Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms
Enjoy the delicate and delicious flavors of cream, sherry, and mushrooms with our Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms! A simple meal which uses a beautiful blend of ingredients to make this a mouth pleasing experience. This is definitely a favorite comfort food and is so quick and simple that it’s perfect for a midweek meal. You can make this for friends and family for a nice relaxing night. This is also a perfect date night dish to impress! Give it a try this week!
Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms
I love simple meals! And this one is definitely simple! In addition, this dish is a great culinary learning meal as well. It incorporates some simple cutting and cooking skills that will help you know how to make a delicious sauce, use one pan for an entire meal, and how to cut chicken breast to make the food go further.
Basics to a Simple Sauce
Here’s a simple go to way to make a quick pan sauce to go with any meal:
- After cooking the meat, there will be some brown bits left behind on the pan. Those are full of awesome flavor! In addition to the meat, there is seasoning left behind. So here are a few simple steps to follow to utilize that flavor:
- Add a little oil with some aromatic vegetables like shallots or onions. Only use a little salt because you already have some in the pan.
- Next, add other vegetables if desired, like bell peppers, garlic, mushroom, etc.
- Now add an acid to deglaze the pan, like sherry or wine. The liquid will now loosen the brown bits from the pan.
- Use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits from the pan.
- Add some other flavorful ingredients like Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and so forth.
- If you want the sauce to be thicker, whisk in some flour or corn starch.
- Lastly, add any cream if you want to.
- Always finish off a sauce with a bit of butter because this will give the sauce a silky look & feel and add another layer of yumminess!
That’s it! Within a few minutes you will have a highly flavorful sauce!
What Is Cooking Sherry, and Why Should I have A Bottle In My Kitchen?
Cooking Sherry is a sherry that adds things like salt to help extend the shelf life. It’s used in cooking to add a sweet flavor to a meal.
It works very well with cream sauces like this recipe. I like to keep a bottle of it in my cabinet at all times because it adds a nice sweet undertone to many things. I’ll often add a splash to jazz up a dish that’s coming off flat and boring. Sometimes just a tablespoon elevates a bland dish to a really delightful meal! I recommend always having a bottle on hand!
What Is the Difference Between Chicken Stock or Broth?
What is the difference between stock and broth? People often times use the terms “broth” and “stock” interchangeably. However, there is a difference.
Stock is made from cooking bones generally with vegetables, herbs, and spices. Whereas broth is typically made from boiling meat or vegetables. The results usually make stock thicker, while broth tends to be thinner but sometimes more flavorful.
Personally, I will almost always go with a stock over broth because I like my sauces and gravies to be from a slight touch on the thick side to thick.
I mainly use Better Than Bouillon in my cooking. It is super easy to use and has tons of flavor. Just 1 teaspoon makes 1 cup of stock. I like using their Chicken, Beef, Clam, and Vegetable stocks.
However, often times I will make my own chicken and beef stock and freeze a bunch of it. I use these little plastic Ball containers with screw on lids. I have both 8oz and 16oz sizes. So when I need some stock I simply grab what I need depending on how many cups I need.
How Can I Avoid Dry Chicken Breast?
Many people struggle with cooking boneless skinless chicken breast. That’s because it has a tendency to come out dry due to it’s shape. Other times the thinner tip will be cooked but the thicker end is still raw in the middle. I have this simple method I’ve been using for many years to cut chicken breast to keep it moist, but also to make it go further.
How to Cut Chicken Breast to Make It Go Further
I feed my family of 4 with just 1 packet of chicken breast which is usually around 1 to 1.5 pound. Here’s what I do:
- First, rinse off the chicken breasts either in a bowl of water or under a gentle trickle from the faucet (many people say not to rinse chicken under a faucet because the splatter can cross contaminate your kitchen. That’s never happened to me in 30 years. But you can use a bowl of water if you’re worried about it.)
- Pat the pieces dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken breast upside down on a cutting board.
- You will notice a smaller piece attached to the underside. This is the tenderloin. Slide your knife along the natural line and cut off the tenderloin.
- Trim the fat and the membrane that is between the tenderloin and breast.
- Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise
- Take the thicker roundish piece and slice it in half horizontally.
- This will give you 4 pieces.
- Cover the pieces with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will prevent chicken juice from splattering all over the place.
- Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound them flat, about 1/4 inch thick. This will get them to cook quickly and evenly. It also helps to keep them moist.
Using this method we get each meal to go a little further. There are definitely times I cook the breasts whole or cut them in half, but this by and large is my most used method to cut and cook chicken breast! This is the method I use for this Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms.
What Ingredients Are in Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms?
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- All Purpose Flour
- Olive Oil
- Shallots
- Baby Bella Mushrooms
- Cooking Sherry
- Chicken Stock
- Half and Half or Heavy Cream
- Butter
- Fresh Parsley
How Is Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms Made?
- Trim the fat off the chicken breast and cut it in 4 pieces. First, cut off the tenderloin. Then cut the chicken breast in half front to back. Take the larger roundish piece and slice it in half lengthwise. Use a meat mallet to flatten the pieces to about 1/4 inch thick.
- Season each piece with salt and pepper to taste. Coat the chicken pieces with flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken breast in batches, about 3 minutes per side. You may need to add more olive oil between batches. Remove the chicken and set the pieces on a plate. Tent them with aluminum foil to keep them warm.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the mushrooms. Cook until they start to shrink, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the shallots. Season with a pinch of salt and cook until soft, stirring often to prevent burning, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the sherry and deglaze the pan. Scrape up any bits that are stuck to the pan. Let simmer for about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock and let it reduce by half, about 5 minutes. Add the half and half and butter.
- Put the chicken back in, sliding them under the sauce. Be sure to add any juices from the plate as this is valuable flavor. Let it simmer about 2- 3 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
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Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!
Creamy Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, trimmed and cut in 4 pieces each
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Shallots, diced (about 2 medium)
- 8 ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
- 3/4 cup Cooking Sherry
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 1/2 cup Half and Half or Heavy Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
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Trim the fat off the chicken breast and cut it in 4 pieces. First, cut off the tenderloin. Then cut the chicken breast in half front to back. Take the larger roundish piece and slice it in half lengthwise. Use a meat mallet to flatten the pieces to about 1/4 inch think.
-
Season each piece with salt and pepper to taste. Coat the chicken pieces with flour, shaking off the excess.
-
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken breast in batches, about 3 minutes per side. You may need to add more olive oil between batches. Remove the chicken and set the pieces on a plate. Tent them with aluminum foil to keep them warm.
-
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the mushrooms. Cook until they start to shrink, about 3-5 minutes.
-
Add the shallots. Season with a pinch of salt and cook until soft, stirring often to prevent burning, about 2 minutes.
-
Pour in the sherry and deglaze the pan. Scrape up any bits that are stuck to the pan. Let simmer for about 1 minute.
-
Add the chicken stock and let it reduce by half, about 5 minutes. Add the half and half and butter.
-
Put the chicken back in, sliding them under the sauce. Be sure to add any juices from the plate as this is valuable flavor. Let it simmer about 2- 3 minutes.
-
Garnish with fresh parsley.
