Chicken Chasseur is a comforting French chicken stew made with chicken, bacon, carrots and mushrooms in a delicately herbed tomato and white wine sauce.
My version is made with chicken thigh fillets – rather than the traditional bone-in chicken legs. It’s amazing served on top of creamy mashed potatoes.
Did you know ‘chasseur’ translates to ‘hunter’ in French. Traditionally chasseur was made with game meats plus herbs and mushrooms collected after the hunt.
It evolved over time to the dish it is today, most commonly made with chicken.
This dish is so nostalgic to me, my dad used to make it for my family. He would serve it with a dollop of buttery mash that perfectly pairs with that rich, flavourful sauce.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Chicken – I use chicken thigh fillets for this dish. Traditionally bone-in chicken pieces are used, but my family prefer it with boneless chicken pieces. Thigh fillets are preferable to chicken breast for this recipe, as it stands up better to longer cooking without drying out, plus thighs are brilliant at absorbing all the flavour of the sauce.
Bacon – I’m using small bacon lardons because they add lovely little salty morsels to the dish.
Oil – Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, or vegetable oil.
Veggies – This recipe calls for onion, garlic, carrot, and baby chestnut mushrooms.
Seasonings – We’re using a blend of salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme
How to make it:
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- First, fry the bacon lardons, then remove from the pan, leaving the bacon fat behind.
- Then, we fry the chicken in that lovely bacon fat, with a little seasoning. Add in onion and garlic afterwards and let it soften.
- Next we add in the tomato puree and flour – this will help to thicken the sauce later, plus the tomato adds flavour and richness. Then stir in wine and let it bubble for a few minutes before stirring in chicken stock.
- Let the liquid reduce slightly before adding in the vegetables. Then place a lid on and place in the oven for half an hour, removing the lid for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
- Once cooked, give it all a stir, sprinkle over the bacon lardons, and let it heat them heat through for another minute or two in the oven before serving.
Pro Tip
Adding the cooked bacon right at the end ensures the bacon stays crisp, salty and flavourful (rather than going soft in the sauce, and the sauce absorbing the flavour of the bacon).
Such a lovely comforting and nourishing dinner.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
- I serve this with a big dollop of Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Chips, or Crispy Smashed Potatoes.
- Also, with some greens like these Garlic Green Beans with Parmesan or Roasted Broccoli with Garlic.
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? Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer thyme in this, but tarragon is a more authentic addition to chicken chasseur. Replace the thyme with 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon if you prefer.
Yes, you can make this ahead and reheat on the stove; stir, whilst heating through until piping hot throughout. You may need to add a splash of water or stock to loosen up the sauce when reheating.
Yes, you can, store in airtight containers in the freezer, when you want to reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight, before reheating as per the instructions above.
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Chicken Chasseur Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 170 g (6 oz) smoked bacon lardons
- 8 skinless chicken thigh fillets (approx. 1kg/2.2lb) , chopped into quarters
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste in USA)
- 2 tbsp plain all-purpose flour
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) white wine
- 360 ml (1 ½ cups) chicken stock
- 150 g (5.3oz) baby chestnut mushrooms, sliced in half
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 stalks fresh thyme replace with 1 tsp dried thyme if preferred, but make sure it’s a dried thyme that you like – some brands can be very floral tasting
To Serve:
- Creamy mashed potato
- Freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan).
- Heat the oil a large casserole pan over a medium heat.2 tbsp oil
- Add the bacon and fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring often, until golden.170 g (6 oz) smoked bacon lardons
- Remove from the pan, using a slotted spoon (leaving the oil behind) and place in a bowl.
- Add the chicken to the pan and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to medium-high, and fry the chicken for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned (it doesn’t have to be cooked through at this point).8 skinless chicken thigh fillets, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Turn the heat back down to medium and add the onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften.1 medium onion
- Add the garlic and fry from a further minute, stirring constantly.3 cloves garlic
- Add the tomato puree and flour and stir together for a minute, to coat the chicken, then slowly pour in the wine while stirring constantly.2 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp plain, 180 ml (3/4 cup) white wine
- Let the liquid bubble for a minute, until slightly reduced.
- Stir in the stock, then add the mushroom, carrots, bay leaves and thyme.360 ml (1 ½ cups) chicken stock, 150 g (5.3oz) baby chestnut mushrooms,, 2 medium carrots, 2 bay leaves, 3 stalks fresh thyme
- Stir together and bring to a gentle simmer. Then turn the heat off, place a lid or some foil on the dish and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes – this helps to brown the chicken a little more.
- Give everything a stir, then sprinkle the cooked bacon lardons on top and place back in the oven for one more minute, to warm the bacon through.
- Serve over creamy mashed potato with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.Creamy mashed potato, Freshly chopped parsley
Video
Notes
Doesn’t Chicken Chasseur usually contain tarragon?
I prefer thyme in this, but tarragon is a more authentic addition to chicken chasseur. Replace the thyme with 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon if you prefer.Prefer to use bone-in chicken legs?
Fry off the chicken legs until browned (around 10 minutes, rather then the 5 minutes for chicken pieces), add and additional 120ml (1/2 cup) of chicken stock, and cook in the oven for 1 hour (rather than 30 minutes). Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes.Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4) and does not include the serving suggestions of mashed potatoes and fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely beautiful meal full of flavour
A great recipe, I served it with curly kale. Thanks your recipes always turn out excellent.
A great recipe, a delicious meal, I served it with curly kale. Thanks your recipes always turn out excellent.
Hi there…we watched this recipe of yours and it looked astounding! We don’t have a large casserole pan as you used in your video but would a large Dutch oven be a suitable replacement? Additionally, if not using white wine could you use just additional chicken stock/broth?
Hi Darrin, yes a dutch oven would be fine for this. Enjoy 🙂