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Chicken Breasts with Sherried Mushrooms

Chicken breasts simmered in a sherry and mushroom sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Shallot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,737 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Chicken Breasts with Sherried Mushrooms

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the sauce base

  1. Place the broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup. Set aside.

  2. Combine flour, salt, and pepper; sprinkle over the chicken.

Brown the chicken

  1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot.

  2. Add the chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

  3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Wipe the drippings from the skillet.

Make the mushroom sauce

  1. Coat the skillet with cooking spray; add the margarine and place over medium-high heat until the margarine melts.

  2. Add the mushrooms and shallots; sauté until tender.

  3. Combine 1 tablespoon sherry and cornstarch; stir well and set aside.

  4. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons sherry and the broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook until the sauce is reduced to ¾ cup.

  5. Add the cornstarch mixture; cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute or until thickened. Return the chicken to the skillet, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender.

Serve

  1. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter; top evenly with the mushroom mixture.

  2. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

933Calories
48 gProtein
30 gFat
110 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chicken100g cooked165
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Mushrooms1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Shallot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,737 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,172 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).

  4. Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,982 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Mushroom + sherrytop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,176 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (smoky, clove).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken breast halves
Provides the main protein, which browns on the outside and stays moist when gently simmered.
All-purpose flour
Dusts the chicken so it browns well and helps thicken the pan juices.
Mushrooms
Release moisture and savory flavor as they sauté, forming the body of the sauce.
Dry sherry
Adds acidity and aroma, deepening the flavor of the pan sauce as it reduces.
Cornstarch
Thickens the reduced broth into a glossy sauce when heated.
Chicken broth
Forms the liquid base of the sauce, carrying flavor from the pan.

The step that matters

Thickening the sauce with the cornstarch mixture. Cornstarch must be stirred into a mixture that is just simmering, and cooked about a minute while stirring constantly. This gelatinizes the starch and thickens the sauce evenly; adding it to a cold or unstirred liquid causes lumps and a thin, uneven sauce.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, flour, pepper, mushroom, shallot, sherry):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Marjoramfits about as well
  3. Tarragonfits about as well
  4. Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, flour, pepper, mushroom, shallot, sherry. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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