Herbed Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Herbed Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

This may be my favorite dinner party dish because it’s so easy to casually prepare, but so elegant and impressive! I always want to make it seem like dinner just “happened.” Little do folks know, I’ve made almost everything ahead of time, put all my little heart into refining sauces just so, then simply heated things up and pow! Fancy dinner party!

I like to make the creamy white wine mushroom sauce a whole day ahead so it can really sit in its romantic flavors. Then, I simply heat it up on a back-burner while chatting with friends and sautéing the chicken breasts in a pan. 

This recipe is so special when served with some baked mashed potatoes, lemon asparagus and a simple salad. It’s easy-peasy, understated, dinner party perfection. I also like having a lovely, light cocktail to serve while everything’s coming together, like French gimlets or lemon drops.

Here’s the Process

First, we’ll prepare and sauté the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and herbs for the sauce.

Next, we’ll deglaze the pan with wine, add cream, mustard and broth, simmer for 10 minutes and thicken the sauce with a little flour.

Then, we’ll slice or pound chicken breasts flat, sprinkle them with herbs and spices, then dip them in flour.

Finally, we’ll sauté them in a pan with butter for about 7-8 minutes, pour the sauce over and serve.

NOTE: The sauce and chicken can be made simultaneously if you have a stovetop that fits 2 large sauté pans. Mine is not that big, so this recipe calls for making the sauce first, removing into a saucepan, then using the first sauté pan to make the chicken.

Ingredient Notes

For the Sauce

White Wine – Use a nice dry white wine like Pino Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling.

Cream – use Heavy Cream, not Half-and-Half.

Butter – Use a high-quality salted butter. I love Kerry Gold, but any grass-fed organic brand would do.

Shallots – You can substitute red onion if you want a stronger onion flavor, but use only a small one and slice it very thin.

Mushrooms – I love baby bellas for this recipe (they give it such a nice, rustic look), but you can use white as well.

Flour – This recipe calls for flour to thicken the sauce, but you can also use corn starch if you wish. You’ll just use only a tablespoon instead of 1½ tablespoons. You can also allow it to reduce for longer than 10 minutes. It won’t be as creamy, but it will have a bolder flavor.

For the Chicken

Chicken Breasts – You’ll either need to pound them flat or cut them in half so that they cook evenly. If you intend to pound them, you’ll require 6 of them, if you want to cut them in half, you’ll only require 3 for this recipe.

Flour – This is optional. I find it makes the chicken more crispy and lightly breaded. For a lower-calorie recipe, however, simply skip the flour.

Butter – You can substitute olive oil instead if you like.

Herbs de Provence – I used Herbs de Provence for my chicken, but you can feel free to use Italian seasoning or even all-purpose. Anything with a nice mix of rosemary, thyme and oregano will do.

How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step

Make the Sauce

1. Thinly slice 3 shallots, mince 3 garlic cloves, remove 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves from stems and slice 8 oz. mushrooms in half, including stems.

2. Add 3 tbsp. salted butter to a skillet with 2 tsp. olive oil. Place mushrooms face-down and brown over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, about 5-7 minutes until golden. Flip them and brown for another 2-3 minutes. It’s a lot of butter, I know. It’s supposed to be.

3. Remove mushrooms with a spoon, leaving as much oil and butter in the pan as you can. Add sliced shallots, reduce heat to MEDIUM and sauté for 3-4 minutes until gently brown.

4. Push shallots to one side of the pan and add minced garlic to the other side. If there isn’t enough butter and oil left, add a tiny bit of oil to help them brown.

5. Add thyme leaves and combine garlic with shallots. 

6. Add ½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan, then add 1½ cups chicken broth, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, and 1½ tsp. Dijon mustard. Add back mushrooms. Allow sauce to reduce for 10 minutes, stirring throughout. 

7. In a small bowl, mix 1½ tbsp. flour and 3 tbsp. chicken broth into a smooth slurry with no lumps.

8. Remove sauce from heat and pour in flour slurry to thicken. Give it a stir, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. NOTE: Taste first before adding salt! The salted butter and broth may provide all the salt it needs. Remove sauce from the pan into a saucepan with a lid, and wipe down or clean the pan.

Make the Chicken

1. Either pound 6 medium chicken breasts flat, or slice 3 large chicken breasts in half so that they cook evenly. Pat them dry with a paper towel, and liberally sprinkle each side with Herbs de Provence, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

2. In a mixing bowl, add 4 tbsp. flour. Press herbed chicken breasts into the flour until completely covered, shaking off excess.

3. Add 2 tbsp. butter to a skillet and sauté chicken for 5 minutes on one side until brown. 

4. Flip, and sauté for another 4-5 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 165 F. (73 C.) in the thickest part. Remove, tent with foil and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Reheat mushroom sauce, stirring throughout, for 5 minutes. Serve chicken and pour sauce on top.

A Few Tips

1. Don’t salt this recipe, unless you’ve already tasted it and think it can use some more. It should already be perfect if you use a normal-sodium chicken broth and salted butter, so don’t make the mistake of adding more without being sure.

2. Feel free to double the mushrooms if you want to make this sauce into a delicious vegetarian dinner with pasta!

3. Make sure to use a somewhat deep skillet. The sauce is easier to stir that way.

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