Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur Recipe There’s something about a rainy Tuesday that calls for a pot of something rich, warm, and properly comforting, and that’s exactly where Mary Berry’s version of Chicken Chasseur earns its keep. This is a classic French dish — the name literally translates to “hunter’s chicken” — but don’t let the French tag fool you into thinking it’s fussy. It’s vaguely French in spirit rather than in effort: a hot pan, tender chicken, onions, mushrooms, a good splash of wine, and a bit of patience while it all simmers into a glossy sauce. I’ve made this more times than I can count, on evenings when I wanted proper food without the palaver, and it never fails to feel like something you’d get in a rustic cottage kitchen somewhere in the French countryside, even though it comes together in one hot pan on a normal weeknight.
What I love most is how unfussy and midweek-friendly it is, while still feeling special enough to knock up for guests. Searing chicken until the skin turns deep gold, then building flavour with butter, a glug more wine, and a touch of rosemary, gives you a rich tomato sauce — really a wine sauce and mushroom sauce in one — that’s deeply flavoured and utterly flavour-packed. It’s a genuine one-pan wonder: juicy, chicken on the bone braised until it’s falling-off-the-fork succulent meat, and easily stretched to feed hungry friends or a family. If you’re one of life’s batch-cookers or forward planners, you’ll be glad to know it freezes beautifully and tastes even better the next day. This sits comfortably among the British classics that Mary made her own, and picking up a few of her Chef’s Notes — the shortcuts and secrets she folds into every dish — is a quick way to build real culinary confidence in the kitchen. Prepare in less than 30 mins, then cook for roughly 1 hour 15 minutes, and you’ll have a pot that serves 4, is egg-free and nut-free, and disappears fast.
Ingredients
| Ingredient Category | Ingredients |
| Chicken | Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on, skinless cuts, bone-in chicken breasts, 4 chicken thighs, 4 bone-in chicken breasts, 2 chicken breasts, 1 x 1.5kg chicken, 3lb 5oz, chicken cut into 8 pieces |
| Seasoning | Salt, freshly ground black pepper |
| Cooking Fat | Olive oil, cooking oil, butter |
| Meat | Smoked streaky bacon, lardons |
| Vegetables | Button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, shallots, onions, finely chopped, thickly sliced, garlic cloves, crushed, minced |
| Sauce Ingredients | Plain flour, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, crushed canned tomatoes, skinned, seeded, chopped, dry white wine, dry vermouth, chicken stock, chicken broth, low-sodium, homemade, caster sugar |
| Herbs | Dried thyme, fresh thyme, bay leaf, tarragon, finely chopped parsley, chopped fresh parsley, flatleaf parsley |
| For the Mash | Mash, floury potatoes, peeled, chunks, full-fat milk |
How to Make Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur
Start by getting the oven ready: preheat to 180°C, or 160°C fan, with a shelf set at the middle shelf so the pot cooks evenly once it goes in. While that’s warming, season the chicken — I always pat dry with kitchen paper first, since a dry surface browns far better than a damp one — with salt and black pepper, then toss the pieces in flour to lightly coat them. Heat a good glug of olive oil or cooking oil in a large frying pan, ideally an ovenproof pan or deep skillet, until it’s properly hot. Add the chicken skin-side down over medium heat and leave it alone until it turns golden brown, then flipping halfway through so you get golden-brown skin on all sides. Turn, remove, and set aside on a plate while you build the sauce underneath.
In the remaining butter, fry the bacon until crisp, then add the button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms, along with onion or shallots, letting them soften and turn sweet, browned, and even slightly caramelised — this usually takes 3–4 minutes to 5–7 minutes depending on your pan. Stir in the garlic to cook the vegetables a little further, essentially sautéing the aromatics until fragrant. Now deglaze the pan: pour in the wine and let it bubble and reduce, stirring and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the base. Add the chicken stock or broth, chopped tomatoes or crushed canned tomatoes, tomato purée, a pinch of sugar, and the thyme, tarragon, and bay leaf, then stir well to build the sauce. To combine and bake, return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the sauce so the juices mingle, cover with a lid or foil, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and transfer to the oven to bake for 35–40 minutes, or 30–40 minutes if using breasts, checking with a further 10 minutes if needed until cooked through and tender and the liquid reduced to a lovely consistency. Finish with parsley, discard bay leaf, and always check seasoning by giving it a taste before serving — serve hot with your choice of sides, the sauce spooned over and a dollop of mash, allowing roughly two pieces of chicken per person.
Tips, Recipe Tips, Common Mistakes and Why You’ll Love It
A few tips I’ve picked up over the years: for a richer flavour that really deepens as it cooks, don’t rush the wine stage — letting it reduce properly burns off the raw sharpness and leaves you with something far more rounded. Using bone-in pieces rather than boneless chicken or boneless breasts also helps, since bone-in pieces hold their moisture far better over the longer cooking time, whereas boneless cuts risk drying out and leaving your chicken dry and disappointing. The most common mistakes I see people make are ending up with a sauce too thin or a watery sauce — the fix is simple, just remove the lid for the last stretch and let it simmer down, or simmer gently to reduce the sauce until it starts to thicken gently on its own.
As for why you’ll love it: the flavour improves the longer it sits, so this is a genuine make ahead dish — cook it a day in advance and just reheat gently before serving. It’s a proper one-pan wonder, meaning less washing up, and it gives you a good excuse for a bit of wine sipping while you cook, since only a splash goes into the pot. There’s a kind of magic to how savoury, silky, and moppable the sauce becomes — perfect with bread for scooping up every last bit. It stays juicy and flavour-packed, tastes even better the next day, and is a dream for batch-cookers and forward planners since it freezes so well. Just watch that you don’t let the mushrooms go soggy by trying to crowd the pan — give them room to brown properly while stirring occasionally, and keep the kitchen door shut so you’re not fending off fruit flies drawn in by the open bottle. In my experience, a decent wine rather than a large glass of wine you’d never actually drink makes a noticeable difference to the finished flavour — nothing fancy, just something drinkable. Whether you use a whole chicken and do the jointing yourself, or stick to thighs, legs, or a mixture of both, this recipe is endlessly forgiving.
Serving Suggestions
However you choose to serve this, the golden rule is to serve hot, straight from the pot while the sauce is still glossy and fragrant. My go-to is a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes, or plain mashed potatoes if I’m short on time — either way, the mash is there to soak up every drop of that sauce spooned over the top. Buttered rice is a great lighter alternative if you fancy something less rich, and rice or pasta both do a fine job of carrying the flavour without competing with it.
If bread is more your thing, a chunk of crusty bread is unbeatable for helping you soak up the sauce right down to the last bit stuck to the plate. I like to balance the richness with a crisp green vegetable on the side — steamed green beans are my usual pair, served alongside the chicken rather than mixed in. However you plate it up, a generous dollop of mash and roughly two pieces of chicken per person makes for a properly satisfying plate.
Storage, Storage and Reheating, and Freezing
On the storage front, this dish is genuinely low-maintenance. Once it’s cooled to room temperature — don’t leave it out longer than about 2 hours — pop it into an airtight container or sealed container, cover it properly, and refrigerate. It’ll happily sit in the fridge or refrigerator for 3 days, sometimes stretching to 3–4 days, and the leftovers honestly taste even better once the flavours have had a night to settle.
For longer storage and reheating, this is a brilliant candidate for the freezer — just cool completely before you freeze it, ideally in single portions so you’re not defrosting more than you need. It’ll keep well for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating. To reheat thoroughly, I usually do a stovetop reheat with a splash of broth or water and a gentle stir over low heat to medium heat, though an oven reheat covered in foil at 350°F, or 175°C, for around 20–25 mins works just as well. The microwave is fine in a pinch, just reheat gently so the chicken doesn’t turn rubbery.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
On the nutrition side, this isn’t a diet dish, but it’s not outrageous either — think 420 kcal per portion, give or take, with some recipe variations landing closer to 356. You’re looking at roughly carbohydrates of 12g, sometimes as low as 10g, alongside a decent protein hit of 38g, or 35g depending on your cut of chicken. Fat sits around 24g, occasionally 15g, with saturated fat at about 6g.
For the rest of the nutrition facts: sodium typically comes in around 520mg, though it can climb to 600mg if your stock is on the salty side, with sugar at roughly 4g and fibre around 2g. These are all approximate values, and they’ll shift a bit depending on the exact ingredients used, so treat them as a helpful guide rather than gospel — actual numbers will always vary from kitchen to kitchen.
Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur Recipe (FAQs)
Q: What exactly is Chicken Chasseur?
A: Chicken Chasseur, also known as hunter’s chicken, is a classic French dish made with chicken braised in a rich tomato sauce with wine. The mushroom sauce is enriched with chicken stock or chicken broth, and if the flavour needs a lift, a splash of lemon juice or splash of vinegar helps create the perfect balance.
Q: What’s the best cut of chicken for Chicken Chasseur?
A: The best cut of chicken is usually thighs because they add extra richness and stay tender. However, chicken breasts are a great choice if you prefer leaner meat.
Q: Can I cook Chicken Chasseur on the hob instead of baking?
A: Yes. You can cook it on the hob instead of baking by letting it simmer gently for about 40–45 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and super moist. This slow cooking gives the sauce excellent depth.
Q: What should I serve with Chicken Chasseur?
A: It pairs perfectly with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, or rice. Each option helps soak up the sauce, which has a rich, slightly tomatoey flavour.
Try More Recipes
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Mary Berry Chicken Cacciatore RecipeÂ
Mary Berry Chicken Valencia Recipe
Mary Berry Chicken Chasseur Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Pat the 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on dry with kitchen paper, then season with 1 teaspoons salt and 0.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper and toss lightly in the 2 tablespoons plain flour to coat.
- . Remove and set aside on a plate.
- Cook the bacon and vegetables: Add 25 grams butter to the same pan along with 100 grams smoked streaky bacon, chopped (lardons). Fry until crisp, then add 200 grams button or chestnut mushrooms, sliced and 1 onion, finely chopped, cooking until softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes
- . Stir in 2 garlic cloves, crushed and cook for 1 more minute.
- Deglaze and build the sauce: Stir in 1 tablespoons tomato purée, then pour in 150 milliliters dry white wine and let it bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the base of the pan. Add 400 grams chopped tomatoes (tinned), 200 milliliters chicken stock, 1 teaspoons caster sugar, 1 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1 teaspoons tarragon, chopped (optional) if using. Stir well.
- Return the chicken and bake: Nestle the seared chicken back into the sauce, cover with a lid or foil, bring to a gentle boil, then transfer to the oven. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a rich, glossy consistency.
- Finish and serve: Discard the bay leaf, check the seasoning, and stir in 2 tablespoons fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped, for finishing. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread, spooning the sauce generously over the chicken — allow about two pieces per person.
