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Dinner · Chicken

Hunter’s Chicken (Chicken Chasseur)

Chicken browned in butter and oil, then finished in a sauce of mushrooms, shallots, tomato and parsley. A classic French bistro dinner.

⏱ 55 min (15 min prep, 40 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 4 · 2 thighs with sauce freezer friendlyleftovers
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ContainsMilk, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 4 servings

  • Chicken

  • 8 thigh Chicken thighs, bone-in skin-on, skin on
  • ¾ tsp Table salt
  • ¼ tsp Ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Butter, unsalted

  • Sauce

  • 8 oz White mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 Shallot, minced
  • 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cup Chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Lemon juice (bottled)
  • 1 tbsp Butter, unsalted
  • 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself → Make the chicken stock yourself →

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

📜 Where it comes from

Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), the Savoy (1890–1898) and Carlton (1899–1919) hotels, London.

A Guide to Modern Cookery (London: William Heinemann, 1907; the English edition of Le Guide culinaire, Paris, 1903), No. 1543, p. 499 (and Chasseur sauce, No. 33, p. 25): “Poulet Sauté Chasseur”.

“Sauté the chicken in equal quantities of butter and oil, and dish it. Swill the saucepan with a few tablespoonfuls of white wine, and reduce; add one-quarter pint of Chasseur Sauce Escoffier; heat; pour over the chicken, and sprinkle the latter with a pinch of concussed parsley.”

The original text, quoted as printed; it is in the public domain.

“Chasseur” means hunter: the mushrooms suggest a meal from the woods. Escoffier’s own chasseur sauce adds mushrooms, shallots, wine and tarragon to his demi-glace.

What we changed: We use broth and a little lemon in place of the white wine, tomato paste for the tomato sauce and demi-glace, and bone-in thighs, which stay juicy.

Escoffier did this work in London before Michelin gave out its first stars (1926), so no star ratings apply.

Internet Archive scan (Cornell University Library)Project Gutenberg textLe Guide culinaire, 1903 (Internet Archive)Auguste EscoffierChicken chasseurMore from the great kitchens →

Steps

You’ll need: large heavy skillet with a lid, tongs, instant-read thermometer.

  1. Pat the chicken dry and season with the salt and pepper. Wash your hands after handling raw chicken.
  2. Heat the oil and butter in the skillet over medium-high. Brown the chicken skin side down, 6 to 8 minutes, then turn and brown 3 minutes more. Move it to a plate.
  3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Cook the mushrooms over medium-high until browned, about 6 minutes. Add the shallots and cook 1 minute, then stir in the flour.
  4. Stir in the broth, tomato paste and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits. Return the chicken, skin side up, with its juices.
  5. Cover and simmer gently 20 to 25 minutes, until a thermometer in the thickest thigh (not touching bone) reads 165°F. Move the chicken to a platter.
  6. Simmer the sauce 2 to 3 minutes to thicken, then swirl in the last tablespoon of butter and the parsley. Spoon over the chicken.

🌡 Safe temperaturesChicken 165°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.

Make aheadMake it a day ahead; the flavor improves. Reheat covered to 165°F.
❄️ FreezerFreeze cooked chicken in sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat to 165°F.
↺ LeftoversRefrigerate within 2 hours; keeps 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F and serve over noodles or rice.
🧒 With kidsServe the sauce on the side for kids who don’t like mushrooms.
Dairy-free swapUse all olive oil instead of butter.
Gluten-free swapLeave out the flour and simmer the sauce a few minutes longer to thicken.

Good to know

Chicken breasts vs. thighs Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter All-purpose vs. bread flour (and friends) Stock vs. broth Fresh vs. dried herbs Food Safety Basics

Our own adaptation of a public-domain recipe, in our own words. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.