Creamy Chicken with Bell Pepper, Mushroom Wine Sauce Recipe

TL;DR

This dish was inspired by central European meals, including the Swiss chicken Geschnetzeltes, the Hungarian chicken paprikash and the chicken version of an Austrian beef goulash.

Warm spices, combined with sweet colorful bell peppers and earthy button mushrooms, make this wine infused creamy sauce a meal you won’t be able to stop eating.

The ease of preparing it, makes it a must-try for every home cook looking for a new dinner idea.

Ingredient Notes

• Onion — Medium-small white onion.
• Garlic
• Mushroom — Button mushrooms are most suitable.
• Bell Pepper — I like to use 3 small snack bell peppers because they are mild in flavor, colorful and more tender. I mix yellow, red, and orange for aesthetics.
• Chicken — Breast or thighs. You can use turkey breasts too.
• Olive Oil — You may substitute with butter or sunflower or canola oil. I think olive oil is the best option.
• Mace (optional) — A not-so-well known spice. You can substitute it with a pinch of grated nutmeg, or skip.
• Bay Leaf — we need only a small piece.
• Fresh or Dried Herbs — Mix or use either Thyme, Rosemary and Savory herb. I like to use a sprig of each or if you don’t have fresh herbs, use 1 Teaspoon of Thyme, a pinch of rosemary powder (rosemary can be overpowering dried and crushed). Savory herb isn’t that common outside Europe.
• White Wine — To deglaze the sauce. If you cook without alcohol, substitute with a chicken broth, but the flavor profile will change.
• Black Pepper & Salt
• Caraway Seeds — An important spice that is a staple in central European homes. If you don’t have that, substitute with cumin seeds, but the flavors will change considerably. I recommend buying a small quantity of caraway seeds instead.
• Paprika — Sweet or smoked.
• Cream — Unflavored table cream or heavy cream. You may use half-and-half if that’s what you get, but it won’t turn out as creamy, and you will have to cook down the sauce a little more to get it to the desired consistency.
• Water

Process Overview

Step 1

Prep all the fresh ingredients. Slice the onion, chop the garlic, slice the bell pepper small and slice the mushrooms.

Also cut the chicken into smaller strips.

Step 2

Heat the pan and sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper.

Stir in the whole spices, the mace and the bay leaf, and then the mushrooms. Cook down the mushrooms.

Step 3

Make some space and stir in the chicken, cook the chicken a bit on all sides.

If you are using fresh herbs, add them now and deglaze the pan with the wine.

Step 4

Season your meal with salt, black pepper, dried herbs (if you are using dried herbs), caraway seeds and paprika.

Step 5

Pour in the cream and water. Mix it all well.

Simmer down the sauce to the desired consistency. When done, remove the whole spices and serve up hot.

Serving

This skillet chicken main course meal is great with steamed or boiled rice. I love it with butter parsley potatoes and instant ebly as well.

You could add some veggies to that. I think steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots do well.

A simpler serving version would be to serve this meal with freshly baked baguette bread, or in Central Europe we like to use whole wheat bread slices such as black rye bread or spelt bread.

Storing

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge cooled for up to 3 days at most. Gradually reheat in the oven, microwave or in a skillet.

This dish can be frozen in batch to meal prep in advance. Just prep is exactly as per the instructions and transfer it to a rectangular freezer friendly glass container.

I like to use a glass one so that I can pop the frozen meal into the oven to thaw and reheat.