Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur Recipe

Chicken chasseur — literally hunter’s chicken — is one of the great French bistro dishes. Chicken braised in a sauce of mushrooms, tomatoes, white wine, and cognac, fragrant with fresh tarragon, golden in colour and rich in flavour — it is simultaneously rustic and sophisticated, simple and deeply impressive.

Mary Berry’s chicken chasseur recipe produces the genuine article. The sauce is built properly — shallots softened in butter, mushrooms caramelised until golden, wine and cognac reduced to nothing but their flavour, tomatoes and stock simmered until the sauce is rich and concentrated.

The chicken braised in this sauce for forty minutes becomes tender and fragrant, absorbing the character of everything around it. This is one of the finest chicken dishes in the French repertoire and it translates perfectly to the British kitchen.

What Makes Chicken Chasseur Distinctive

Cognac. A splash of cognac or brandy added to the pan after the mushrooms is part of the traditional recipe. Reduced until its alcohol has evaporated, it adds a complex, slightly woody note that no other spirit replicates. If you have cognac, use it. If you do not, dry white wine in the same quantity is a reasonable substitute.

The mushrooms are caramelised first. As with every mushroom dish on this site — the mushrooms must be golden and dry before anything else goes in. Pale, moist mushrooms in a chasseur give a watery, flat sauce.

Fresh tarragon at the very end. The same principle as the chicken in white wine sauce recipe — tarragon loses its delicate character quickly when heated. Add it off the heat at the final moment.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur

• 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 40g unsalted butter
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
• 300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp cognac or brandy (optional but recommended)
• 200ml dry white wine
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml good quality chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to Make Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur — Step by Step

Step 1 — Brown the Chicken

Season the chicken pieces generously. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep ovenproof casserole or wide pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in batches — skin-side down first — for four to five minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Turn and cook for two minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside.

Step 2 — Caramelise the Mushrooms

Add half the butter to the same pan over a high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook without stirring for three minutes until golden on one side. Stir and cook for two more minutes until all golden and dry. Remove and set aside.

Step 3 — Soften the Shallots

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter. Cook the shallots for five minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Step 4 — Add Cognac and Wine

Pour in the cognac if using. Stand back — it may flame briefly. Let it bubble for thirty seconds then add the white wine. Increase the heat and reduce by half — three to four minutes — scraping up all the browned bits from the base.

Step 5 — Build the Sauce

Add the chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato purée, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar. Season generously. Stir to combine. Return the caramelised mushrooms to the pan.

Step 6 — Braise

Return the browned chicken pieces skin-side up to the casserole, nestling them into the sauce. The skin must sit above the sauce surface.

Cover partially and cook over a low heat — or in a preheated 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3 oven — for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through and tender and the sauce has reduced to a rich, slightly glossy consistency.

Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Step 7 — Finish and Serve

Remove from the heat. Stir in the fresh tarragon and parsley. Serve immediately from the pan.

My Top Tips For Best Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur

Caramelise the mushrooms separately. As always — high heat, leave undisturbed, golden and dry before anything else. Mushrooms that go into the sauce without caramelising give a wet, flat result.

Use cognac if you have it. The cognac adds a complexity to the sauce that white wine alone cannot replicate. A small bottle of reasonable cognac is a worthwhile kitchen investment — it is also wonderful in the chicken in white wine sauce and as a digestif.

Keep chicken skin above the sauce. Golden, crispy skin that cooks above the sauce is one of the pleasures of chicken chasseur. Submerged skin is not.

Cook the cognac and wine down properly. The alcohol must evaporate completely before the stock and tomatoes go in. Insufficiently reduced wine and cognac give the sauce a slightly harsh, raw edge.

Add tarragon off the heat. Always. It loses its flavour within seconds of being added to a hot sauce. Off the heat, it gives the sauce its characteristic, vivid freshness.

Serving Suggestions

With crusty French bread to mop the sauce — essential. With buttery mashed potato. With wide egg noodles or tagliatelle tossed with butter. As a dinner party main course served from the casserole at the table.

How to Store Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur

In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the hob. Add fresh tarragon when reheating rather than relying on the tarragon from the original cooking.

In the freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently and add fresh herbs when serving.

Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken chasseur is a rich French braise with mushrooms, tomatoes, white wine, and fresh tarragon.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 420

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 8 bone-in skin-on chicken pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 4 shallots finely chopped
• 300 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 3 tbsp cognac or brandy optional
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper

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Method

 

1. Season chicken. Brown skin-side down in batches in hot oil — 4–5 minutes until deeply golden. Turn — 2 minutes. Remove.
2. Add half butter over high heat. Cook mushrooms — 3 minutes undisturbed until golden. Stir — 2 minutes until all golden and dry. Remove.
3. Reduce heat. Add remaining butter. Cook shallots 5 minutes. Add garlic — 1 minute.
4. Add cognac if using — bubble 30 seconds. Add wine — increase heat, reduce by half, scraping base.
5. Add tomatoes, stock, purée, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar. Season. Return mushrooms.
6. Return chicken skin-side up. Cover partially. Cook on low heat or in 160°C oven 35–40 minutes until cooked through and sauce is rich.
7. Remove bay leaves. Season. Off heat — stir in tarragon and parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

Caramelise mushrooms separately at high heat — never add them raw to the sauce.

Use cognac if you have it — it adds a complexity white wine cannot replicate.

Keep chicken skin above the sauce throughout cooking.

Reduce cognac and wine completely before adding tomatoes and stock.

Add tarragon off the heat — it loses its flavour within seconds in a hot sauce.

Stores in fridge 3 days. Freezes 3 months. Add fresh herbs when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does chasseur mean?

Chasseur means hunter in French. The dish is associated with the French hunting tradition — a rustic, one-pot braise made with ingredients available in the field. Mushrooms gathered in the woods, wine from the cellar, herbs from the garden.

Can I use chicken breast?

Thighs and drumsticks give a significantly better result — they stay moist through the 35 to 40 minute braise. Chicken breast dries out in less time. If using breast, add it for the final 20 minutes only.

Can I leave out the cognac?

Yes — replace with the same quantity of dry white wine. The sauce will be slightly less complex but still excellent.

Is chicken chasseur the same as coq au vin?

They are related but different. Coq au vin uses red wine and is darker, more robust. Chicken chasseur uses white wine and tomatoes and is lighter, brighter in flavour. Both are wonderful.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Yes — brown the chicken and caramelise the mushrooms as directed. Build the sauce and transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. Add tarragon fresh when serving.