This Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter is the perfect balance of savory, bright, and fresh. It is lemony, not overly heavy, and can go with tons of different recipes, like crispy chicken cutlets.
It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing sauce that can transform so many main dishes into something truly stunning.
One of my favorite things about this sauce is how good it smells when you’re making it. Layering on a good quality olive oil, garlic, and a splash of wine to start, then adding in lemon and butter – it's easy to slow down and appreciate the aromas that fill the kitchen (plus it's quick to put together and immediately gratifying).
We love to spoon this sauce over Crispy Lemon Chicken Cutlets, but it can be served over simple crisp vegetables, pasta, shrimp, or with a fillet of white fish. It's one of our family's favorite recipes.
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🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make this Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter. Rather than using overpowering parmesan cheese or heavy cream, this sauce relies on simple ingredients: lemon, garlic, white wine, and butter.
- Olive Oil: Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil, if possible. It doesn’t have to be super expensive, but it imparts great flavor to the sauce. I love Spanish olive oil from Trader Joe’s or Costco (or Whole Foods, but it's pricier).
- Garlic: Mince the fresh garlic cloves so that they are quite small.
- White Wine: Use a dry white wine for this sauce. I often use a dry Portuguese white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc also works), but choose your favorite, something that you would enjoy drinking.
- Butter: Use salted butter rather than unsalted butter.
- Lemon Zest: Zest only the outermost bright yellow portion of the lemon, not the inner white pith.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice adds a subtle tart contrast to the savoriness of the butter and chicken stock.
- Chicken Broth: Use low-sodium chicken broth. If you don’t have any (I’ve had this happen), you can add a little bit more white wine and butter. It won’t be the same, but it works if you find yourself in a pinch. If you’re making it with pasta, you can substitute some of the leftover pasta water for the chicken broth.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make this Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos
Step 1. Sauté Garlic: Bring a medium saucepan to medium-low heat (a setting of 3 out of 10). Add the garlic and stir frequently for 1-3 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
Step 2. Simmer White Wine: Turn up the temperature slightly. Add the white wine and simmer, stirring occasionally until it no longer smells of wine, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 3. Lemon and Butter: Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter. Allow the butter to melt.
Step 4. Chicken Stock: Add the chicken stock and bring to a low simmer at medium heat (a heat setting of 4 out of 10). Stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until reduced by half.
🍋 Additions
While I prefer to keep this delicious sauce simple and fresh, here are a few additions to consider if you want to change it up.
- Fresh Parsley: Add this to the sauce or just sprinkle minced parsley on the main part of the meal, like chicken, pasta, or shrimp.
- Fresh Herbs: Mix in other herbs like basil, oregano, or rosemary.
- Heat: Add red pepper flakes or black pepper.
🥄 How to Serve and Store
- To Serve: Spoon the white wine lemon butter sauce over breaded chicken breasts, crispy chicken thighs, with a large pot of pasta, over white fish, with vegetables like green beans or asparagus, or shrimp. Or use it as a dipping sauce for a loaf of crusty bread.
- To Store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Stir before spooning over your dish.
💖 More Sauce and Dinner Ideas You May Love
If you've tried this 🍋 Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan to medium-low heat (a setting of 3 out of 10). Add the olive oil and allow it to warm through. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 1-3 minutes. Do not allow to brown.
- Increase the temperature slightly and add the white wine. Simmer, stirring occasionally until it no longer smells of wine, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir and allow the butter to melt.
- Add the chicken stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until reduced by half.
Notes
- Olive Oil: Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil, if possible. I recommend Spanish olive oil from Trader Joe’s or Costco (or Whole Foods, but its pricier).
- White Wine: Use a dry white wine for this sauce. I often use a dry Portuguese white wine, but choose your favorite; something that you would enjoy drinking.
- Butter: Use salted butter.
- Lemon Zest: Zest only the outermost bright yellow portion of the lemon, not the inner white pith.
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