Skillet Chicken with Bacon and White Wine Sauce -- The Sunday Chicken That Tastes Like Forty Years at the Same Stove

Mother's Day. The kids made me breakfast — if you can call it that. Noah scrambled eggs that were technically cooked but spiritually still raw. Emma made toast, buttered on one side only, which she presented with the pride of a chef at a Michelin restaurant. Jack poured orange juice and spilled half of it on the counter and the other half in a glass that he carried to me with both hands, concentrating so hard his tongue was out. Kevin supervised from the doorway with his coffee, doing the bare minimum of parental oversight, which is exactly the right amount on Mother's Day because the point is letting the kids try.

I ate everything. Every bite of those eggs. Every crumb of that unevenly buttered toast. I drank the orange juice that had a faint taste of countertop, and I told them it was the best breakfast I'd ever had, which was not true but was also not a lie, because the best breakfast is always the one made by people who love you, regardless of whether the eggs are done.

I called Mom after. She was in Grinnell, cooking for Dad, because that's what Marlene Weber does on any given day — she feeds her husband. She was making a roast chicken, same as she's made every Sunday since I can remember. Whole bird, rubbed with butter and salt, roasted until the skin is golden and the thigh joint wiggles loose. She doesn't use a thermometer. She's never used a thermometer. She knows when it's done by feel, by smell, by forty years of standing in front of the same stove.

I asked her what she wanted for Mother's Day. She said she didn't need anything. I said that wasn't what I asked. She said a phone call was enough. That's Mom. She's never wanted anything that costs money. She wants presence. She wants to know the people she fed are still eating, still cooking, still carrying the recipes forward. I told her I made tater tot hotdish Thursday. She asked if I used enough cheese. I said yes. She said are you sure. I said I'm sure, Mom. She said use more next time.

I will use more next time. I always use more next time. I'm thirty-six on Mother's Day, with three kids and a mother who still corrects my cheese ratios, and I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world.

After all that talk of Mom’s roast chicken and forty years of cooking by feel, I wanted to make something that honored that same kind of instinct—something built around a hot pan, good fat, and patience. This skillet chicken with bacon and white wine sauce isn’t her recipe, but it comes from the same place hers does: bone-in, skin-on, no shortcuts. Here’s how I made it.

Skillet Chicken with Bacon and White Wine Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 4 strips bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the oven and season the chicken. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels — this is what gets you the golden skin. Season both sides generously with salt and black pepper.
2. Render the bacon. In a large oven-safe skillet (cast iron works best) over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy and the fat has rendered, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel. Leave the drippings in the pan.
3. Sear the chicken. Add the olive oil to the bacon drippings and raise the heat to medium-high. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in a single layer. Sear without moving them for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and releases easily from the pan. Flip and sear the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate — it won’t be cooked through yet.
4. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the shallot to the pan and cook 1 to 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Pour in the white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth and thyme. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to reduce slightly.
5. Finish in the oven. Return the chicken to the skillet, skin-side up, nestling the thighs into the sauce without submerging the skin. Drop the butter into the sauce around the chicken. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 18 to 22 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F.
6. Rest, then serve. Let the chicken rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan sauce generously over the top, scatter the reserved bacon across everything, and finish with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread, egg noodles, or roasted potatoes to catch the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 33g | Fat: 29g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 590mg