French food has a notorious reputation for being fancy and complicated, often intimidating newcomers in the kitchen. While French food is certainly fancy, the only thing complex about it is its flavor, and this chicken chasseur recipe (also known as Hunter’s Chicken) is proof.
Why is it called Chicken Chasseur?
Chicken chasseur, literally translated to Hunter’s Chicken, is a one-pot meal that’s made with a white wine and tomato-based sauce. It’s made with just a small handful of ingredients, but it’s got fantastic flavor and aroma.
The chicken chasseur origin, or reason it was even given the hunter affiliation, goes back to the fact that the dish was often cooked by hunters with game meats. The hunters would bring their freshly-hunted meats, along with mushrooms they’d picked up along the way, and create this meal with them.
This is also what chasseur means in cooking: cooking a meat in a rich brown sauce made with wine and mushrooms.
Easy Chicken Chasseur: A One-Pot Meal
I love easy chicken dinner recipes like this, especially one-pot meals. For me, one-pot meals require minimal fuss, ensuring there’s maximum time to simply enjoy the creative process. It’s all about layering ingredients and flavors in one-pot meals, and this easy chicken chasseur recipe is a beautiful example of that.
What is the difference between chicken cacciatore and chicken chasseur?
Both Chicken Chasseur and Chicken Cacciatore contain tomatoes, however,I like to make my chicken chasseur with tomato paste.
While some people use diced tomatoes, I find diced tomatoes provide less flavor than the paste and don’t thicken the sauce quite like the paste does.
Plus, the diced tomatoes make the dish feel more like chicken cacciatore (the Italian variation) rather than the French version.
Serving Chicken Chasseur
To serve, I prepare some mashed potatoes using yukon gold potatoes and a little milk. The potatoes provide the perfect bed of creaminess to serve the chicken chasseur and mushrooms on.
Alternatively, you can serve this with basmati rice for an equally comforting dish.
This is a meal you can enjoy on a weeknight with family, or you can serve it to guests asan impressive dinner. Either way, you’re sure to find some pleasure in the simplicity and rustic charm of this dish.
Chicken Chasseur Recipe
Yield: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
A one-pot dinner of chicken cooked in a tomato sauce and served with mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4-5 chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms, or baby bella, sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 14 oz can
- salt
- pepper
- fresh chopped parsley, to garnish
for mashed potatoes
- 5 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- milk, to preference
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over both sides of the thighs.
- In a large, heavy-bottom pot, add the tablespoon of olive oil. Warm over high heat. Carefully add the chicken thighs in, skin-side down. Cook over medium-high heat until nicely browned and golden. Flip over and cook the other side for another few minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and remove the chicken from the pot; temporarily set the chicken aside on a large plate. Empty out the excess fat and oil from the pot.
- To the pot, add the unsalted butter and the all-purpose flour. Stir the two together to create a bubbly roux. Pour in the minced shallot and sauté for a minute. Pour in the white wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the chicken bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot and stir them into the shallots.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and sauté for a few minutes, until the mushrooms are softened. Add the tomato paste, and stir that into the mixture for a minute. Add the chicken thighs back into the pot (pouring any leftover juices on the plate in as well). Pour the chicken stock in with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and a small pinch of freshly ground pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the temperature inside the chicken is at least 165°F. Another way to test this is to poke a spoon into the chicken. If it easily goes in and the chicken feels very tender, it's ready.
- To create the mashed potatoes, cook the potatoes in a medium pot of water over medium-low heat. Once you can easily insert a fork into the potatoes and see the potatoes break apart as a result, drain the potatoes.
- Add the salt to the potatoes and use a potato masher to mash them up. Stream in milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the potatoes are as creamy as your prefer.
- To serve, scoop a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes onto each plate, then top with one chicken thigh and some of the mushrooms. Pour the sauce over the chicken, then garnish with some fresh, chopped parsley.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Serving Size: 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 647
