Champagne Chicken

Got leftover champagne, sparkling wine, or prosecco?  Then you need this Champagne Chicken recipe.  

Champagne Chicken isn’t difficult to make, but it certainly presents as a super fancy dish.  It would be lovely on a special date night dinner or as a celebratory dinner.  Sautéed chicken cutlets luxuriate in a rich mushroom cream sauce with champagne and topped with parmesan cheese–what’s not to like?

You don’t need an excellent champagne for Champagne Chicken.  If you have half a bottle of Dom Perignon or Cristal, for Pete’s sake, drink it before it goes flat!  Honestly, any inexpensive dry sparkling wine works here beautifully.  Heck, I’m using Cook’s “champagne” left over from a recent mimosa brunch.  The Cook’s was still fizzy this time, but last time I made it with flat prosecco, and that worked for Champagne Chicken just fine, too.

Given the delicacy of the cream sauce, I always use white button mushrooms rather than criminis in this recipe.  Heavy cream is a must, but you don’t need much.  

I like to serve Champagne Chicken over pasta.  You could certainly serve it over rice, and I know some people prefer it over mashed potatoes.  I think some crusty bread on the side to soak up any extra sauce is a good idea, too.

Finally, a simple green vegetable on the side is perfect.  I usually serve a no frills, low key, leaf lettuce salad with a sprinkling of minced shallots with a quick vinaigrette.  The simple and tangy salad pairs well with the creamy sauce, complementing but not upstaging it or becoming cloying.  Cream sauces can be rich!

If you’re looking to pair a wine, I’d serve a buttery chardonnay or even a dry rosé.  

Cheers!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Champagne Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breast cutlets
• salt and pepper
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. butter
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ t. dried thyme
• 3 T. flour
• 1½ cups champagne or other sparkling wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Brown the chicken on both sides, remove to a plate and set aside. Do not clean the skillet.
• Add the butter to the skillet with the mushrooms and shallots. Sauté until the mushrooms are very soft. Add the garlic and the thyme, and continue to sauté for a minute or two. Add the flour, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes to cook the raw taste off.
• Add ⅓ of the champagne and stir constantly, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the rest of the champagne and cook while the champagne is thick enough to leave a trail on the bottom of the skillet when a wooden spoon is dragged through it. Stir in the chicken stock and the cream. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.
• Add the chicken and turn the sauce to low. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce on top of the chicken, until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve