Chicken Madeira is super simple to make. It's elegant enough to be served on special occasions but simple enough to be served every day. Tender chicken is coated in a spicy mixture, cooked to perfection, and then added to a creamy dreamy Madeira mushroom sauce.
In case you didn't know, Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands. It is an excellent after-dinner aperitif, especially with cheese and crackers. Needless to say, it contributed to an excellent dish that is easy to make and takes little time to put together.
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Ingredients: What You'll Need For This Recipe
The ingredients for this recipe are pretty standard.
- The Chicken: I used tender chicken breasts in this recipe.
- The Coating: For the coating of the chicken, I used cornstarch and Creole seasoning. You could also use all-purpose flour here. I always use Emeril's Essence for Creole seasoning in my recipes.
- The Mushrooms: I used regular white button mushrooms in the sauce. You could also use Cremini mushrooms in this recipe.
- The Sauce: The amazing sauce for this recipe used Madeira (thus the name!), chicken broth, and sour cream.
- The Rest: I used olive oil to cook the chicken. Also, I had on hand Kosher salt and black pepper if needed for additional seasoning.
Steps in Initial Preparation
- I started by slicing the chicken breasts horizontally into three thin pieces.
- Next, I combined the cornstarch and Creole seasoning in a Ziploc bag. Then, I added the chicken. I gave the bag a shake to thoroughly coat the chicken.
- After that, I made a slurry by combining some cornstarch and chicken broth in a small bowl. Finally, I whisked together the sour cream and remaining chicken broth.
That's it for the prep!
Here's How To Make This Delicious Recipe
- I started by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, I added half of the chicken and cooked it until golden brown on both sides. This took 3 to 4 minutes.
I repeated this with the remaining chicken.
- When the chicken was done, I increased the heat to high and added the sliced mushrooms. I cooked the mushrooms, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
- Then, I added the Madeira to the mushrooms in the skillet. I brought the Madeira to a boil over high heat, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- When the Madeira had reduced by half after about 2 minutes, I added the chicken broth/sour cream mixture. I stirred the mixture constantly until it started to thicken.
- I further thickened the sauce by adding the cornstarch/chicken broth slurry. Once the sauce was thickened, I returned the chicken to the skillet. I spooned the mushroom sauce over the chicken and heated it for several minutes.
Time for dinner! I served the Chicken Madeira with angel hair pasta and green peas for a delicious dinner. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Madeira is a fortified wine named for the island of Madeira off the coast of Africa. It ranges from sweet to dry and is often used as an aperitif. I often flavor mushrooms as they are cooking with Madeira for an exceptional flavor.
Madeira adds a lot of flavor to this recipe. Rather than omit the Madeira, substitute a good Marsala wine. The tastes are similar.
Any leftovers can be refrigerated for several days. I like to reheat the Chicken Madeira in the microwave.
Chula's Tips
- You can use either cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms in this recipe. Both work equally well.
- I like to coat the chicken in cornstarch prior to pan-frying it. All-purpose flour will also work for coating the chicken. I think, however, that the slurry should be made with cornstarch.
- I like to use thinly sliced chicken breasts ( about ¼-inch thickness) in this recipe for two reasons. First, the thinly sliced chicken cooks quickly. Second, the thinly sliced chicken tends to be more tender than a thicker cup.
- Generally, I serve the Chicken Madeira with some type of pasta. Any pasta will do such as angel hair pasta, spaghetti,Penne,or Rotini. The Chicken Madeira is also good served with mashed potatoes or steamed baby potatoes.
- This recipe calls for using sour cream in the sauce. I've found that the best way to fully incorporate the sour cream is to whisk it into the cold chicken broth. That way, when the broth mixture is added, the sour cream doesn't form little white globs that sometimes occur when sour cream is added directly to the hot broth.
- Sometimes, I modify this recipe to make Chicken Madeira Pasta. The ingredients are the same. However, I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once everything is cooked, I toss the chicken with sauce and pasta cooked to the al dente stage for a delicious meal.
If you're looking for another great recipe that uses Madeira, check out my Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Madeira Cream Sauce.
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Chicken Madeira
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup (2-ounces) cornstarch, divided (See Tip 1)
- 1 Tablespoon Creole seasoning (See Tip 2)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (See Tip 3)
- ½ pound (8-ounces) sliced mushrooms (See Tip 4)
- ¾ cup (6-ounces) Madeira
- 2 cups (16-ounces) low sodium chicken broth, divided
- ½ cup (4-ounces) sour cream
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Minced parsley or chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine 3 tablespoon of cornstarch and 4 tablespoons chicken broth in a small bowl to make a slurry. Set aside.
- Whisk together remaining chicken broth and sour cream. Set aside.
- Combine remaining cornstarch and Creole seasoning in a Ziploc bag. Set aside.
- Trim chicken breasts of all fat. Horizontally slice chicken breasts into two to three thin slices. Place in Ziploc bag. Shake to thoroughly coat.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add half of the chicken breasts; cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet; cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid, about 3 minutes. Add the Madeira and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until Madeira has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth/sour cream mixture; cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the cornstarch/chicken broth slurry; cook stirring constantly until thickened.
- Lower the heat to medium. Return the chicken breasts to the pan. Continue to cook until the chicken breasts are heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with minced parsley or chives and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.
Tips/Notes
- May use all-purpose flour in place of the cornstarch to coat the chicken. However, use cornstarch to make the slurry.
- I always use Emeril's Essence that I make for myself for Creole seasoning.
- May need to add additional olive oil to cook the second batch of chicken.
- You can use either white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms.
