Mary Berry Creamy Chicken Casserole with White Wine Recipe

This is the chicken casserole I make when I want something that feels genuinely elegant rather than simply comforting. The white wine gives the sauce a brightness and a sophistication that red wine-based casseroles do not have.

The double cream gives richness without heaviness. The fresh tarragon — added at the end rather than braised throughout — gives a vivid, slightly anise freshness that lifts the entire dish.

It is, in essence, a simplified French chicken in cream sauce — the kind of thing a good bistro would serve as their plat du jour and that anyone can make at home with an hour and a few good ingredients.

It is not difficult. It rewards patience at the browning stage and care with the seasoning. The result is something that tastes considerably more refined than its ingredients and method suggest.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Creamy Chicken Casserole with White Wine

For the Casserole

• 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30g unsalted butter
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 250ml dry white wine — a wine you would drink
• 300ml good quality chicken stock
• 200ml double cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped — added at the end only
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• Juice of ½ lemon — added at the end

How to Make Mary Berry Creamy Chicken Casserole with White Wine

Step 1 — Brown the Chicken

Season the chicken thighs very generously. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown skin-side down for five to six minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Turn and cook for two minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside.

Step 2 — Cook the Mushrooms

In the same casserole, add half the butter over a high heat. Add the mushrooms — do not stir for two minutes. Cook until golden and caramelised. Remove and set aside with the chicken.

Step 3 — Soften the Shallots

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter. Cook the shallots for six to seven minutes until completely soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for two more minutes.

Step 4 — Add the Wine and Reduce

Pour in the white wine. Increase the heat and let it bubble for four to five minutes until reduced by half. The wine should smell rounded and completely integrated — not sharp or raw.

Step 5 — Build the Cream Sauce

Add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes. Add the double cream and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer — do not boil.

Season generously with salt and white pepper. Add the bay leaves.

Step 6 — Braise the Chicken

Return the browned chicken thighs skin-side up to the casserole — skin above the sauce level. Cover partially and cook over the lowest possible heat — or in a 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3 oven — for 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and cooked through.

Return the caramelised mushrooms in the final ten minutes of cooking.

Step 7 — Finish and Serve

Remove the bay leaves. Add the lemon juice, fresh tarragon, and parsley. Stir through gently. Taste and adjust seasoning — this sauce should be assertively seasoned to be at its best.

Serve from the casserole with mashed potato or crusty bread.

My Top Tips Creamy Chicken Casserole with White Wine

Reduce the wine by half before adding stock. Four to five minutes of vigorous bubbling removes the raw alcohol and concentrates the wine’s flavour. Insufficiently reduced wine gives a slightly sharp, slightly harsh background note to the cream sauce.

Add tarragon at the very end — never during braising. Fresh tarragon cooked for thirty minutes loses every trace of its vivid, slightly anise freshness and becomes a muted, slightly muddy flavour. Added at the end, off the heat, it gives a vivid, distinctive freshness that defines the character of this casserole.

Use white pepper not black. This is a pale, creamy, elegant sauce. Black pepper specks look messy. White pepper gives clean, invisible heat throughout.

Caramelise the mushrooms separately at high heat. The same instruction as the chicken stroganoff — mushrooms in a moderate pan steam. Mushrooms in a very hot pan with no stirring caramelise and give depth. Add them to the casserole in the final ten minutes only.

The lemon juice at the end is essential. A cream sauce without acidity tastes flat and slightly heavy. The juice of half a lemon stirred through at the end brightens and balances the richness completely.

Serving Suggestions

With creamy mashed potato — the sauce and mash combination is exceptional. With buttered egg noodles for a more French bistro character. With crusty bread for mopping every trace of the sauce from the bowl.

How to Store

In the fridge: Store for up to 3 days. Reheat very gently over a low heat — do not boil the cream sauce. Add a splash of stock to loosen if needed. Add fresh tarragon again when reheating as it loses its vibrancy on storing.

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

Mary Berry Creamy Chicken Casserole with White Wine Recipe

Mary Berry's creamy chicken casserole with white wine is a silky, gently rich one-pot with tender chicken in a tarragon cream sauce.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 Portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 460

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Casserole:
• 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 2 large shallots finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 200 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 300 ml good quality chicken stock
• 200 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon — added at the end only
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
• Salt and white pepper
• Juice of ½ lemon — added at the end

CHECK THIS RECIPE  Mary Berry Chicken Casserole Recipe

Method

 

1. Season chicken generously. Brown skin-side down in hot oil 5–6 minutes until deeply golden. Turn — 2 minutes. Remove.
2. Add half the butter to hot pan. Add mushrooms — do not stir 2 minutes. Cook until golden and caramelised. Remove.
3. Add remaining butter over medium heat. Cook shallots 6–7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme — 2 minutes.
4. Add wine — bubble vigorously 4–5 minutes until reduced by half.
5. Add stock — simmer 5 minutes. Add cream and mustard — bring to gentle simmer. Season with salt and white pepper. Add bay leaves.
6. Return chicken skin-side up. Cover partially. Cook over lowest heat or in 160°C oven 30–35 minutes. Add mushrooms in final 10 minutes.
7. Remove bay leaves. Add lemon juice, tarragon, and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve from casserole.

Notes

Reduce the wine by half before adding stock — removes raw alcohol, concentrates flavour.

Add tarragon at the very end only — braised tarragon loses all its freshness.

White pepper not black — keeps the pale, elegant sauce clean-looking.

Caramelise mushrooms separately at high heat — add in the final 10 minutes only.

Lemon juice at the end is essential — brightens and balances the cream sauce.

Freeze for up to 2 months. Add fresh tarragon again when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken breast?

Thighs give a significantly better result in a braised casserole — they stay moist and tender through the full cooking time. If using breast, add it for the final 20 minutes only.

Can I use dried tarragon?

Dried tarragon has a fraction of the vivid freshness of fresh — use one teaspoon of dried added with the thyme at the beginning rather than at the end. The character of the dish will be somewhat different.

Can I add leeks or courgette?

Yes — leeks softened separately and added with the mushrooms give a gentle sweetness that suits the cream sauce. Courgette, sliced and added in the final ten minutes, gives freshness and colour.

Can I use Vermouth instead of white wine?

Yes — dry Vermouth gives a more herbal, slightly more complex flavour than white wine and is used in many classical French cream sauces. Use the same quantity.