JB's Chicken Chasseur

5 from 94 votes

Recipe video above. Chicken Chasseur (chasseur is French for “hunter”) is a classic French dish made with pieces of chicken cooked in a rich mushroom and tomato sauce with a gentle touch of brandy, finished with fresh tarragon. It’s rustic and cosy, and it was the first recipe I learned to master at cooking school back in France. - JB

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main

Cuisine: French

Keyword: chicken chasseur, french hunter's chicken, poulet chasseur

Servings:

Calories: 854cal

Author: Chef JB (RecipeTin)

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on (~250g/8oz each) (Note 1)
4 chicken drumsticks (Note 1)
3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any other neutral flavoured oil)
30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Sauce Chasseur

400g / 14oz white mushrooms , sliced 6mm/0.2”
2 onions , brown or yellow, halved then sliced 6mm/0.2” thick
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
1/4 cup brandy (Note 2)
1/2 cup chardonnay or other dry wine (Note 3)
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 1/2 cups beef stock , low-sodium (note 4)
3/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , COLD and cubed (KEEP REFRIGERATED until required)
1 tbsp fresh tarragon , finely chopped (Note 5)

For serving

Creamy mashed potato (or rice or small pasta)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Abbreviated Recipe

Season and flour the chicken, then brown in oil and butter. Remove. Sauté mushrooms and onion, add garlic briefly, then pour in brandy and wine to reduce. Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute, then stock, salt, and pepper. Return chicken, simmer covered 10 minutes then uncovered for 20 minutes until tender. Finish with cold butter and fresh tarragon.

Chicken

Season the chicken - Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels. This removes surface moisture, allowing the skin to brown properly and avoiding splatter. Season with salt and pepper on all sides. Coat in flour, shaking off excess. This helps develop a golden crust and also thickens the sauce later.
Brown the Chicken - Heat vegetable oil in a large (30cm/12") skillet (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add butter, once melted and foaming, place thighs skin-side down. Sear for 5 minutes until golden and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Add the drumsticks and brown them on 3 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Don’t rush this step – browning adds depth of flavour. Transfer drumsticks to the plate with the thighs.
⚠️ Be mindful when searing skin-on chicken pieces, the skin can pop and hot oil may splash.

Chasseur Sauce

Onion, mushrooms and garlic - In the same pan, increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms and onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to wilt. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Brandy and wine - Pour in the brandy. Carefully flambé (ignite) if desired - let it burn until the flame dies out by itself (~10 seconds). Flambéing intensifies the aroma - and puts on a show! Or simply let it bubble for 20–30 seconds until the alcohol burns off. Add the white wine. Let it simmer rapidly to reduce by half. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond (the browned bits stuck to the bottom), which is a crucial ingredient to the creation of our sauce. It will make it rich and complex.
Tomato and stock - Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Then add the stock, salt, and pepper.

Cooking

Simmer - Return the chicken to the pan skin-side up, nestling them into the stock. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium (bubbling constantly but not rapidly). Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer uncovered for a further 20 minutes. This allows the sauce to reduce and concentrate while the chicken finishes cooking.
Reduce sauce slightly - Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Turn the heat to medium-high, and simmer the sauce for 3 minutes to reduce slightly.
Finish the sauce - Turn off the heat. Scatter half of the COLD butter cubes in then stir until melted. Scatter the rest of the butter cubes in then stir again until melted. This is a classic emulsification technique that gives the sauce a silky, glossy finish (monter au beurre) as well as thickening it slightly. (Note 6)
Serve - Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer again. Return the chicken to the sauce and sprinkle over the fresh tarragon. Take it to the table and serve out of the pan with creamy mashed potato.

Notes

1. Chicken – Best cut for this dish. They’ll stay juicy and add lots of flavour.

For chicken breast, use 4 breasts and split in half horizontally to make 8 steaks. Follow recipe as written to dust the chicken with flour. Sear until surface is golden and remove. Simmer the sauce without the chicken for 10 minutes then add the chicken (overlap to fit as needed) and simmer for 5 minutes. Proceed with recipe.

2. Brandy – A signature move for a true Chasseur. It brings warmth, but just a splash, I don’t want you crawling under the table! And don’t go fancy here! I used a low-priced brandy, there is no need to use an expensive one for cooking. Once it hits the pan, the harshness burns off and you’re left with that lovely warmth. Most of the alcohol cooks out and I grew eating this as a kid in France. You can exclude for non-alcoholic but the sauce will be missing a bit of the flavour that makes this Chasseur. (There’ll be more recipes using brandy soon, for now, you can also try this classic steak with peppercorn sauce. It’s a winner!)

3. Wine – Chardonnay is my favourite for cooking because of the flavours it add to dishes and it's the wine that was the most commonly used at restaurants I worked at in France. We use it for deglazing in Chicken Chasseur. there is no need to use an expensive wine. The flavour and aroma that you pay for is largely lost during cooking. Substitute with low-sodium beef stock for a non-alcoholic version.

4. Beef stock – We use beef stock instead of chicken because it gives the sauce a deeper, richer flavour and proper intensity. Treat yourself and make it with homemade beef stock if you can!

5. Tarragon – This herb is a French favourite. A signature touch that makes this "Chasseur" rather than a regular stew. If you can’t find it, use parsley with a bit of crushed fennel seeds.

6. Butter – It’s important for the butter to be COLD and cut into small pieces when using this technique, because it melts slowly and evenly, helping the butter emulsify and slightly thicken the sauce while giving it a glossy finish.

7. The skillet we use is a 30cm / 12″ wide, Le Creuset. If you don’t have a lid, just pop a baking tray on it during the simmering phase. And it’s ok if you don't have the proper size, just use the closest that you have. If you end-up with exposed chicken, it will steam-cook.

CHEF JB'S TIPS

Make ahead – This taste as delicious the next day. Reheat gently, add a splash of stock or water if the sauce is too thick.

Freezing – Freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat gently.

Browning – This is a very important step, a nice golden crust means tons of flavours in the sauce. It’s the foundation of the whole dish. And master your heat, if you think it’s too high, lower it down. We don’t want any burned bits.

Nutrition per serving - a whole thigh plus drumstick (it's a generous portion size!). Excludes mashed potato.

Nutrition