You will seriously want a bite or three of this delicious Sherry Chicken with Chanterelle Mushrooms at your next dinner party or family get together! This recipe is very similar to my Chicken Marsala, but using Sherry instead of Marsala, and Chanterelle mushrooms in place of Cremini or White cap mushrooms.

Sherry Chicken with Chanterelles

I love to surprise my friends and family with really special meals once in a while, and this recipe definitely sits behind the“special” tab in my recipe box.

With Chicken breasts, pounded and cut into cutlets, then coated with flour and fried in butter, (I KNOW), and the sauce with sautéed Chanterelle mushrooms, green onion and Sherry, then served over pasta tossed with browned butter and grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese and drizzled with this rich, savory sauce? Not another word is needed.

This dish is a very good version of the classic dish Chicken Marsala, which originated in Italy where Marsala Wine is produced. So if you’re a fan of Italian food you will be sure to love this dish.

What’s the difference between Marsala and Sherry?

Basically they are both fortified wines and differ by region, alcohol content, flavor and the ways they are used. Both excellent cooking wines.

Marsala has a medium-rich body and is perfect for using in sauces and marinades and goes well with meats and seafood.

Sherry has a complex nutty flavor and is perfect in soups, stews and for use in sautéing, but is also delicious in this sauce.

You’ll love my Browned Butter Pasta with this Sherry Chicken!

What difference is there in Cremini and Chanterelle mushrooms?

Cremini mushrooms are basically an immature portobello mushroom and are available worldwide. They go well in any kind of dish that calls for mushrooms and have a mild flavor and basic mushroom texture.

Chanterelle mushrooms are also available worldwide, and pretty readily available. In the US these mushrooms are harvested in the fall, but available 10 months out of the year worldwide, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them in your local stores. They have a mild peppery apricot flavor and firm texture and are perfect for use in cream sauces.

Have leftover Chanterelles? Try this Chicken Chanterelle Crostini!

How to clean mushrooms

For this recipe, clean your mushrooms using the method you prefer, just don’t soak them in water to clean them, they are like little sponges and will soak up the water and won’t brown nicely. These you’ll want to clean and prepare just before cooking.

How to make sherry chicken

Prepare

When making special meals that have different steps, and more than a few ingredients, I think it’s a good idea to be as prepared as you can before you start.

Get all utensils, dishes, and dishcloths or towels you will need within easy reach.

Wash, measure and prepare. Slice or chop your vegetables and place in a bowl within easy reach near your stove.

Using small prep bowls to measure out dry ingredients seems like a waste of time, but if you never have, try it. It’s really nice to have everything pre-measured and at your fingertips so you can just grab it without thinking about, was that a teaspoon or a tablespoon? Well worth the little extra time it takes to be prepared and makes your experience being the chef a much easier job.

Also don’t forget to have your plating bowls, platters, or whatever you use to serve ready and waiting for the masterpiece you’ve just created.

Pound your meat

For this recipe you will be slicing the chicken breast the long way to make it half as thick, and then pounding the chicken breasts flat and cutting them into cutlets. I like to get this part out of the way first because it is the most annoying part. 

To keep everything clean and sanitary, after slicing the breasts so they are half as thick, I suggest putting the breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap, or inside a partially closed gallon-sized ziplock. Do a couple at a time for the best results. 

You can really beat the heck out of it with a rolling pin or meat mallet this way, and not worry about getting chicken particles all over everything in sight. 

This is also a great task to hand off if you have kids who want to help in the kitchen. What other time do they get to just beat something mercessily and NOT get into trouble. 😉 

You want the chicken about 1/2 inch thick at the most. 1/4 inch is better. 

Dredge

Once the breasts are pounded, they need to get seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and then placed into the dredge. The flour dredge itself also has seasoning in it, but in my opinion a major mistake that I see a LOT of home cooks make is to not season properly at every step. It builds on itself and really makes a difference in the end result.

Don’t go too crazy, you just want a light sprinkle of S&P here. If you use Spiceology and have their Salt, Pepper, Garlic blend, that’s a great one to use at this step. (if you don’t use it and want to, you can find a link in the recipe card to buy some. Highly recommend!)

Heat your fat

The next part is important. We use mostly butter to fry up these sherry chicken breasts, but that’s for taste. We include some oil in the mix because it helps to keep the butter from burning, which can ruin your whole batch. 

You want your pan over medium heat, and watch things closely. None of the little bits in the bottom of the pan should be going past a golden brown color during this cook. If they are, you are cooking too hot. We use the fond (aka, stuff on the bottom of the pan) to make the sauce, so having it burn is bad, bad news). 

Scroll down to read more about what to do if you scortch your fond.

Fry the chicken

This is one of the parts that is sort of time consuming if you are making this dish for a big crowd. The chicken takes a bit to fry and develop that crunchy crust, and unless you have a giant electric skillet and can cook a bunch at once, you’re likely looking at cooking 2-3 cutlets at a time. 

That’s okay, but just know that you need patience, young padawan. 

Speaking of patience, use some when frying the chicken. You should only have to flip your cutlets once, so make sure you aren’t fussing with them too much. 

Remove the chicken and set aside on wire racks when you are done frying. 

Saute the mushrooms and make the pan sauce

The next step is to saute the mushrooms in the SAME pan that you used to fry up the chicken. Turn the heat down a touch to just under medium.

You’ll likely have enough leftover butter/fat that you don’t need to add anymore, but if your chicken was thirsty today don’t be shy. Mushrooms need butter to fry up properly, so toss some more in. I believe in you. 

Along with the mushrooms you’ll also want to add your onion with the mushrooms, and at the very end add in the garlic. 

Dump in all that liquid and make your sauce, yo. 

Next comes the fun part. Crank the heat up to medium-high and pour in your wine. Stir constantly at this part so you can get all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for a minute or two and then add in your chicken broth. 

Mix it all together and let it come to a simmer, and reduce the heat back down to medium-low. 

Add the chicken back into the sauce and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes. You want the chicken to help thicken the sauce a bit, along with the browned bits from the pan. The sauce should be like a fairly thin gravy. 

If your sherry chicken sauce did not thicken up at all, you can cook it longer to reduce it, or you can add in a little cornstarch slurry to tighten it up too. 

What do to if your fond burns

OH NO! 

Your fond burned. Now what?

What to do depends a lot on what stage you were in when it scorched. Read on to find out more. 

I still have some food left to cook.

If you still have some food left to cook, you are in good shape. You can just clean out the scorched fond from the pan and start fresh. Your meat should still be good to use even if the fond scorched, so just get to work building another fond, but don’t burn it this time. 😉 

I do not have any more food left to cook. 

This is harder because you’re losing a LOT of flavor out of the fan when your fond is lost, but there are some things you can do to still salvage the dish as a whole. 

1. Get Creative – if your fond is burnt you still need some flavor action, so I’d recommend at the least whipping up some browned butter, especially if you were relying on some flour in the fond to thicken up your sauce. So brown some butter and whisk in some flour at the end along with some seasonings. You’ll have a MUCH better pan-sauce for it. 
2. Make a bigger batch – Do you have more ingredients, but just weren’t planning on cooking for an army? If your fond burns, it might be the time to whip out that extra meat in the fridge and just make a double batch. You can make a NEW fond, and save the meal while also having lunches for the week, something stashed in your freezer for a rainy day, or a care package to drop off to a neighbor or friend.

What should you serve with Sherry Chicken with Chanterelles?

Sherry chicken is a pretty heavy meal, so I recommend something light like my Greek Freak Vinaigrette and a vegetable-filled salad. 

Of course, if you wanted to throw in a fresh batch of these garlic breadsticks, I’m sure none of your guests would care. 😉