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!
The inspiration behind this recipe:
Before we left on a recent amazing European trip, 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.
Tips for making Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil:
- 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 a 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.
What to serve with this dish:
- Cauliflower White Bean Puree
- Asparagus Cordon Bleu
- Celery Root Puree
- Roasted Green Beans with Tomato Caper Relish
For more easy and delicious chicken recipes, be sure to try:
- Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken
- Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
- 40 Clove Garlic Chicken
- Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash Chickpeas and Olives
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Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil
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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.
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Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Didn’t realize this WASN’T a soup until after I shredded the cooked chicken and put back in the pot. But you know what? It’s a soup now! And one of our favorites!
Hi, Jimmy, Thanks so much and that’s fantastic!! Glad you’re enjoying. Thanks again!
Very good! I used bone in, skin on chicken thighs and it was delicious!
Hi, Anna, Thanks so very much and happy you enjoyed!
This was excellent! And very easy to put together. Will definitely make it again.
Hi, Julie, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed!!
Cut the recipe by 1/3 except chicken and it’s good to go. Too over barring in chicken broth and wine.
Hi, James, Sorry something in the recipe was “over barring.”
I haven’t made it yet, but lots of people appreciate extra sauce in a recipe!
Hi, Amanda, Thanks so much!! Yes, extra sauce for the potatoes, the rice, the pasta, the polenta, the cauliflower mash…. And, it’s not too difficult then to pop an extra breast in without having to do a lot of calculation. Thanks so very much!! Hope you try it and hope you enjoy!
How can I make a low fat version of this recipe? 16 grams of saturated fat is high.
Dee
Hi, Dee, Thanks so much for your question. The saturated fat sources in this recipe is coming from the chicken skin and the butter. You’d want to remove the skin and any additional chicken fat from the bone-in chicken breasts and skip the butter. You could substitute something plant-based, such as Earth Balance. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy!
Would this still work without the skin and boneless?
Hi, Audrey, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, you can use boneless chicken breasts; I think some other readers have. You can brown the chicken breasts, set them aside then make the sauce and let that flavor develop. Add the chicken and cook it through. Or, you braise the chicken breasts the chicken for the amount of time stated and they should be almost shreddable. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Excellent recipe! No modifications needed. Served it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Deeelicious!
Hi, Tillie, Thanks so very much and happy you enjoyed!! Sounds like a great menu!
Is it possible to leave out the tomatoes? We just have never gotten along.
Hi, Audrey, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, you can try leaving them out. Have you heard of Nomato products? It’s a line of products that taste like tomatoes which uses beets and other vegetables that might work for you. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Hi, this looks delicious, but I can’t eat mushrooms. What would you use instead?
Thank you!
Hi, Lisa, Thanks so much for your question! I totally understand; my husband is allergic to mushrooms, so he has to pick them out, or I just can’t put them in. What about carrots and pearl onions–similar to a coq a vin. I considered recommending artichoke hearts, but not sure they’d be very attractive in this recipe because of the red wine. Thanks again so much and hope you enjoy!
Would you be able to use chicken lefts I this recipe?
Hi, SS, Thanks so much for your question. I’m assuming you mean chicken thighs? Yes, you absolutely can! If that’s not what you meant, just let me know. Thanks again!
Hi Carol,
This was amazing! I didn’t have wild mushrooms so used basic sliced brown mushrooms, and served with green beans and croissants to sop up the sauce. So delicious, will definitely add to my regular rotation.
Thank you!
Hi, Liz, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed! The brown cremini mushrooms (baby Portobellos) are a great substitute. Thanks again!