Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil is a dish with a European flair! A rich, yet light wine sauce with earthy wild mushrooms is perfect for transitioning from summer to fall!
I’m baa-aack!
….Back from an amazing trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland my hubby and I took to celebrate our 20th anniversary which is today! We did a 14-day Rick Steves tour that was as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. We had a great time with great people and experienced so many great things!
Before we left, we had a crazy time trying to come up with ways to use up our late summer produce. That’s when Chicken Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil was born.
When deciding what to cook this time of year, I often feel torn between the seasons. The calendar shows that summer is over, but the weather will continue to be nice for at least another month or two. I mean…it’s 84 degrees today here!
Although it’s still warm outside, it’s hard to resist hearty, cold-weather comfort food. Except, we’re still enjoying some fresh summer produce from our garden!
Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil is a dish with a European flair that’s perfect for transitioning from summer to fall. It has the summer produce we were trying to use up before our trip such as fresh tomatoes and basil.
This dish also incorporates cool-weather elements such as braising for the cooking technique, red wine and mushrooms.
I used pinot noir because it’s a light to medium-bodied dry red wine and doesn’t overpower the delicate taste of white-meat chicken. If you prefer dark-meat chicken, pinot noir is still fine, or you could use a more full-bodied wine such as merlot.
Dried herbs, such as the dried oregano and thyme used here, should be added early in the cooking process. Fresh herbs, such as basil, are best added at the very end.
Cover the dish tightly to minimize the evaporation of the braising liquid before placing it in the oven. I like to place a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper over the pot before placing the lid on the pot.
Although cremini (baby portobello), oyster and shiitake mushrooms are often referred to as “wild,” they are cultivated.
Whether you wash mushrooms or not is personal preference. Mushrooms already have a lot of water in them, so it’s difficult for them to absorb more water.
If you prefer to wash them as I do, only wash whole mushrooms (not sliced). Do it shortly before using them then blot dry with a paper towel.
Mashed potatoes or polenta would be perfect on the side to soak up this rich, winey sauce. Just add a green veggie and you’ve got the perfect dish to transition from summer into fall.
Helpful Tools and Equipment to make Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil (Affiliate Links):
Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil
Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil is a dish with a European flair! A rich, yet light wine sauce with earthy wild mushrooms is perfect for transitioning from summer to fall!
Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil is a dish with a European flair! A rich, yet light wine sauce with earthy wild mushrooms is perfect for transitioning from summer to fall!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 split chicken breasts, (bone in, skin on)
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, halved
- 3 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or 1 cup drained, canned diced tomatoes)
- 1 cup dry red wine, preferably pinot noir
- 1 can (14.5-ounce) chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces mixed wild mushrooms (cremini, oyster and shiitake), sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven.
- Place chicken breasts skin side down in the hot oil and brown 4-5 minutes or until golden. Turn and brown the other side approximately 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Dutch oven and add the onion.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook onion 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and cook 1 minute.
- Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add the chicken broth, oregano and thyme and return to a boil.
- Place chicken skin side down in the pot, cover tightly and place in the oven. Cook 1 hour, turning once or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. Transfer Dutch oven to the stovetop.
- Combine 1 tablespoon butter with flour. Add to pot with chicken and bring to a simmer to thicken.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat in a skillet or saute pan.
- Add the mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to pot with chicken, stir in chopped fresh basil, adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper and serve.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD: Can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Heat covered in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through (30-35 minutes).
FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Cool thoroughly, place in an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and heat covered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 789Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 426mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 6gSugar: 10gProtein: 46g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Joe says
OK, Amazing. Made it with Chicken Thighs, add pearl onions and rainbow carrots. Cooked it skin side up, you were right — didn’t help. Fantastic company dish. Served it with polenta with peas and bacon — I thought I invented it but found a recipe. Wine, Apothic Inferno aged in whisky barrels. Perfect. My wife thinks I am amazing…
Carol says
Hi, Joe, Thanks so very much and I think you’re amazing, too! So glad you all enjoyed this dish. Love how you made it your own and polenta as a side dish is a great choice. Thanks again!
Sandy says
I made this in a cast-iron skillet with the lid and although the sauce was pretty good (too much butter for me), the skin-on, bone-in breasts were pretty dry. I’ll try it again with thighs next time.
Carol says
Hi, Sandy, Thanks so much for your feedback. Generally, braising skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts makes them more tender. Glad you enjoyed the sauce and maybe the thighs will work better for you. Thanks again!
Bev says
Seriously good. Used pearl onions and erved with an arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette dressing and small fresh nugget potatoes.
Carol says
Hi, Bev, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! Pearl onions are a great addition and thanks for the suggestion.
Luam says
Do you add the pearl onion frozen, directly to the pot at the same time with the mushrooms? I’m a new Dutch oven owner (#staubforlife)
Carol says
Hi, Luam, Thanks so very much for your question and I LOVE that you’re using a Dutch oven and didn’t ask me how long to do this in the Instant Pot. 🙂 The recipe doesn’t call for pearl onions but you could definitely add them. I would rinse them under cold running water to thaw them out and then add them during the last ten minutes or so. Thanks again and hope this helps!
Jan says
Hi
I have a big jar of dried mushrooms from Costco. Can I use them instead of fresh?
Thanks, Jan
Carol says
Hi, Jan, Thanks so much for your question! Yes, I think they will work fine. I would rehydrate them first then let them cook in the sauce. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Ariel says
Has this been made with shrimp and pasta?
Carol says
Hi, Ariel, I’m not too sure this recipe would work with shrimp but I think it would work perfectly with pasta! Thanks for your question.
Deborah says
Carol,
Delicious dish! Easy recipe to follow. Added some chopped kale to sautéed mushrooms! Thank you!
Carol says
Hi, Deborah, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed!
Beth Hall says
Carol,
I’m so happy to have spotted this beautiful recipe! I’ll be trying it later this week and I’m eager to explore more of your recipes. (My husband and I also do Rick Steves tours! Our 6th, to Switzerland, is coming up this summer!)
Carol says
Hi, Beth, Thanks so much for getting in touch and I hope you enjoy this recipe! So nice to “meet” another Rick Steve’s fan, too! We went to Edmonds, WA last month to the tour reunion and I got to meet him. He’s SOOOOO nice and does so much for the community and the environment. We’ll be doing our third Rick Steve’s tour this year to Eastern Europe. You’re going to LOVE Switzerland! Thanks again!
Debbie W says
Made this tonight, using a Cornish game hen, cut in quarters. Used a shallot instead of an onion because I had one cut. I also didn’t make the butter/flour mixture. It was WONDERFUL. I have already been told to make it again, even for company. Thanks for the recipe!
Carol says
Hi, Debbie, Thanks so much and so glad you and yours enjoyed! I love how you made the recipe your own, too! Thanks again and hope you’ll stay in touch.
William Forrester says
HI Carol,
I wanted to double the recipe for 4 people. Would I double the liquid amounts to make more juice and cover the chicken?
Carol says
Hi, William, Thanks so much for your question. You absolutely could do that. I tend to like more sauce in general. Thanks again and hope everyone enjoys!
Karen says
I would like to try making this in an Instant Pot. Has anyone tried yet?
Carol says
Hi, Karen, Thanks so much for your question. You can certainly do this in the Instant Pot. Here’s the information from Instant Pot on how to do split chicken breasts: https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/bone-in-chicken-breasts/ I would still add the mushrooms in last so they maintain their texture. Thanks and hope you enjoy!
Renee Hanks says
I see you say to add the chicken skin side down in the pot. Wouldn’t you want the chicken skin side up to it remains a bit crispy and not soggy? Thanks!
Carol says
Hi, Renee, Thanks so much for your question. You could do it that way if you’d like. Keeping chicken skin crispy in a braised chicken dish is next to impossible unless you keep it above the liquid. However, the top is not going to pick up the wine flavor. Also, I did it that way because of the bone-in chicken breast because the bone, rather than the chicken meat would be in the liquid. Again, if you prefer to do it the other way, you can certainly do that. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy!
Kathryn says
Could you use thighs? And would you leave bone in and skin on? And how long would you cook them? Thanks Kathryn
Carol says
Hi, Kathryn, Thanks so much for your great question. You absolutely could use chicken thighs. Leaving the skin on is up to you but whenever you cook any protein with the bones, you’re adding to the flavor so I would advise using chicken thighs on the bone. You would cook them for approximately the same amount of time, maybe a little less as they’re smaller. However, thighs hold up to longer cooking and will only become more and more tender. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Traci says
This gorgeous recipe is so elegant, yet so approachable. Love it that Pinot is the recommended red! Such a great way to make chicken NOT boring. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Carol says
Thanks so much, Traci! Hope you enjoyed!
Trish says
Can I cook this recipe in slow cooker (crockpot)?
Carol says
Hi, Trish, Thanks so much for your question! Don’t see why you couldn’t. I would do 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low. Whether you want to put the mushrooms in at the beginning or add them later is up to you. Mushrooms can really overcook. I like to add them add the end so they retain their texture. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Sarah says
Have you ever tried cooking the mushrooms in with the chicken?
Carol says
Hi, Sarah, Thanks so much for your question. You absolutely could do that, but I think they have better texture when added near the end. Mushrooms have a tendency to shrink quite a bit, too. It’s personal preference above anything. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Cassie says
Is it possible to use skinless boneless chicken breasts?
Carol says
Hi, Cassie, Thanks so much for your question. I think that would be just fine. You shouldn’t have to cook them as long as breasts on the bone. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
So Simply Sweet says
This was delicious and easy. Used chicken thighs and cooked in a cast iron skillet (covered) for 50 min instead of the oven (was 92 out on Oct 1). Easy week-night dinner.
Carol says
Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Yes, it’s crazy hot here, too! This dish is very versatile and chicken thighs are perfect. Thanks again!
Julie says
Could I add potatoes?
Carol says
Hi, Julie, Yes, you probably could; don’t see why you couldn’t. Some mashed potatoes or cauliflower puree on the side would also be great with this dish. Thanks for your question!
Julie says
Could you use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Carol says
Hi, Julie, Absolutely! I used the bone-in chicken breasts because that’s what we had on hand before going on our trip as I mentioned in the post. Thighs would be great! Thanks so much for your question and hope you enjoy!
Julie says
Thanks I am making it now with chicken drumsticks and potatoes. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks again
Julie says
Thank you! It was amazing! Followed everything and added potatoes cut up in small pieces, peas and used chicken drumsticks. Will follow your recipes!
Carol says
Thanks so much, Julie! So glad you enjoyed and you really filled up my heart! I hope you will stay in touch!
Ohmydish says
Hi Carol, happy anniversary ! This recipe looks so amazing and delicious, it really fits the season. thank you for sharing it with the world!
Carol says
Thanks! Happy to share it with the world!
Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says
Oh my goodness, Carol, that looks soooo delicious! It’s just beautiful! Happy anniversary too! So happy to hear that the Rick Steves tours are wonderful.
Carol says
Thanks, Karen! The Rick Steve’s tour was wonderful! They try to get you into the European culture and get you interacting with the locals. For example, the first hotel we stayed at had a retirement home attached to it.
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
Not sure I can get my husband to part with a cup of his beloved pinot noir for this, but if I can, it will surely be a treat. Love the pairing of chicken and wild mushrooms – rich but not heavy.
Willa says
Sounds yummy!! Can’t wait to try!! I love chicken (and wine)