Chicken with Cherry-Wine Pan Sauce is an elegant yet easy 20 minute dinner recipe that's perfect for date night at home, or entertaining. Simple yet impressive!
As a food content creator, I start planning and prepping for food-centric holidays weeks in advance so that by the time the actual holiday rolls around I’ve pretty much moved on.
Case in point, I saw a Valentine’s Day commercial the other day and wondered why the heck it was still airing. Oh yeah, because Valentine’s Day isn’t until next week!
Watch How to Make It!
Luscious Chicken with Cherry Pan Sauce
What have I been working on for said sweet holiday? Chicken with Cherry-Wine Pan Sauce!
Simply seasoned chicken breasts are seared then smothered in a dreamy, wine-soaked cherry sauce made right in the same skillet.
Between the wine and festive ruby-red cherries, there is no better dish to make and celebrate the holiday at home with.
20 minutes, one skillet, and totally elegant, yet easy enough to make any night of the week.
How to Make this Recipe
Start by searing chicken breasts that have been pounded to an even thickness in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Brush or mist both sides with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then add to the hot skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes a side, or until cooked through. Remove to a plate then tent with foil to keep warm.
Next melt butter in the same skillet then add chopped shallot and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.
Once the shallots are tender, carefully pour in red wine (I like Cabernet,) chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar.
Let the sauce simmer and reduce by about half, 3-4 minutes.
Next add pitted sweet cherries which add just the right amount of sweetness to the pan sauce.
Feel free to use fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries. If you’re using frozen, you don’t need to thaw them first.
Once the cherries warm in the hot skillet, press lightly on them with a wooden spoon to help break them up a bit. Next sprinkle in chopped fresh thyme (you could use a pinch of dried thyme…in a pinch!)
Continue to reduce the sauce until thickened but still syrupy, 2-3 minutes, then stir in butter and the fresh lemon juice.
The lemon TOTALLY makes this dish!
Plate the chicken then spoon the luscious, ruby-hued sauce over the top — yum!
Serve simply with a fresh side salad or roasted broccoli as you see pictured here. That’s just fresh broccoli florets tossed with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper then roasted for 10 minutes at 425 minutes. Perfection!
Whether you make this dish to celebrate Valentine’s Day, or simply to make a Tuesday evening feel extra special and elegant, I hope you enjoy every last drop!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, ~2lbs, pounded to an even thickness
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter, divided
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 cup red wine, Cabernet recommended
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 12 oz fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries, no need to thaw if frozen
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/2 lemon
Directions
- Brush both sides of the chicken with extra virgin olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add the chicken and saute until cooked through, 3-4 minutes a side. Remove chicken to a plate then tent with foil to keep warm.
- Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in same skillet then add shallots and saute until tender, 2 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar then simmer until the sauce is reduced by nearly half, 3-4 minutes. Add the cherries and fresh thyme then continue to simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes, pressing down on cherries gently with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove skillet from heat then stir in remaining Tablespoon butter and lemon juice. Spoon over chicken breasts then serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
WOW! I made this for dinner tonight. We ran out of chicken to put sauce on, so we were eating the cherries and sopping up the sauce with bread. I served it with roasted asparagus and the rest of the bottle of red wine.
hey kristen! not sure if you remember me, but we went to school together back in the day. I randomly stumbled onto your blog today through another blog that I follow. :) hope all is well with you!
Did you get the mini clamshells at Hy-Vee???
You bet!
YES!!!
So mouthwatering! Love this sweet-salty twist on traditional weeknight meals. I can’t wait to try it!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it with the cherry balsamic I got for Christmas :)
If only my boyfriend would eat cherries! Love my picky eater. Looks like I’ll get this one all to myself on his next business trip.
Cherries! Such a great idea! I’m imagining this sauce with a pork tenderloin… for dinner tonight :)
Thanks for sharing!
Done – making this for Valentine’s Dinner! Thank you!
haha… I can so relate. I made all my Vday stuff last week and now I’m like. Lets just go out and get sushi.. haha.. :) I’m sure whatever you end up getting the hubs will be awesome and he will love it, because its from you! :)
Loving this dish Kristin, especially because it looks super fancy but only takes 20 minutes! Ummmm… WIN! Pinned!
Yum, cherries instead of cranberries on chicken! I have some frozen cherries right now that I’d been using in smoothies – maybe I’ll make a batch of this sauce :)
This looks amazing! It reminds me of my favorite steak with blueberry sauce, but a lot easier to make!
this looks amazing- I’m all over it. Thanks!
The quicker I can make a meal the better!