Chicken with Creamy Onion-Dill Sauce
Sautéed red onion, sour cream, and fresh dill combine to make a delicious, quick pan sauce for boneless chicken breasts.
Boneless chicken breasts topped with a simple pan sauce is one of our favorite choices for a weeknight dinner. This recipe combines sautéed red onion, sour cream, and fresh dill to make a light and creamy sauce for topping both the chicken and a simple side like egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
How to Make Boneless Chicken Breasts With Pan Sauce
Here’s a basic set of instructions for making chicken breasts with a tasty pan sauce:
- Pound the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness of about 1/2 inch. This allows for more even cooking.
- Dredge the chicken in seasoned flour and always shake off the excess.
- Heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken in a single layer leaving some space between the pieces. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Cook the chicken just until the floured exterior is golden brown, about 2 minutes per side and transfer to a plate. Note: The chicken is not cooked through at this point – it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- If needed, add a little more oil to the frying pan and sauté your aromatics (in this case red onion) until tender.
- Whisk in the liquids called for in the recipe and bring the mixture to a light simmer.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and continue cooking for 2 to 4 minutes, turning several times to coat with sauce. The flour on the outside of the chicken will thicken the sauce as it finishes cooking.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or individual plates, then season the sauce to taste and spoon some over each piece.
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Chicken with Creamy Onion-Dill Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a shallow dish and set aside.
- If your chicken breasts have tenderloins attached, remove them and reserve for another use. Place the breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them to a uniform thickness of 1/2-inch.
- Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess.
- Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with about 1/8-inch of vegetable oil. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until light golden in color, 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pan and add a bit more oil if needed. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the onion until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Whisk the sour cream, chicken broth and vinegar together in a small bowl and add the mixture to the sautéed onion. Cook for 1 minute, then return the chicken to the pan.
- Continue cooking, turning several times, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or individual plates.
- Add the fresh dill to the sauce, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Cook for 1 minute, then spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and transfer the remainder to a small bowl to pass at the table for spooning over buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.
3 Comments on “Chicken with Creamy Onion-Dill Sauce”
I’m trying to refine a very similar dish I do with pork tenderloin medallions and shallots. I have trouble with the sour cream separating but not actually curdling. Perhaps I have too much butter/oil left? Do you have any thoughts?
Hi Lisa,
As a general rule of thumb, you don’t want to overheat sour cream or you will end up with the kind of separation you’re referring to. If you can, try removing the sauce from the heat and whisk the sour cream in just before serving. If that won’t work with your recipe or there is extra fat in the sauce already, a better solution might be to whisk a little flour into the sour cream first, then add it. In this chicken recipe, the flour coating on the chicken is what thickens the sauce and prevents it from separating. Hope this helps.
I love dill and sour cream together! This dish turned out great.