Creamy Brown Butter & Sage Chicken

This easy weeknight meal is rich, warming and addicting. The sauce is so good thanks to browned butter, sage, cream, parmesan cheese and a touch of maple syrup. It will keep you coming back for bite after bite.

Creamy Brown Butter & Sage Chicken

We all know browned butter and sage are a match made in heaven which is how I started with this recipe. Add some shallots and garlic, a little white wine for some acidity and depth of flavor, chicken broth, cream, a touch of maple syrup and some parmesan cheese. Chicken cutlets that are dredged in flour and browned get smothered in this decadent sauce and is delicious and you’ve got yourself a show stopper. Now, if you can’t tell this isn’t exactly a low calorie dinner, but if you give it a chance on a day that you want to indulge a little bit for a quick weeknight meal, this sauce will keep you coming back for more. It’s addicting. It’s perfect served with some creamy parmesan orzo, mashed potatoes or rice to soak up the sauce. 

What you're going to need

Main Ingredients

  • Sage – You’re going to want a nice big bunch of fresh sage, but if you must, dried sage will do. I haven’t made this recipe with dried sage but I’d start with substituting 1 tablespoon of dried sage and adding more if needed. 
  • Browned Butter – Using a 1/2 stick of butter you’re going to gently cook it over low – medium-low until it turns golden brown. 
  • White Wine – Sauvungion Blanc or Pino Grigio. Always something you would like to drink since it is flavoring the dish. 
  • Heavy Cream – Feel free to lighten it up with some light cream, half and half or even whole milk.
  • Maple Syrup – I swear this is what makes it for me. It rounds out the flavors and gives each bite a subtle sweetness. 
  • Parmigiana Reggiano – You can easily substitute parmesan cheese. Use which ever you have in your refrigerator already or that you can find in the store!

Prepare the Chicken

  • Thinly slice the chicken breast along the horizontal center – You can buy thinly sliced chicken that is already sliced thin for you in the store or do it yourself  which is always more cost effective. 
  • Pound each piece of chicken to a 1/4 inch thickness – Lay a piece of chicken between two layers of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, rolling pin or heavy pan pound the chicken to a uniform thickness of about 1/4 inch. 
  • Dredge the chicken in flour – Coat each chicken cutlet in flour. You can use a shallow dish or even a gallon sized plastic bag and shake it until each piece of chicken is thoroughly coated. 

Brown the Chicken

  • Heat a large skillet over Medium-High 
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon of butter (for each batch of chicken cooking)
  • Brown the chicken in batches until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. 

Make the Sauce

  • Brown the Butter – Turn the heat down to low – medium low and add 1/2 stick of butter. Allow it to gently turn golden brown. 
  • Crisp up the sage – Add the sage to the browned butter and allow it to crisp up. 
  • Sauté the shallots and garlic  
  • Pour in the Wine, Chicken Stock, Heavy Cream & Maple Syrup.  Stir to combine and simmer for about 5 minutes. 
  • Add a Beurre Manié – Smoosh together 1 tablespoon of softened butter with 1 tablespoon of flour and add it to the pan. Stir it into the sauce to help thicken it up. 
  • Add the Chicken back to the pan and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. 

Creamy Browned Butter and Sage Chicken

This easy weeknight meal is rich, warming and addicting. The sauce is so good thanks to browned butter, sage, cream, parmesan cheese and a touch of maple syrup. It will keep you coming back for bite after bite.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Browned Butter, Chicken, Chicken Cutlet, Sage
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • 1 Large Skillet

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken Cutlets
  • 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
  • 1 Shallot Diced
  • 1 Bunch Sage
  • 11 Tbsp Butter 1/2 Cup for Browned Butter, 2 Tbsp for Frying, 1 Tbsp for beurre manié
  • 1/4 Cup White Wine Sauvignon Blanc or Pino Grigio
  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 tsp Maple Syrup
  • 1/4 Cup Parmigiano Reggio grated
  • 1 + 1 Tbsp Softened Butter + Flour Combine 1:1 tbsp of softened butter and flour

Instructions

  • In a shallow dish or a gallon sized ziplock bag, dredge each chicken cutlet in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter and brown two chicken cutlets on each side for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan. Add another tbsp oil and butter and brown the second two chicken cutlets. Set aside.
  • Turn the heat to low - medium-low and gently brown the butter until it turns golden brown. It will become foamy and you will start to see little brown bits.
  • Turn the heat up a little bit and add the sage. Stir until it starts to crisp up a little bit.
  • Add the shallots and garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes longer.
  • Pour in the wine, broth, heavy cream and maple syrup. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
  • Mix and smoosh together 1 tbsp of softened butter with 1 tbsp flour and add that to the sauce to thicken it.
  • Stir in the parmigiana reggiano cheese and add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes until the chicken is heated through.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!