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Chicken, Mushroom & White Wine Pan Sauce

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This is exactly the sort of dish that made me want to understand ingredients rather than just follow recipes.

Chicken, mushrooms, white wine, butter and thyme is a fairly classic combination, but most of what makes this dish work actually happens in the pan.

The chicken leaves behind browned bits. The mushrooms pick up some of the rendered chicken fat and develop their own colour. White wine then deglazes the pan and, rather than immediately adding everything else, I let it reduce before adding the stock.

That reduction is important. The wine isn’t there just because “French cooking uses wine.” It brings acidity and aroma, lifts everything stuck to the bottom of the pan and becomes part of the sauce.

I’ve kept this version without cream. Finishing with a little cold butter gives the sauce enough richness while still letting the mushrooms, chicken and wine remain the main flavours.

It’s also a good practical example of two ingredients I’ve been looking at more closely lately: mushrooms and alcohol.

Chicken, Mushroom & White Wine Pan Sauce

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Chicken thighs are browned until golden, then finished with mushrooms, garlic, thyme and a dry white wine pan sauce. The wine is reduced before the stock is added, concentrating its acidity and flavour while pulling all the browned bits from the pan into the sauce.
Course Whole Meal
Cuisine French inspired

Ingredients

  • Chicken
  • 700 –800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • Mushrooms
  • 300 g mushrooms sliced
  • 1 small shallot finely diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
  • White Wine Pan Sauce
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 150 ml chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 20 g cold unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp lemon juice only if needed
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • To Serve
  • Mashed potato
  • Steamed or blanched green beans
  • Fresh parsley finely chopped

Method

  1. Prepare the chicken
  2. Pat the chicken thighs dry.
  3. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
  4. If some thighs are substantially thicker than others, flatten them slightly so they cook at roughly the same rate.
  5. Brown the chicken
  6. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
  7. Add the olive oil.
  8. Place the chicken into the hot pan without overcrowding it and cook for approximately 4–5 minutes on the first side without constantly moving it.
  9. Turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
  10. You’re mainly developing colour at this stage. The chicken doesn’t need to be completely cooked through.
  11. Transfer to a plate.
  12. Brown the mushrooms
  13. Check how much fat is left in the pan.
  14. You want enough to lightly coat the mushrooms, but not a large pool. Remove excess chicken fat if necessary.
  15. Increase the heat slightly and add the mushrooms.
  16. Spread them across the pan and leave them alone for 2–3 minutes before tossing.
  17. Continue cooking for another 3–4 minutes until well browned.
  18. This is one part I wouldn’t rush. Pale, steamed mushrooms and properly browned mushrooms produce very different sauces.
  19. Add the aromatics
  20. Reduce the heat to medium.
  21. Add the shallot and thyme and cook for around 2 minutes.
  22. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
  23. Don’t let the garlic burn.
  24. Deglaze with white wine
  25. Pour in the 150 ml white wine.
  26. It should immediately begin bubbling.
  27. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned chicken and mushroom bits from the bottom of the pan.
  28. That’s all going into the sauce.
  29. Let the wine simmer uncovered until reduced by roughly half, about 3–5 minutes depending on the size of your pan.
  30. Don’t rush straight into adding the stock.
  31. I want the wine to concentrate first.
  32. Build the sauce
  33. Add the chicken stock and Dijon mustard.
  34. Stir until combined and bring back to a gentle simmer.
  35. Return the chicken and any juices collected on the plate to the pan.
  36. Finish cooking the chicken
  37. Simmer gently for approximately 5–8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the thighs, until the chicken is cooked through.
  38. If the sauce is reducing too quickly, lower the heat.
  39. If the chicken finishes before the sauce reaches the consistency you want, remove the chicken and keep it warm while reducing the sauce for another minute or two.
  40. Finish with butter
  41. Remove the chicken again or push it towards the edge of the pan.
  42. Take the pan off the heat.
  43. Add the 20 g cold butter and swirl or stir it through the sauce until completely incorporated.
  44. This gives the sauce gloss and richness without needing cream.
  45. Taste.
  46. Only add the lemon juice if the sauce actually needs more acidity. Depending on the wine you’ve used, it may already have plenty.
  47. Adjust salt and black pepper.
  48. Serve
  49. Spoon mashed potato onto the plate.
  50. Add the chicken and green beans.
  51. Spoon the mushrooms generously around and over the chicken, followed by the white wine pan sauce.
  52. Finish with chopped parsley and a little freshly cracked black pepper.

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About the Author

Gary
Creacipes started as a place to keep track of the recipes I actually want to cook again. These days, I rarely follow recipes exactly. Between cooking at home, experimenting with ingredients and running POP UP Dumpling Bar, I’ve learned to cook more by feel and adjust things to suit my own taste. If something turns out well, this is where I write it down.

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