This simple Irish Chicken in Whiskey Cream Sauce takes thin chicken cutlets and wraps them in super flavorful creamy goodness. You can then serve them over rice or potatoes, with a generous helping of the rich and delicious sauce.
This recipe is super simple to whip up and makes a great highlight to dinner time. The Irish whiskey gives the sauce a deep, rich flavor, but doesn't leave it boozy. I'd take a bath in this sauce as Lorelai Gilmore would say.
Ingredients
This simple ingredient list features two that I stand my ground on when making this recipe. I mean it is Irish Chicken, so you need to use Irish Butter and Irish Whiskey. They are what makes this Irish, and what makes this delicious.
Now you don't have to go get a super expensive whiskey, in fact, a cheaper one is what I prefer to use when cooking. It will still provide deep flavor and that is all we want.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
First, halve your chicken breasts and pound them out flat. You want pieces that are all nearly the same thickness and size. If your chicken breasts are really big, after filleting the breasts in half lengthwise, cut them in half again if needed. Then sear them in the butter and oil till just browned and nearly cooked through.
In the same pan, add a bit more butter and the flour and make a roux. Deglaze the pan with the whiskey and immediately add the stock and cream to the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil, and simmer for a few minutes till a luscious sauce forms. Return the chicken to the pan.
After letting the chicken simmer in the sauce for a few minutes, to warm it back up and ensure it is cooked through, it is ready to serve. I like to spoon lots of sauce over the chicken when I serve it so I can dip my potatoes in it or my Irish brown bread. The sauce is the star of the show, so don't skimp!
Notes & Tips
Tenderizing the chicken is one of my most suggested techniques for more enjoyable chicken. Don't skip this step, use a frying pan or empty wine bottle if needed to flatten that chicken out a bit if you have to.
I can't stress tasting your sauce and adjusting the flavor of the salt or vinegar enough. You have to taste your food. Sometimes I make this and I am heavy-handed on seasoning the chicken and my sauce doesn't need any more salt, sometimes it needs a little extra vinegar. Taste and adjust till it tastes GREAT!
Finishing the chicken in the sauce is an important step. I sear the chicken super quick and just till it gets a tiny bit of color on it. This means it may not be fully cooked when I pull it out of the pan. Plus simmering it in the sauce melds all the flavors together.
Substitutions
I use chicken breasts because that is what my family prefers. You could swap them for boneless chicken thighs, or even use bone-in whole chicken breasts for a heartier meal.
If you would like to keep this recipe gluten-free, dust the chicken with cornstarch in place of the flour. And for the sauce, replace the flour with cornstarch too, but mix it with equal parts water and stir it in with the stock.
The Irish butter is what helps make this recipe Irish. But I understand that it is much more of an investment than regular butter. You can swap for regular butter if needed.
Irish Whiskey is a must for the sauce. But you do not have to use a fancy or expensive one. And if you aren't a big drinker, just buy a couple of the small "air-plane" bottles just to use for the recipe.
I chose white balsamic vinegar because of its light, sweet flavor. You could also use apple cider if needed, or lemon juice. The sauce just needs a hit of acid to balance it.
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📖 Recipe
Irish Chicken in Whiskey Cream Sauce
This simple Irish Chicken in Whiskey Cream Sauce takes thin chicken cutlets and wraps them in super flavorful creamy goodness.
Ingredients
for the chicken:
- 2 pound Chicken Breast, cut in half and thinly pounded out into cutlets
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- All-Purpose Flour
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
for the cream sauce:
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 2 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 4 ounces Irish Whiskey
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s - as needed
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper - as needed
- 2 teaspoons Chives + more for garnish
Instructions
for the chicken:
- Slice the chicken breasts in half, then pound them out with a tenderizing mallet till even and thin between two pieces of plastic cling film. If they get too big, cut them in half again, 2 extra large chicken breasts may yield you 8 pieces.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dust each side with flour also.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove, melt the butter and oil together. When the oil is hot and shimmering in the pan, place 3-4 pieces of chicken in it and cook till golden brown on both sides. Repeat until all the chicken has been seared, removing the browned chicken to a plate and reserving until needed.
for the cream sauce:
- In the same skillet, add the butter and flour to it and whisk together to form a roux, cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the Irish Whiskey.
- Whisk in the chicken broth, heavy cream, vinegar, salt, pepper, and chives (save some chives for on top before serving).
- Cook the sauce, stirring often until it thickens slightly.
- Return the chicken with any juices it released back to the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer until the sauce is luscious and clinging to the chicken.
- Garnish with reserved chives and serve over rice, pasta, or with potatoes.
Notes
Notes & Tips
Tenderizing the chicken is one of my most suggested techniques for more enjoyable chicken. Don't skip this step, use a frying pan or empty wine bottle if needed to flatten that chicken out a bit if you have to.
I can't stress tasting your sauce and adjusting the flavor of the salt or vinegar enough. You have to taste your food. Sometimes I make this and I am heavy-handed on seasoning the chicken and my sauce doesn't need any more salt, sometimes it needs a little extra vinegar. Taste and adjust till it tastes GREAT!
Finishing the chicken in the sauce is an important step. I sear the chicken super quick and just till it gets a tiny bit of color on it. This means it may not be fully cooked when I pull it out of the pan. Plus simmering it in the sauce melds all the flavors together.
Substitutions
I use chicken breasts because that is what my family prefers. You could swap them for boneless chicken thighs, or even use bone-in whole chicken breasts for a heartier meal.
If you would like to keep this recipe gluten-free, dust the chicken with cornstarch in place of the flour. And for the sauce, replace the flour with cornstarch too, but mix it with equal parts water and stir it in with the stock.
The Irish butter is what helps make this recipe Irish. But I understand that it is much more of an investment than regular butter. You can swap for regular butter if needed.
Irish Whiskey is a must for the sauce. But you do not have to use a fancy or expensive one. And if you aren't a big drinker, just buy a couple of the small "air-plane" bottles just to use for the recipe.
I chose white balsamic vinegar because of its light, sweet flavor. You could also use apple cider if needed, or lemon juice. The sauce just needs a hit of acid to balance it.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 776Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 252mgSodium: 422mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 57g
This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.
Karen
This tastes divine! Thank you so much for sharing!
PapaJoeD
Beautiful tasty recipe that comes together quick and easy. I used chicken thighs (thats all I had available) and it still worked very nicely. The Irish whiskey does not overpower the sauce, it was a nice balance. Served with some salt and pepper roasted potatoes. Highly recommend you give this a try, worthy of serving to company.
Nissa Winstead
Kendell,
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was delicious.
Kendell
So glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Sonja
Marsala vibes but I actually think I prefer whisky with my chicken now. Who knew? A little bit of prep but totally worth it for the end result. Didn’t change a thing in the recipe. Can’t wait to make again. I did a side of roasted asparagus and rice but will try angel hair next round. Wonderful recipe!
Kendell
Love to hear that you loved this Sonja! I would be great over pasta!!
Liz
I only have russet potatoes, would they work? I plan on making this tomorrow,
St. Patty's Day.
Kendell
YES!!
Jennifer Ann Storemski
Does this dish taste similar to chicken marsala? I'm thinking of making it for a St Patricks Day potluck dinner I'm having this weekend. If I double the sauce, should I still double the whiskey?
Kendell
The method is similar to marsala, but different flavor since you aren't using marsala wine. And yes, I would add more whiskey if making more sauce!
Lynette aka breezermom
This was so good. I made this for Best of 23 tag game at 4 Foods Friends and Fun on Tapa Talk. My son couldn't get enough. It was loved by everyone. I made more sauce to have to serve over our sides. Thanks for sharing!
Kendell
Love to hear that you loved it!
KathyD
Fabulous chicken and sauce. The sauce was velvety and tasted amazing. It was a generous sauce amount so no need to double. I served the chicken over mashed potatoes and loaded it up with sauce. Yum. This is going into my Best of 2024 file. Thank you!
Kendell
This makes me so happy Kathy!! I love hearing from people that they enjoyed a recipe. I LOVE this one too, I hope you happily make it many more times!
Jan L.
Hi Kendall,
Thank you for this Irish Chicken recipe. I just finished making it today and it was delicious. I didn't have any white balsamic, only red, so I used white wine vinegar instead although it probably is noticeably different because of it. I do use Irish butter so I had that on hand along with the Jameson's, lol.
And I also appreciate the thoughtful instructions.
Kendell
So glad you enjoyed it Jan!
Laurel (Chef Potpie)
This is a fabulous recipe that I will go to again and again! I pulled out the Jamesons for this and it was well worth it. Although the whiskey taste was just noticeable the sauce that came together with it was to die for! The white balsamic is genius here. Thank you for an easy recipe that is restaurant quality and will be enjoyed in our house often.
Kendell
So love hearing this. That sauce is pretty fantastic!
Patricia Hartl
Can you make this ahead of time?
Kendell
I would say to sear the chicken ahead of time, then make the sauce fresh and re warm the chicken in it. They sauce warms back up OK, but is best when it is fresh.