Chicken With Creamy Mushroom Sage Sauce

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts with a creamy mushroom sauce with vermouth, cream, and sage.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated October 12, 2021
Elise Bauer
Chicken with Mushroom Sage Sauce
Sally Vargas

You know what the best thing is about chicken breast cutlets?

They cook up in about nothing flat. They're great for midweek meals when you are just rushing to get something on the table.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Chicken breasts also take to sauces well. Since they're relatively lean, they love rich, cream-based sauces. This particular creamy sauce is loaded with mushrooms and seasoned with sage. I found the sauce accompanying a pasta recipe on Bon Appetit years ago, delicious! And perfect to go with chicken cutlets.

Sally Vargas

Up the Mushroom Flavor

How to get the most mushroom flavor in the sauce? Include a few sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms in with the cremini or button mushrooms. They are more expensive, but shiitakes pack a lot of flavor in a small package, so you only need a few.

Feel free to experiment with the herbs. This sauce calls for sage, but you could also use tarragon or thyme.

What to serve with this chicken dish? I recommend some rice or egg noodles, along with a green like asparagus, spinach, or kale.

What are your favorite sauces for chicken breasts? Let us know in the comments!

Chicken With Creamy Mushroom Sage Sauce

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 4 servings

For extra mushroomy flavor, include a few shiitake mushrooms with the cremini or button mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter

  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots

  • 8 to 10 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, thickly sliced

  • 2 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

  • 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (light cream may curdle, so use heavy cream)

  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets or skinless, boneless chicken breasts pounded to an even 1/4 inch to 1/3 inch thickness

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Cook the shallots and mushrooms:

    Melt the butter in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for one minute.

    Sally Vargas

    Add the mushrooms and parsley and sauté for 7-10 more minutes, or until the mushrooms have browned. If you are using unsalted butter, sprinkle on a pinch of salt.

    Sally Vargas
    Sally Vargas
  2. Make the sauce:

    Add the vermouth and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan.

    Stir in the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

    Sally Vargas
    Sally Vargas
  3. Cook the chicken cutlets:

    While the sauce is simmering, heat the olive oil in another large sauté pan on medium high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken breast cutlets.

    Add cutlets to pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.

    Sally Vargas
    Sally Vargas
  4. Finish the sauce and serve:

    Stir the sage into the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

    Sally Vargas

    Serve alone or with a vegetable (for low carb version) or with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta (use gluten-free pasta for gluten-free version). Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Sauce adapted from Bon Appétit.

Chicken with Mushroom Sage Sauce
Sally Vargas
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
646 Calories
33g Fat
15g Carbs
57g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 646
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 17g 84%
Cholesterol 213mg 71%
Sodium 292mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 57g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 83mg 6%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 951mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.