Chicken forestière is a dish of pure comfort, with golden chicken breasts served with a rich, creamy, tarragon and mushroom sauce, that you'll want to make again and again.
This is an easy recipe, with a short cooking time of just 15 minutes, so it's a winner for stress free entertaining or just a special dinner at home.
What could be better than tender chicken and a simple French sauce, with plenty left over to serve over rice, pasta or your favourite French potato dish?
So simple and delicious.
Bon appétit!
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🤔 FAQs
Forestière literally translates to foresty, or in the manner of the forest. It relates to wild mushrooms that you would find in the forest, typically made into a sauce, a side dish or a garnish.
It can also be used to describe a mushroom pâté, or pâté forestière, where the wild mushrooms run through it.
Many people still do this in France, gathering mushrooms in wicker baskets to use in cooking at home.
Obviously, most of us can't tell the difference between a posonous mushroom and an edible one. However, many pharmacies will happily check anything you have picked, to make sure that they are safe to eat.
Luckily, many retailers now stock different varieties of mushrooms with different flavours that a re perfectly safe to eat!
A chicken supreme, or suprême de volaille, is actually a cut of meat from poultry or a game bird, where the breast bone is removed but the skin remains intact. If the wing piece is still attached then it becomes a cutlet or côtelette de volaille.
The great thing about this dish is that the forestière sauce goes with anything, so you can serve it with other meats, game or even fish . Of course, it would also work well over a mix of vegetables for a main course too.
Both the chicken and sauce are cooked on the hob or stove top in only 15 minutes, so with high energy prices, this recipe is economical to cook.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Cooks in just 15 minutes to save money.
- Easy to customise.
- Delicious entertaining idea.
- Sauce works with all meat, fish and vegetables.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken - chicken supreme. These tend to be found in butchers, as opposed to supermarkets and they tend to be much larger than shop bought. Two chicken supremes will normally feed four people.
- Shallots - the longer, banana shallots are easier to peel, the smaller round ones can be used if you have patience! The shallots add a sweet onion flavour without overpowering the dish.
- Mushrooms - In this recipe I've used shiitake mushrooms. The flavour isn't strong but they have an earthy, buttery flavour and great texture.
- Cream - double or heavy cream 48% fat.
- Tarragon - fresh tarragon adds a lovely subtle aniseed flavour and goes really well with chicken.
- Salt - cooking or kosher salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
- Stock - chicken or vegetable stock.
- Butter - for flavour.
- Oil -vegetable or olive oil.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- 2 large frying pans or skillets
- wooden spoon
- kitchen paper
- aluminium foil
🔪 Instructions
Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper to remove any soil and slice.
Peel and finely chop the shallots.
Remove the tarragon fronds from the stem and chop finely.
💭 Top Tip
- Don't be tempted to wash the mushrooms as this will make them slimey and they will absorb the water.
Bring the chicken to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat the chicken supremes dry with kitchen paper and season with the salt and pepper.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Add the butter and oil to the pan over a medium to high heat.
When the butter has melted add the chicken skin side down and cook for a couple of minutes to get the skin to crisp and start to develop a golden colour.
Reduce the heat down to medium for another 8 minutes.
Turn the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes or until the juices run clear.
Transfer to a clean plate and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, make the forestière sauce.
Put the oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat.
Add the shallots and cook for about 2 minutes until soft but not coloured.
Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock and cook for a further 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Add the cream and half of the tarragon and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine a tablespoon of cornflour with water and stir into the sauce.
Put the chicken back into the sauce and scatter over the remaining tarragon to serve.
🥗 Side Dishes
I think that a lovely crispy potato dish goes well with this chicken forestière , so why not try a few of my favourite side dishes? They are perfect for dipping in that creamy sauce!
- Crispy Potatoes Pavé
- Confit Potatoes
- Fondant Potatoes
- Parmentier Potatoes
- Roast Potatoes
- Confit Potatoes
- Sarladaise Potatoes
- Potatoes Parisienne
- Chateau Potatoes
- Potatoes Rissolé
- Duchess Potatoes
These vegetable side dishes would be perfect too.
- Honey Mustard Carrots
- Roasted Courgettes
- Cavolo Nero Kale with Lemon and Butter
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Roast Savoy Cabbage
- Green Beans Almondine
- French Peas
🥙 Substitutions
- Chicken - use skinless chicken breast, thighs or turkey breasts cut into pieces instead if you prefer. Keep in mind that without the skin and with different thickness, you will need to vary the cooking time.
- Mushrooms - Use any mushrooms you prefer. Beach, oyster chestnut (crimini) and king oyster mushrooms all work well.
- Tarragon - substitute 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon for a tablespoon of fresh tarragon.
📖 Variations
- Entertaining, one pan dish - cook the chicken and transfer to a plate. Add the shallots and 2 cloves of crushed garlic before adding the mushrooms. Deglaze with 100 ml of white wine. Add the stock and cream as usual.
- Herbs - use thyme, parsley or oregano if you prefer.
- Bacon - add some smoked bacon lardon with the mushrooms for extra flavour.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator- cool, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - leftover cooked chicken can be frozen for up to 2 months. I would not recommend freezing the sauce as it is likely to separate.
- Reheat - use leftover chicken in stir fries or curries or wrap in foil and place in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 until hot.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- It's possible to make the sauce in advance and reheat over a low heat before serving, but I think it is better to make this dish fresh. as it only takes a few minutes.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More chicken recipes to try
📋 Recipe
Chicken Forestière
Equipment
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- 2 large frying pans or skillets
- wooden spoon
- kitchen paper
- Aluminium foil
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 800 g chicken breast skin on
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ½ tablespoon butter
For the sauce
- 2 shallots
- 125 g mushrooms
- 300 ml cream
- 2 tablespoon tarragon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 200 nl stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
- Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper to remove any soil and slice.
- Peel and finely chop the shallots. Remove the tarragon fronds from the stem and chop finely.
- Bring the chicken to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking, pat dry and season with the salt and pepper.
- Add the butter and oil to the pan over a medium to high heat.
- When the butter has melted add the chicken skin side down and cook for a couple of minutes to get the skin to crisp and start to develop a golden colour. Reduce the heat down to medium for another 8 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes or until the juices run clear.
- Transfer to a clean plate and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes.
- Put the oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat.
- Add the shallots and cook for about 2 minutes until soft but not coloured. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the stock and cook for a further 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Add the cream and half of the tarragon and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
- Season to taste.
- Put the chicken back into the sauce and scatter over the remaining tarragon to serve.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
More chicken recipes
🍲 Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Kerri
I've been looking for new french style dishes to add to my collection and this one is definitely a keeper! Looks delicious!
Lisa
This sauce is so delicious and any dinner that can be cooked in under 30 minutes is a winner in my book!
Kushigalu
So creamy and delicious. I totally love the flavor in the chicken recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Seema Sriram
This is a very interesting way of making chicken and the sauce looks amazing.
Amanda
Hi Joy,
Thank you so much for your kind words. It truly means a lot to me, as I do put in a lot of effort to be as helpful as possible. So pleased that you are enjoying the recipes too. Best wishes from a very wet UK! Amanda
Joy
Hi Amanda,
Every time I try or even read one of your recipes I try to remember to let you know how much I appreciate the time and effort you put into your text. I truly value your communication and your cooking skills are above and beyond.
Thank you so very much for keeping me in the loop.
Stay safe and keep cooking!!
Warmest wishes from Australia
Joy
Tayler
I made this chicken for dinner last night and it was incredibly delicious! The sauce totally takes it to the next level!
Toni
This is such an amazing comfort food!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Tara
Such a gorgeous and easy way to prepare chicken! It looks absolutely amazing with that mushroom cream sauce.
Janessa
This chicken was amazing! We served it with some crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Tara
This chicken dinner recipe is so creamy and tasty. I love the variations and substitutions! Very helpful.
Carrie Robinson
This is definitely my kind of comfort food! I am loving the flavors happening in the sauce. 🙂
Dana
This is SO yummy!! I've never had this recipe before and found it on a whim and am so glad that I did!
Kali Alexandria
Such a great meal idea. Making this for my next social gathering, thanks!!
Dannii
This chicken looks incredible and the sauce sounds amazing.