Chanterelle Cream Sauce – With Chicken, Steak, or Pasta
With the arrival of fall, and the fall rains, comes the mushrooms! Here on Whidbey Island, we have quite the variety of mushrooms that grow in the wild…. one of my favorites is the chanterelle. I regularly hike in an area called the “Kettles”, which is a forested, trail-filled area in the central part of the island. The Kettles Trail System is located partly in Fort Ebey State Park, and partly on Island County maintained land. There are over 30 miles of trails to hike, bike, or ride on horseback. https://salishmagazine.org/whidbey-island-kettles/ Along with the trail activities, there is mushroom foraging! When recently hiking, I ran into a fellow forager who had a basket chock full of Matsutakes, Hedgehogs, and Chanterelles. Quite the inspiration for my own foraging…. as well as a kitchen inspiration for Chanterelle Cream Sauce!
Skunked by False Chanterelles
My friend and I went on a foraging mission last weekend, hoping to fill our basket with beauties, in search of the star ingredient for my Chanterelle Cream Sauce. We were skunked. We actually came back with a basket full of “chanterelles”, only to find the they were actually “false chanterelles”. The false ones looked so much like the real ones, but the dark gills and hollow stems gave away their false identity! If you find this interesting, this site is wonderful for mushroom foraging: https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/chanterelle-mushrooms.html
Since my heart was already set on a Creamy Chanterelle dinner, I had to head to the local market for some true Chanterelles. Thankfully, they had some, which were super fresh and locally foraged. If you would like to order some wild Chanterelle mushrooms, here is a great source: https://nwwildfoods.com?sca_ref=9552109.f8susya3ZW8K
I haven’t given up on finding Chanterelles in the Kettles….. I will keep trying. But, in the meantime, and thanks to local foragers, I was able to enjoy this lovely Chanterelle Cream Sauce. I made it with Chicken, but it is lovely on steak, or as a creamy sauce for pasta.
Chanterelle Cream Sauce – With Chicken, Pasta, or Steak
Ingredients
Chicken (or Steak)
- 2 Chicken Breasts Substitute for (2) 8oz steaks, or (2) servings of cooked pasta
- 2 Tbsp Butter or Duck Fat
- Salt/Pepper
Chanterelle Cream Sauce
- 2 Cups Fresh Chanterelle Mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic, pressed
- 1/2 Cup White Wine, dry Chardonnay works beautifully
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
- Salt/Pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken (or Steak)
- Season meat with Salt and Pepper.
- Heat the Butter/Duck Fat in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 1-2 minutes on both sides until golden brown.
- Turn heat down to medium, and continue to cook chicken, about 5 minutes more on each side. Cook until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- While Chicken is cooking, slice the Chanterelles and chop the herbs.
- Remove from pan and set aside. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Chanterelle Cream Sauce
- In same skillet, add melt the Butter and Garlic. Sauté for about 1 minute, until garlic is slightly browned and fragrant.
- Add Sliced Chanterelles to the skillet and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until tender. As they are cooking use wooden spoon to scrape the bits of chicken/garlic that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the White Wine and let it simmer for about 3 minutes, or until it reduces by about half.
- Stir in the Heavy Cream, half of the parsley, and thyme. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until flavors combine. The sauce will slightly thicken.
- Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
Assembling and Serving
- Return the Chicken back to the skillet. Spoon sauce and mushrooms over the meat. Cook for about 3 minutes so flavors meld and chicken is heated through.
- Garnish with remaining Parsley, and serve.
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