Last updated on February 16th, 2018 at 03:43 pm
This Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Mushrooms is a simple yet very elegant dish featuring boneless skinless chicken breasts in a delicious creamy mushroom sauce made with white wine and cream.
This recipe is something that’s a staple at our house, learned to make this from my mom, except her version doesn’t have wine and uses sour cream instead of half and half, but I just adore the flavor of white wine in these kinds of dishes so once I started making this with white wine I never looked back.
This dish is called “ciulama de ciuperci” in Romanian which is basically mushrooms in some creamy sauce, made with flour and sour cream. This dish can also be made just with mushrooms and can be served as a vegetarian meal, but my mom always made this with chicken drumsticks and chicken breasts. I have made this dish with meatballs before and I have to say I can’t pick a favorite, I love both.
This dish is all about the mushrooms. You really could use any kind of mushrooms you choose. Cremini mushrooms work well, even shiitake mushrooms. But I used large white mushrooms here simply because we just made a Costco trip and I bought a big box of beautiful white mushrooms, so this was simply the perfect dish to showcase these mushrooms.
The way I clean my mushrooms is simple. I just use a mushroom brush to brush away any dirt. I used to wash my mushrooms but I stopped doing that a long time ago. All you need is to brush the dirt away. I found that if I wash them the mushrooms absorb water which lessens the flavor. I know there are lots of people who disagree with this and swear by washing their mushrooms, but really it’s personal preference, so I leave that up to you.
The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. I used chicken breast here, but as mentioned above you can use meatballs, you could even use pork tenderloin, cut into slices or pieces. The first step is to pan fry the chicken in a little bit of butter on both sides. The chicken needs to be seasoned of course, with salt and pepper. I usually season my food as I go along, tasting along the way making sure the food is seasoned to my liking.
Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from skillet and add onion and garlic which needs to be cooked for just a couple minutes until soft and translucent. At this point we add the mushrooms and what may seem like a lot of mushrooms, it’s not, because they will cook down and you probably will wish you used more.
I like to cook my mushrooms until they’re nice and brown. I added a bit of flour just to thicken the sauce a bit, then you add that wonderful white wine, and cook the alcohol for a bit, then the half and half and the sauce magically turns into this gorgeous creamy and full of flavor mushroom sauce. It’s to die for.
As mentioned before if you don’t want to use white wine and half and half you could use chicken broth instead of the wine and sour cream instead of the half and half to thicken the sauce and give it that creamy look.
At this point all that’s left to do is add the chicken back to the skillet and let it swim in that delicious sauce for about a minute after which you better be ready to eat, because that’s all that’s left to do. If you’re wondering what to eat this with, you simply need some good crusty bread. I’ve never tried adding this to rice or pasta because I always found that this is enough just on it’s own with some bread, but you could definitely serve it over pasta or rice and maybe even with a side of veggies.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
This Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Mushrooms is a simple yet very elegant dish featuring boneless skinless chicken breasts in a delicious creamy mushroom sauce made with white wine and cream.
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 lb chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut in half lengthwise
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz white mushrooms sliced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- parsley for garnish
- Add the butter to a large skillet and melt over medium high heat.
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts in skillet and cook on both sides, about 5 min per side or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from skillet.
- Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook for a couple minutes until onion is translucent and soft. Add mushrooms and stir. Season mushrooms generously with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When mushrooms are cooked to your liking sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir. Add wine and cook off the wine for a couple more minutes. Add half and half, stir and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally or until sauce reduces a bit and thickens.
- Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
This chicken and mushroom dish could be served over noodles or rice, or just enjoyed on its own with a nice crusty bread.
Half-and-half, is a simple blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream. It averages 10 to 12% fat, which is more than milk but less than light cream.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
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Can this be made with heavy cream instead?
Yes it can, heavy cream just has a higher fat percentage than half and half.
For sure. It’ll be a bit heavier but very delicious.
Great recipe and ridiculously easy and quick. I used half the flour and a little more wine to get a more liquid sauce. I thought the presentation was better by adding a few spring onions cut lengthwise so that they cooked for about a minute.
Can this be made without the mushrooms? Some dinner guests are not fans.
This recipe is really all about the chicken and mushrooms. I’d suggest trying other chicken recipes here, I have hundreds of other chicken recipes, one of my favorites being this Chicken Gnocchi with Sun Dried Tomatoes.
This was amazing! I made this for my mom’s birthday dinner and it was a huge hit! I ended up putting in spinach and cherry tomatoes and waited to put the mushrooms in until the very end (we have some anti-mushroom club members). I also added some shredded Parmesan cheese to the sauce as well. It was really phenomenal and it will definitely be added to the rotation for nicer dinners! Thanks for sharing!
Made this recipe for dinner tonight! It was incredibly easy & out of this world delicious! Following Diane’s suggestion, I doubled the sauce! Get out of here! Yum! Served over rice with fresh green beans. Will make again. Thanks for sharing!
Our family of 9 loves this dish! I add artichoke hearts to it and double the recipe. It is one of our favorites!!
Wow, big family! We’re glad it’s a hit for everyone 🙂
I made this dish using whole milk and 1/2 tbsp cornflour to thicken the sauce as we’re trying to stay away from cream. Reading some other comments I also added about 1 tsp of Italian herbs. It was so easy to make and delightful served over mashed potatoes. Thanks Jo.
Found this recipe while searching for a recipe to use some leftover white wine. This recipe is amazing! I will be sure to double the sauce next time as I can eat just the sauce with a spoon!
Please could you tell me what half n half is? Don’t want to seem daft🙈
No problem at all! Half and half is a term used in North America for half milk and half cream. The closest equivalent in the UK is single cream.
I have tried this recipe twice and my family loves it. My father is not a fan of sauces but that didn’t stop him from having a second helping.
Delicious recipe! Your pics and directions are very easy to follow, too.
Thank you! We’re glad you love it so much.
I have tried a number of wine sauces, but I have to say this one is my favorite. I actually made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs because my husband likes the flavor of the dark meat, and it was fantastic. Definitely a keeper! Served it over rice with creamed Brussel sprouts.
Late to the party… Just found you this week.
Made this tonite, camping. Served with brown rice, mixed veggies & griddle bread (buttered rolls, buttered and browned on a griddle or skillet).
Didn’t change a thing except to use gluten free flour.
Absolutely divine!!
Thank you!!
So glad you liked this, Flo!
Added some sun dried tomatoes and capers. Great easy and simple dish! My boyfriend and loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure, glad you guys liked it!
I found and tried this tonight. Was a hit with all my ladies. Most plates were clean before they hit the sink. Only a few things i did differently. I never cook to time, only tenp. I slowed chicken down a bit and let it hit a perfect 162. Pulled it off the cast iron, and then followed recipe for sauce. But then added chicken back and let simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes. It was perfect.
Can I substitute something for the half and half with less fat?
You could use milk.
Please tell me what’s half and half?
Half and half is equal parts whole milk and light cream and it usually averages 10 to 12% fat, which is usually less than light cream. Also mentioned in the recipe notes. 🙂