Chicken Chasseur, the pan sauce way 🍄🍷
Classic French “hunter’s style” chicken, made the way it started out: a sauté with the sauce built in the same pan. Crisp skin, tender meat taken to 80°C, and a glossy mushroom, tomato, wine and tarragon sauce.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
600g bone-in, skin-on chicken legs
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp light olive oil (optional, see step 3)
15g butter + 25g cold butter, cubed
120g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp brandy (optional)
150ml dry white wine
200ml chicken stock
2 ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp each chopped tarragon and parsley
½ tsp black pepper
METHOD
1️⃣ Salt the chicken (no pepper yet, it burns). Pat dry after 10 mins, or dry brine uncovered on a rack in the fridge for 12 to 24 hrs.
2️⃣ Oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Blanch the tomatoes for 30 to 60 seconds, plunge into iced water, then peel, deseed and dice.
3️⃣ Sear skin side down until deep golden. Either in hot oil, or my way: a cold stainless steel pan, low heat, no oil, so the chicken fries in its own fat. Be patient; if it sticks, it’ll release once browned.
4️⃣ Flip and roast until the thickest part hits just under 80°C. At 80°C the connective tissue breaks down for more tender meat and the fat in dark meat renders to make it so moist.
5️⃣ Turn the oven off, door open until it drops to 50 to 60°C, then rest the chicken on a rack inside, uncovered.
6️⃣ Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat. Brown the mushrooms in the 15g butter over high heat, hard and fast, to drive off the steam.
7️⃣ Medium heat: soften the shallots, then add the garlic and tomato purée for 1 min.
8️⃣ Add the brandy and let it bubble away, then the wine. Scrape up the browned bits and reduce by half.
9️⃣ Add the stock, tomatoes and the chicken’s resting juices. Simmer until reduced by a third.
🔟 Off the heat, swirl in the cold butter, then the herbs and pepper. Taste and adjust the salt.
Spoon the sauce onto the plate and sit the chicken on top so the skin stays crisp. Lovely with buttered leeks.
Save this for a cosy autumn dinner.
#chickenchasseur #pansauce #frenchcooking #chickenrecipes
17 Comments
The pan sauce king strikes again
This looks so damn good 🤤. I'll have to give tarragon a go. I haven't gone out of my way to use it tbh
Call me dumb but is that trick with the plastic wrap on the spoon so that the mash doesn’t stick? Never seen that
Beautifull!!!❤
I wish chicken thighs didnt have the bird taste
Salt cure, not “dry brine”. Brine is a liquid marinade.
idk man, that sad soggy casserole looks pretty good too
Great recipe. I add a sprig of tarragon with the mushrooms and shallots, take it out after. But otherwise exactly what you do. Marvellous.
It’s been a minute, YouTube’s been hiding you from me!
Had all my chicken seasonings out but I guess we don't need those. Lol
How do you manage not burning the pan fond while keeping the pat hot enough to put colour on food?
I always knew it was wrong and it’s definitely counterintuitive to make chicken skin crispy only to make it soggy.
🤌
E L I T E
Yum!
Why do you want to stop the tomato from cooking in the boiling water, but then you cook it in the stew? How does it change the recipe or taste, please?
Tom Davidstein