Chicken supreme is a term that refers both to a specific cut — a skin-on, bone-in chicken breast with the wing joint attached, the finest piece of the bird — and to a specific style of dish: chicken cooked in a cream sauce, the word supreme signalling elegance and richness. I use both meanings simultaneously in this recipe.

The dish is a classic of French bistro cooking and of British dinner party cooking in the 1970s and 1980s — it appears in almost every cookbook of that era under this name or close variations of it.

This recipe suits a dinner party because it looks genuinely spectacular on the plate and can be mostly prepared ahead. It suits a weeknight because it takes forty-five minutes start to finish. It is one of those recipes that serves both occasions without compromise.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Chicken Supreme

For the Chicken Supreme

4 chicken supremes (skin-on bone-in chicken breasts with wing joint) — or 4 large skin-on bone-in chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
25g unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Cream Sauce

3 shallots, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
150ml dry white wine
200ml good quality chicken stock
250ml double cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped — added at the very end only
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped — added at the very end
Juice of ½ lemon — added at the very end
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

How to Make Mary Berry Chicken Supreme

Step 1 — Render and Brown the Chicken

Season the chicken supremes generously on both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide ovenproof frying pan or shallow casserole over a medium heat.

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Place the chicken skin-side down. Cook for eight to ten minutes without moving — the skin should render its fat gradually and develop a deeply golden, slightly crispy surface. Reduce the heat slightly if it is colouring too quickly. Turn the chicken and cook for two to three minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4.

Step 2 — Build the Sauce Base

Pour off most of the fat from the pan, leaving approximately one tablespoon. Add the butter. Cook the shallots over a medium heat for five to six minutes until completely soft.

Add the garlic and mushrooms. Increase the heat slightly. Cook for five to six minutes until the mushrooms are golden and all their moisture has evaporated — the pan should be dry with no liquid pooling. Under-cooked mushrooms in a cream sauce give a watery result.

Step 3 — Add the Wine and Build the Cream Sauce

Pour in the white wine. Let it bubble for three to four minutes until reduced by two-thirds. Add the chicken stock — simmer for three minutes. Add the double cream and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine. Season generously. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 4 — Finish the Chicken in the Oven

Return the seared chicken supremes to the pan — skin-side up, skin above the sauce line. The skin must not be submerged in the sauce or it will lose its crispness.

Transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through — the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced, or the internal temperature reaches 74°C.

Step 5 — Finish the Sauce and Serve

Remove the chicken supremes to warm plates. Place the pan over a medium heat. Reduce the sauce for two to three minutes if it seems thin. Add the lemon juice, fresh tarragon, and parsley. Stir through. Taste and season assertively.

Spoon the mushroom and tarragon cream sauce generously over and around each chicken supreme. Serve immediately.

My Top Tips For Best Mary Berry Chicken Supreme

Render the skin slowly over medium heat — not high. The skin on a chicken supreme contains a significant amount of fat that must render out slowly to give a crispy rather than flabby result. High heat colours the surface before the fat has time to render and gives golden skin that is still soft and fatty beneath. Medium heat for eight to ten minutes gives properly rendered, genuinely crispy skin.

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Keep the skin above the sauce line when the chicken returns to the pan. The cream sauce will soften and undo all the work of the skin-rendering if the chicken is submerged in it. The skin sits on top of the sauce — not in it — and continues to crisp slightly in the oven while the flesh cooks through in the gentle cream bath beneath.

Cook the mushrooms until genuinely dry. Mushrooms added to a cream sauce before all their moisture has evaporated give a watery, slightly diluted sauce. Five to six minutes over a slightly raised heat until the pan is dry and the mushrooms are golden gives a concentrated, deeply flavoured mushroom base that enriches the cream sauce.

Tarragon at the very end — always. The third recipe in this collection to carry this instruction — and it is equally critical here. Tarragon cooked in a cream sauce loses its character. Added at the last moment, it gives the specific, slightly anise fragrance that makes chicken supreme specifically and memorably itself.

This dish finishes in the oven — which is both a technique and a convenience. Finishing the chicken in the oven while the skin sits above the sauce gives the most even cooking, the crispest skin, and a completely hands-off final twenty-five minutes that allows the table to be laid and everything else to be ready before the chicken needs attention.

Serving Suggestions

With dauphinoise potatoes — the richness of both suits each other completely. With steamed new potatoes and fine green beans. With a simple watercress salad alongside — the slight bitterness contrasts beautifully with the cream sauce.

How to Store Mary Berry Chicken Supreme

In the fridge: Store for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a covered pan over a low heat. Add fresh tarragon after reheating.

In the freezer: Freeze for up to 2 months. The cream sauce can separate slightly on defrosting — reheat gently, stirring well. Add fresh tarragon after reheating.

Mary Berry Chicken Supreme Recipe

Mary Berry’s chicken supreme is a classic French chicken dish with a rich, creamy mushroom and tarragon sauce — elegant enough for a dinner party and simple enough for any evening.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 580

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Chicken Supreme:
4 chicken supremes or large skin-on bone-in chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil 25g unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Cream Sauce:
3 shallots very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed
250 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
150 ml dry white wine
200 ml chicken stock
250 ml double cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh tarragon finely chopped — at the very end only
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped — at the end
Juice of ½ lemon — at the end
Salt and white pepper

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Method

Season chicken supremes generously. Heat oil in ovenproof pan over medium heat. Place skin-side down — cook 8–10 minutes without moving until deeply golden and crispy. Turn — 2–3 minutes. Remove. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4.
Pour off most fat — keep 1 tbsp. Add butter over medium heat. Cook shallots 5–6 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms — cook 5–6 minutes until golden and dry.
Add wine — bubble 3–4 minutes until reduced by two-thirds. Add stock — simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and mustard. Season. Simmer gently.
Return chicken supremes skin-side up — skin above sauce line. Transfer pan to oven. Cook 20–25 minutes until cooked through.
Remove chicken to warm plates. Reduce sauce 2–3 minutes if thin. Add lemon juice, tarragon, and parsley. Stir. Season assertively. Spoon generously over chicken. Serve immediately.

Notes

Render the skin slowly over medium heat — high heat colours before the fat renders, giving soft skin.

Keep skin above the sauce line in the oven — submerged skin loses its crispness completely.

Cook mushrooms until genuinely dry — wet mushrooms give a watery, diluted cream sauce.

Tarragon at the very end only — cooked tarragon loses its character entirely.

Finishing in the oven gives even cooking, crispy skin, and hands-off time to prepare the table.

Add fresh tarragon again when reheating stored leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between chicken supreme and regular chicken breast?

A chicken supreme is a skin-on, bone-in chicken breast with the first joint of the wing still attached — it is the most complete, most flavourful portion of the bird. A regular chicken breast is boneless and skinless. For this recipe, either works — though the supreme gives a more spectacular presentation and better flavour from the bone.

Can I use boneless skinless chicken breasts?

Yes — boneless skinless breasts cook in less time — 15 to 18 minutes in the oven — and give a less dramatic presentation but equally good flavour. The sauce remains identical.

Can I add spinach to the sauce?

Yes — a large handful of baby spinach wilted into the sauce at the very end gives additional colour and a slightly mineral note that suits the cream and mushroom very well.

Can I use crème fraîche instead of double cream?

Yes — crème fraîche gives a slightly tangier, slightly less rich sauce that some people prefer. It also holds better when reheated. Use the same quantity.