Sharing is caring!

Chicken Chasseur, also called Hunter’s Chicken, combines crispy chicken with a chasseur sauce made of mushrooms, wine, tomatoes, , broth, and herbs. Serve this dish to someone special and they will love you for it!

Valentine’s Day is in a few days. While all the chocolate and desserts are great for some, I’m more of a main dish kind of girl for the day of love. I started down the path of surf and turf. Then it was just surf like scallops. Finally, I went to Pinterest to get some inspiration.

Some of the recipes didn’t seem special enough to me. And some might say the same thing about this Chicken Chasseur. But when the hubs truly compliments me after devour this chicken and practically licking the plate clean, I think it was just special enough.

What is Chicken Chasseur?

It’s a hunter’s chicken in the French form. There’s hunter’s chicken also known as cacciatore. And then there’s hunter’s chicken that is Greek with haloumi cheese in there. A British version is chicken breasts with barbecue sauce and cheese on top. Not sure how that one is a hunter’s chicken, but whatever.

This hunter’s chicken is chicken thighs simmered in a chasseur sauce. That’s a sauce made with mushrooms, herbs, wine, marsala or brandy, and tomato paste or tomatoes or both. The sauce is a rich golden color that has complex layers of flavors.

How do you make Chicken Chasseur?

Chicken Chasseur is not a difficult dish to make. Not in the least. And the ingredients aren’t out of the norm, either. You might struggle with the tarragon like I did. I had to hit a couple of stores to find it fresh, but I managed. If you can’t find it, then use a teaspoon of dried tarragon. I always have that on hand.

It starts with browning the bacon in the pan to render the fat. Then brown the chicken in the pan. Next the shallots and garlic go in. It’s all about layering the flavors. Then the white wine goes in to deglaze the pan. The tomato paste and tomatoes go in with the herbs, marsala or brandy, and broth.

Finally, the chicken and bacon go back into the pan and everything simmers until the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce isn’t thick enough then combine some flour and butter together. Called a beurre manié, it’s the perfect way to finish the chasseur sauce. It thickens the sauce and ensures it’s rich and silky.

What does Chicken Chasseur taste like?

Like love on the plate. It is the epitome of comfort food. And packed with so many layers of flavor just stacked on one on top of the other. The chicken is tender and absorbs all the flavors of the sauce. The sauce is silky and rich with the flavors of vegetables, herbs, marsala, wine, and stock.

Even though there are tomatoes in there, it’s not like cacciatore by any stretch of the imagination. There’s just enough to sweeten the sauce slightly and turn the sauce unto a rich, golden color. But you don’t really taste the tomatoes at all.

And this is a dish that tastes better the next day. So, by all means, make this ahead of time. It tasted absolutely delicious for lunch the next day. And it tastes even better after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. I reheated it for lunch a few days later and the chicken tasted even better than I remembered from a couple of days ago.

Why do they call it hunter’s chicken?

Most of these dishes consisted of ingredients that hunter’s would bring home. Game meats like squab, pheasant, goose, and the like were combined with mushrooms foraged on the way home. Herbs, onions, and garlic found along the way. All combined with root vegetables grown in the garden to make rich and hearty dinner.

Another part of the story is that the hunter would return home without any game meats. This meant a chicken would be served along with the foraged fungi and herbs. Either way, it’s a humble yet delicious dish to serve up for Valentine’s Day. Especially if you take the time to make rich mashed potatoes to spoon the sauce over.

What’s the difference between chicken chasseur and coq au vin?

First, I’d say the amount of wine in the recipe. Chicken Chasseur has a little wine and a little marsala. Coq au vin has at least a cup of wine if not more in the recipe. Then there’s the vegetables. Coq au vin has mostly carrots and pearl onions. It has mushrooms, too, but not as many. Chicken Chasseur has shallots and mushrooms and no carrots. Of course, you could add carrots if you want to. But I don’t think it’s necessary.

They both have thyme and bay leaves in the sauce. But Chicken Chasseur has tarragon which is a very French herb. To me, it’s like oregano and fennel are combined into an herb. It’s one of herbs in Herbs de Provence. Which you could use in this dish if you wanted. Just make sure to add a little more thyme because that brings out the earthiness of the whole dish.

Chicken Chasseur is hearty enough to serve with either a red or a white wine. The little bit of tomato paste and tomatoes and richness of the sauce allows it to pair with red or white wine. I would think a Malbec or Shiraz would be dry enough to really bring out the flavors of the sauce.

Or try a Côtes de Rhône or a viognier as delicious white wine options to pair with it. I think a crisp steel Chardonnay would be great, too. It’s crisp flavor would pair well with the rich sauce.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day

• Chicken Chasseur from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Chocolate Covered Oreos from Art of Natural Living
• Chocolate Strawberry Kabobs from Jen Around the World
• Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri from That Recipe
• Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Strawberry and Cream Rolls from Magical Ingredients

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!