When I need a fast no-brainer meal, it’s all about a quick skillet-cooked chicken and an easy pan sauce. Those rich flavorful pan sauces are absolute heaven and can be spooned over rice, tossed with sautéed vegetables, or even drizzled over a small pasta, like orzo. This time I used a pre-mixed Italian herb blend to make this rich and buttery herb pan sauce, which was so good that I wanted to just sit there with a chunk of bread to sop it all up. Alas, these Herb Butter Chicken Thighs are part of my meal prep this week (stay tuned tomorrow to see what I paired them with), so I couldn’t just dive into the skillet. But I sure wanted to!
Use a Pre-Mixed Herb Blend for Convenience
I used a pre-mixed Italian Seasoning blend of herbs for this pan sauce, just so I wouldn’t have to measure out 4-5 herbs individually. Plus, this particular Italian herb blend includes a few items that I don’t usually keep in my pantry. The blend I have is Kroger brand and it includes marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil. Don’t worry if you can’t find an herb blend exactly like this, any Italian herb blend is sure to be just as scrumptious. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have your own herb garden, feel free to use fresh herbs!
Can I use Chicken Breasts Instead?
I love how tender and juicy chicken thighs are, so that’s what I used, but you can use chicken breasts if you prefer. The only change you’ll need to make is to pound the breasts until they are an even thickness (about 1/2″ thick) so they cook quickly and evenly. You can even dust them in a bit of flour, if you like, to create a nice thin browned coating, like in my Chicken Piccata.
Herb Butter Chicken Thighs
Servings 5 1 thigh eachIngredients
- 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1/3 lb. each) ($5.08)
- pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning herb blend ($0.15)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth* ($0.07)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
- handful fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish) ($0.11)
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper on each side.
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove the thighs to a clean plate. There should be plenty of browned bits left on the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning blend to the skillet. Sauté the garlic and herbs in the leftover oil in the skillet. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic softens a bit and becomes very fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir, dissolving all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Let the broth simmer (still over medium heat) for about 5 minutes, or until it has reduced by half.
- Once the broth has reduced, add the butter and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Add the chicken pieces back to the skillet with the sauce and spoon the sauce over each piece. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, if desired. Serve while hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Herb Butter Chicken Thighs – Step by Step Photos
Season both sides of five (or four, if that’s what you have) boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium, then once it’s hot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the chicken thighs and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through. You should have plenty of browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Remove the chicken thighs to a clean plate.
Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning herb blend to the skillet. Continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is softened and very fragrant.
Add 1/2 cup chicken broth (I used Better Than Bouillon to make my broth) and continue to stir and cook, dissolving the browned bits off the bottom as you stir. Let the broth simmer for about 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Once reduced, add the butter and stir until it has melted into the sauce.
Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet and spoon the sauce over top. If you want to make things extra pretty, sprinkle some chopped parsley over top of the Herb Butter Chicken Thighs just before serving!
Just made the dish and it was absolutely delicious. I did double up the garlic and onion for more flavor and it was so yummy. Definitely will be making this again
Just made this dish. I did change it up a bit though. Before re adding the chicken to the pan, I added some frozen veggies and let them cook in the juice for awhile, then put the chicken back in and let it all simmer covered for a bit.
I made this meal in a jiffy and it was delicious! I added lemon slices to the boiling broth and it made the recipe that much better. I will cook chicken thighs more often. Thanks you Beth! You’ve never let me down 😁.
Made this tonight with mashed potatoes. So yum! I had to de-skin and de-bone my chicken thighs. I dredged them in flour to get that nice browning on them, doubled the garlic (it’s just what I do, lol) and made a bit more sauce in general so we could use it as a gravy. To that end, I added a corn starch slurry to the finished sauce to thicken it up and cooked the chicken just a bit longer in that to mingle the flavors more.
I loved it. My boys loved it. It was a *tad salty, but that’s an easy fix.
Great, easy weeknight recipe!
Hi, I’m planning to make this tomorrow but I cannot find skinless/boneless. So will skin-on/bone-in thigh work?
You’ll probably need to cook them longer, since bone-in chicken takes more time to cook through.
I made this last night and it was simple and absolutely delicious. I used bone-in thighs and legs so it took quite a bit longer, but it was even tastier than I expected based on the simple ingredients.
I was looking for a quick and tasty thing for dinner that used chicken thighs. total hit with my family! made it with mashed potatoes and fresh broccoli. cannot wait to have it AGAIN!!!
Great recipe! I agree with a previous reviewer about cooking time – our chicken thighs needed 10-12 mins per side to cook through. The sauce was delicious but barely enough to cover the chicken, so next time I’ll probably up the broth a bit. Overall, an excellent, quick, easy recipe!
Made this but thighs definitely need about 10 minutes each side for cooking.
Simple & delicious! Served it atop creamed spinach with potatoes (drizzled in extra garlic butter sauce) with a green salad on the side. YUM!!!
Hi. This is the first time I tried one of your recipes and i have to say, in a happy girl. I never would have thought of using Italian seasoning with chicken but it definitely worked. I’ll be trying other recipes . Thanks
Possibly the best chicken I have ever cooked!! I added one of those frozen basil cubes to the sauce and threw some mushrooms in at the same time that I added the chicken broth. It took all of my self control not to eat literally all of the chicken at once. It was that good.
Never has this type of chicken before, but seems really good and really simple!
I made this tonight. Its really simple, quick, and delicious.
Oh man. I just made this for dinner, trying to use chicken thighs more than chicken breasts. This is such a great tasting recipe that I am forwarding it on to my sisters. It’s super easy and would be great for an end of the work day meal. I made a double batch of thighs and tripled the sauce, so we’ll have some sauce to put on our roasted potatoes. SO GOOD!!!