Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms with Crispy Sage – tender chicken simmered in a sherry cream sauce with mushrooms and finished with crispy sage. An easy, elegant skillet dinner for any night.
If sherry feels like something your grandmother cooked with and then forgot about, this chicken might change your mind. A splash of sherry adds depth and warmth to a creamy mushroom sauce without overpowering it, turning simple chicken into something rich, savory, and deeply comforting. Finished with crispy sage, this one-pan dinner is proof that a few classic ingredients used well can still feel completely current.
I have a huge affinity for sherry, and I sometimes find myself pulling it out of the pantry all the time. This is an obvious match; sherry goes perfectly with chicken and with mushrooms, and I added the sage to give it some crunch and texture. I love how well it worked here, and I’ve made it a couple of times since and double or tripled the amount of sage because it’s so good.
Why Cook with Sherry?
Sherry adds depth without overpowering the dish, which is exactly why it works so well in creamy chicken recipes like this one. A splash of dry sherry brings subtle sweetness, gentle acidity, and a savory backbone that makes chicken and mushrooms taste richer and more complex – without needing a long simmer or 97 ingredients.
Unlike cooking wine (which is often salty and flat), real dry sherry enhances sauces the same way white wine does, but with a warmer, slightly nutty finish. It’s especially good with mushrooms, cream, and herbs – basically, all the cozy, skillet-dinner things happening here.
The alcohol cooks off quickly, leaving behind flavor, not booze, so the end result tastes balanced, not sharp. If you don’t cook with sherry often, this is the recipe that will convince you to start keeping a bottle in the pantry.
How Do You Make Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms with Crispy Sage?
This was one of those dishes that came together so easily. I knew mushrooms would be a main player because I had these pretty portobellos that have been calling my name from the fridge, along with some fresh sage.
This is a fairly straightforward recipe; the mushrooms get browned, and then the chicken, and finally a pan sauce is made with the sherry.
Now, the butter is gonna brown a little while you’re frying the sage. If you don’t like that you could pour it out and start over after you fry them and add new oil/butter for the chicken. But, the brown butter totally works here. I did add more olive oil right before I started the chicken, but not a lot.
Dry Sherry vs Cooking Sherry
Now, let’s talk sherry. There’s dry sherry, sherry cooking wine and there’s sherry vinegar. Dry sherry is best, but if you can’t find it sherry cooking wine will work. The difference is that sherry cooking wine has added salt for preserving, so keep that in mind if using. You do not want sherry vinegar here.
Oh, how I love sherry.
It’s absolutely mandatory here, so please don’t skimp on it or it just won’t be the same. Marsala just doesn’t cut it for me, especially with the mushrooms.
Am I weird?
What To Serve With Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms with Crispy Sage
This is a dish you’ll want to put over rice, polenta or couscous to soak up your sauce. A wedge salad or Caesar salad would be great with it, too, and some crusty bread to round it out.
This is perfect cool weather comfort food.
Here’s the printable-
Sherry Chicken and Mushrooms with Crispy Sage
Tender chicken simmered in a creamy sherry sauce with mushrooms and crispy sage. An easy skillet dinner that feels restaurant-worthy.
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ oz. fresh sage leaves (a handful)
- Coarse salt and pepper
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (if they're thick pound them down a little)
- 1 lb portobello mushrooms, washed thoroughly and sliced
- ¼ cup Sherry cooking wine
- ¼ cup whole cream (whole milk will work, too)
- Rice, for serving (I used Jasmine)
Instructions
- Whisk water and flour together in a small mixing bowl; set aside.
- Heat butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
- Add sage leaves and fry, flipping over a couple of times, until a little brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel and sprinkle with a little salt.
- Generously sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to pan; saute for 2 minutes on each side (you want them golden brown). Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to drain.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook another 2-3 minutes on each side until done all the way through. Remove from heat and cover with foil.
- Increase heat back to medium heat and add mushrooms to pan and saute, scraping the pan to get up all the yummy bits, about 2-3 minutes (you may want to drizzle with a little more olive oil if the pan is too dry). Remove and cover.
- Add water/flour mixture, sherry and cream to the pan and bring to a low boil; reduce heat to medium. Salt and pepper to taste, whisking until thick and reduce heat to low.
- Place the chicken and mushrooms in the pan with gravy and cover.
- Serve chicken over rice topped with gravy and mushrooms, top with crispy sage.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 Amounts Per Serving: Calories: 470Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 313mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 41gThe provided nutrition calculated may not always be accurate.
This Post Has One Comment
Fried sage? Amazing! Beautiful dish and your pics are stunning t00! Hope all is well. XO ~ d