parmesan pasta and garnish with parsley. Boom. Restaurant vibes at home.
Pro Tips for Restaurant-Quality Results
- Don’t crowd the pan when searing the chicken — you want a golden crust, not steamed meat.
- Keep cream cold until you need it; add it after the wine reduces so it doesn’t split.
- Use an instant-read thermometer — chicken is perfect at 165°F. No guesswork.
- Reserve a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if it gets too thick.
Bold tip: Finish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon if you want a bright counterpoint to the cream.
Variations & Swaps (because life happens)
- No Riesling? Use Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio — or try Marsala for a slightly sweeter, earthier profile.
- Swap breasts for thighs if you prefer darker meat; sear a minute or two longer.
- Craving herbs? Turn it into Creamy Rosemary Chicken by adding a sprig or two of fresh rosemary while the sauce simmers.
- Want to explore other similar dishes? Try Peppercorn Chicken Recipes or a classic Sour Cream Sauce For Chicken for texture and flavor twists.
FYI: If you like the idea of creamy chicken in other formats, this basic method translates to Creamed Chicken On Toast or even a silky Chicken Ala Crema with Mexican-inspired spices.
What to Serve With Chicken Riesling
- The classic: buttered spaghetti tossed with Parmesan.
- Mashed potatoes or Stick of Butter Rice soak up every drop of sauce.
- For greens: quick sautéed green beans or a crisp Caesar salad.
- Add crusty garlic bread and call it dinner-party perfection.
Storage, Leftovers & Reheating (because there will be leftovers)
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Reheat gently: Warm in a skillet over low heat to prevent sauce separation. Add a splash of cream or stock if the sauce tightens.
- Don’t freeze cream sauces — they can break and become grainy. If you must, freeze the components separately (chicken vs. sauce) for best texture.
Important: Meals With Heavy Whipping Cream don’t freeze and reheat as nicely as non-dairy dishes. Plan accordingly.
FAQs (fast answers)
Can I use regular milk instead of heavy cream?
Skip it. The sauce needs the fat in heavy cream to stay silky. If you use milk, it will be much thinner and could curdle. Heavy cream keeps this firmly in the Homemade Creamy Chicken Meal category.
Is Riesling necessary?
The wine adds authentic brightness and depth, but you can swap in another dry white or use low-sodium chicken stock in a pinch. The flavor will shift, but it’ll still taste great.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Use a full-fat coconut cream or a dairy-free cream substitute and skip the parmesan on the pasta. The result changes, but you’ll still get a rich sauce.
Can I turn this into a weeknight meal prep?
You can prep components (cook pasta, slice chicken) ahead, but assemble and finish with cream just before eating for best texture.
Final Thoughts: Why This One Belongs in Your Dinner Rotation
This Chicken Riesling checks so many boxes: it’s indulgent but not fussy, cozy but classy, and quick enough for a weekday. If you love the idea of Chicken With Heavy Cream Recipes that deliver big comfort with minimal stress, this is it. It’s also a great gateway to other creamy classics — think Creamy Rosemary Chicken or a tangy Sour Cream Sauce For Chicken. Serve it to friends, impress your in-laws, or eat it solo while wearing sweatpants. I won’t tell.
Ready to make it? Grab a bottle of Riesling, some bacon, and a box of spaghetti — dinner is officially upgraded.
Easy Chicken Riesling | Homemade Creamy Chicken Meal
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
Description
Creamy white-wine pan sauce studded with crispy bacon and sautéed mushrooms, spooned over buttered Parmesan spaghetti. Same ingredients, fresh wording — ready to cook.
Ingredients
For the chicken & sauce
- 5–6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise (you’ll end up with 4 thin cutlets)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- All-purpose flour, for dredging
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 7 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup Riesling (or another dry white wine)
- ¾ cup heavy/whipping cream
Buttered Parmesan pasta
- 8 oz uncooked spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Prep the pasta (optional): If you’re serving the dish with spaghetti, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to the package. Drain, put the pasta back into the pot, toss with the butter and Parmesan until glossy, then keep covered and warm until the chicken is ready.
- Crisp the bacon: Cut the bacon into small pieces (kitchen shears are handy). In a large skillet over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until it’s nicely crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate, leaving about 2–3 tablespoons of bacon fat behind in the pan.
- Season and dredge the chicken: Slice each chicken breast into two thinner pieces. Season lightly with garlic powder, salt and pepper (remember bacon adds salt). Dust each cutlet in flour and shake off any excess.
- Sear the chicken: Heat the pan again over medium-high (use the bacon fat). Add the chicken and brown it for 4–5 minutes per side or until golden—don’t worry if it’s not completely cooked through. Remove the cutlets to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the mushrooms: Add the butter to the skillet, then the sliced creminis and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it evaporates and they develop some color.
- Build the sauce: Stir in the minced garlic and cook about 30–60 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the Riesling and scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce by roughly half (about 2–3 minutes).
- Finish with cream, bacon, and chicken: Lower the heat, stir in the heavy cream, then nestle the seared chicken and the reserved bacon back into the skillet. Simmer gently for about 4–6 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F and the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Plate a mound of the buttered Parmesan spaghetti, top with a chicken cutlet, spoon over plenty of mushroom-Riesling sauce and extra bacon. Garnish with chopped parsley if you like.
Notes
- Quick notes & tips
- Don’t crowd the pan when searing the chicken — give the pieces space to brown.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to confirm doneness (165°F in the thickest part).
- If you don’t have Riesling, a dry Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio works fine; Marsala or sherry gives a different, tasty profile.
- To keep the sauce silky, add the cream after the wine has reduced; bring to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
- Leftovers keep 3–4 days in the fridge. Reheat slowly on the stove with a splash of cream or stock to loosen the sauce. (Freezing cream sauces is not recommended.)
Nutrition
- Calories: 499kcal
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 374mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 31g
- Cholesterol: 156mg