One Pan Rosemary Chicken in Shallot and Herb Cream Sauce

This hearty rosemary chicken dish is made with chicken thighs that are smothered with a luxurious shallot and rosemary cream sauce. A touch of lemon brightens everything for a perfectly balanced, one-pan dinner.

Why This Will Become Your New Favorite Chicken Recipe

• One-pan chicken dinner with a rich, velvety sauce. There’s no need to pull out a second pan for this recipe. The chicken and creamy rosemary sauce all get cooked in the same oven-safe pan, from start to finish. 
• Juicy, fall-apart chicken due to stovetop sear and oven braise. We love this cooking method because it keeps the chicken juicy and tender. It also helps to develop and enrich the flavors.
• Quick prep with simple ingredients. You only need to mince the shallots and the rosemary, then everything else is simple cooking steps.
• Great for slow weeknights but elegant enough for guests. This is a great recipe to make when you want to unwind from a busy day at work. It’s also a crowd pleaser and will definitely impress your guests. 
• Easy to make but with elevated taste. This recipe requires about 20 minutes of active cooking, followed by 25 minutes in the oven. That means you can sit back and relax while it finishes up. The result is a dish that doesn’t take too much effort but tastes elegant and special.

Ingredients in Rosemary Chicken

• Chicken thighs – these stay juicy and get super tender while they cook in the sauce.
• Shallots – for mild sharpness and a hint of sweet onion flavor. 
• Rosemary – for earthy, piney, and slightly floral notes.
• Butter – an essential part of making a roux, which thickens the sauce.
• Chicken broth – use your favorite chicken broth. Warming it up first helps it mix more smoothly into the sauce.
• Cream or half and half – for creamy velvetiness that coats the chicken. You can also use whole milk for a lighter but thinner sauce.
• Lemon – a touch of lemon cuts through the richness of the dish. 
• Flour mixture – a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper for coating the chicken and keeping it moist when it sears.

How to Make Rosemary Chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Mix together the flour dredge and lightly coat the chicken thighs in it. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the flour mixture for later. 
3. Heat oil in an oven safe large sauté pan with a lid set over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, then 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. 
4. Add the butter and shallots to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Whisk in the 4 tablespoons of reserved flour and cook for about 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. 
6. Slowly whisk in the warm chicken broth, then whisk in the cream or half and half. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. 

7. Mix in the lemon juice, then taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust, if needed.  
8. Place the chicken in the sauce. It’s okay if they’re not all fully submerged.
9. Cover the pan and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes.
10. Serve over rice with lemon wedges on the side. 

Our Tips for Rosemary Chicken

• Prep everything ahead of time. This recipe moves fast, which is one of the reasons why it’s fairly easy to make. But because of that, you want to have everything prepared before you start cooking. So mix that flour dredge, mince those shallots and rosemary, measure the cream or half and half, and warm up that chicken broth for best results. 

• Searing the chicken builds flavor, so don’t skip this step. It also helps keep the chicken moist and juicy as it cooks.
• Use warm broth and room temperature cream or half and half, and mix them in slowly. Warm and room temperature liquids mix in more smoothly with the roux (the combination of butter and flour). Whisk the liquids in slowly to keep the roux from clumping. This will give you a creamy, velvety sauce.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

We love serving this rosemary chicken over white rice, with extra rosemary cream sauce on top. It would also be great over pasta, or with a baguette or even our Easy Parmesan Cheese Bread. This is a rich dish, so we also like pairing it with a simple salad or roasted broccoli. 

Rosemary chicken makes for great leftovers, so definitely pack up any extra in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.

One Pan Rosemary Chicken in Shallot and Herb Cream Sauce

This one-pan rosemary chicken recipe uses chicken thighs that are smothered with a rich shallot and rosemary cream sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:50 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Meat & Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy, winter

Servings: 8

Equipment

• 1 Large oven-safe sauté pan with a lid

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs about 8 thighs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt for flour
• ½ tsp pepper for flour
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth warm
• 1 cup heavy cream or half and half or whole milk for a lighter option
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 shallots minced
• 1 ½ tbsp rosemary minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt for sauce
• Cracked black pepper for sauce
• White rice for serving
• Extra lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Add the flour to a shallow dish and mix it with salt and pepper. Lightly coat the chicken thighs (both sides of each thigh) in the flour mixture. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the flour mixture for later.
  1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Heat oil in an oven safe large sauté pan with a lid set over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, then 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Note: the chicken won’t be cooked through yet.
  2 tbsp olive oil, 2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• In the same pan, add the butter and shallots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rosemary, season with ½ tsp of salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper, and cook for another couple of minutes.
  4 tbsp butter, 2 shallots, 1 ½ tbsp rosemary, ½ tsp salt, Cracked black pepper
• Whisk in the 4 tablespoons of reserved flour and cook for about 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.
• Slowly pour in the warm chicken broth, whisking it in as you pour. Then whisk in the cream or half and half. The sauce will thicken as it continues cooking.
  1 ½ cups chicken broth, 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
• Mix in the lemon juice, then taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust, if needed.
  1 tbsp lemon juice
• Place the chicken in the sauce. Depending on how big your thighs are and the size of your pan, they may not all be fully submerged in the sauce, which is okay.
• Cover the pan and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes. Optional: remove the cover after about 20 minutes and cook for another 5 minutes so that the chicken and sauce can get a little color on them.
• Serve over rice with lemon wedges on the side.
  White rice, Extra lemon wedges

Final Thoughts

This recipe feels elegant, but it also reminds us of simpler times. It’s cozy and easy, with no super challenging or fussy steps. If you make this recipe, we’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or tag us on Instagram!

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• Chicken and Steak Kabobs with Italian Dressing Marinade
• Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken
• Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup