Honey Mustard Cream Sauce with Chanterelles

Chanterelles make this honey mustard cream sauce go from delicious to effing faboulous with their woodsy, earthy and peppery flavors. This dish truly screams fall but too delicious not too eat all year around.

 

 

The cream sauce is velvety smooth, with big chunks of chanterelles, caramelized onion and of course a little herby thyme for good measure.

 

To maximize the flavor of this honey mustard cream sauce, I am also providing you with my favorite way of making this, and that means it includes a chicken recipe as well! If you want to make something deliciously vegetarian, I highly - highly - recommend these fluffy pumpkin gnocchi instead.

 

 

You can use this cream sauce to pretty much anything (more on that below), but pan frying marinated chicken and then using the same pan for the sauce is UNBELIEVABLY delicious!

 

Other mushroom recipes

 

Considering I found a perfect place to go wild mushroom foraging, I now have approximately $400+ worth of chanterelles in my freezer. In my experience, you can pretty much use chanterelle mushrooms interchangeably with white button mushroom in these recipes. 

 

Chanterelles taste more than white button mushrooms. As I mentioned, they are earthy, woodsy with a hint of mild pepper. If you think a recipe can benefit from these flavors, chanterelles are your best friends. 

 

 

White button mushrooms are more versatile, as I don't think chanterelles can work in a bolognese or lo mein. However, they would be mega delicious in these recipes:

 

• Wild mushroom ravioli smothered in a brown butter sauce (this uses chanterelles in the first place too!)
• Spinach & mushroom quesadillas with caramelized onion
• Caramelized onion, mushroom and apple puffs
• Cauliflower soup (scroll a little to find it)
• Cream of chanterelle soup from Or Whatever You Do
• Buckwheat risotto with chicken and chanterelle from Everyday Delicious
• Mushroom, Brie and Arugula Pizza from Christina's Cucina

 

I know, I know, it's difficult to choose what to make of these golden mushrooms, but let's start with this fantastic honey mustard cream sauce.

 

How to clean chanterelles

 

Just as with other mushroom, one should not clean chanterelles using water. They absorb all the water, resulting in slimey chanterelles that won't absorb the flavors of the sauce *gasp*. 

 

They are super easy to clean though, using a pastry brush, also known as a basting brush. Both silicone and natural bristles work really well.

 

Cut the ends off your mushroom, but leave as much of the stem as possible. Then take your pastry brush and gently brush upwards to remove dirt from the crinkles. Next, brush the top and they are ready to go. 

 

 

Do not worry about a little dirt. That is totally fine! It's better with a little dirt than to torture the shroom into nothingness.

 

How to cook chanterelle mushrooms

 

Dry roast them to evaporate liquid and you will get delicious crispy edges. That is important on dishes like chanterelle toast or simply sautéed chanterelles, however - I don't find that as important in a sauce.

 

How to dry roast mushroom - in a dry pan on medium heat, add mushroom in one single layer to give all the mushroom as much surface area of the pan as possible. The pan should be hot enough to make a sizzling sound. Let the mushroom cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the edges are crispy.

 

In this recipe we are maximizing flavor and not crispy texture, and so I begin with the super flavorful fat from the chicken, and the mega delicious nuttiness from the brown butter. 

 

 

I am a sucker for brown butter, using it in both savory recipes (like this pumpkin sage brown butter soup) but also sweet (like brown butter buttercream)! It is so easy too, so you don't have to worry about it - it just takes about 7-10 minutes longer than regular melted butter. So epically worth it!

 

What to serve with honey mustard cream sauce

 

It is a versatile sauce, however I do prefer it with comforting fall flavors. It is perfect with:

 

• Chicken, like in this recipe (or even a whole roasted chicken for Thanksgiving!)
• Pork 
• Beef
• Lamb, like this herb-crusted rack of lamb!

 

And then all the sides:

• Steamed, boiled or roasted carrots, broccoli and/or asparagus
• Garlic parmesan green beans
• Cheddar sweet potato mash
• Herby scalloped potatoes, roasted potato wedges or any other delicious potato recipe
• Garlic butter kale (3 minutes and 3 ingredients are all you need for this dish!)
• Honey balsamic roasted brussels sprouts or pan-fried crispy brussels sprouts

 

 

I usually serve this with chicken, steamed carrots and broccoli and then crispy roasted potato wedges (recipe coming). 

 

Can you use other mushrooms in this dish?

 

Yes! Although chanterelles are the best mushroom in the world (they are known as the gold of the forest for a reason right?), there are other options when chanterelles aren't available. You can use porcini (boletus), regular white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms.

 

If you only have dried mushroom, that is also fine! Just soak them in water for 10-15 minutes and cook as normal. But canned mushrooms should only be thrown in the trash - do not use canned mushrooms ever!

 

 

How to make honey mustard cream sauce

 

Start with marinating the chicken if making. Combine all the marinade ingredients (1) and place chicken breast in, turn around to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cook on high heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through (2). Set chicken aside, but use the same pan.

 

 

Reduce temperature to medium. In the same skillet, add butter. Let this brown for about 5-7 minutes or until it smells nutty (4). Add in all your chopped chanterelles, onion and garlic, and toss to coat evenly (5). Once coated, take out ⅔ of the mushroom mix. 

 

 

Cook ⅓ of the mushroom mix until soft, about 5 minutes (5). Set aside and continue with another ⅓ and then the last ⅓ for 5 minutes each. Once all the mushrooms have been cooked, set them aside and continue with the sauce.

 

If needed, deglaze the pan with just a splash of white wine first. If not, simply pour it all in and then the rest of the sauce ingredients (7). Let this come to a simmer and thicken for about 15 minutes (longer is also fine) (8). Add the mushroom and chicken back into the pan to re-heat. 

 

Serve with steamed vegetables like carrot and broccoli, and roasted potato wedges (and of course the rest of the white wine). Scroll to find a complete, printable recipe card. Enjoy!

 

 

Did you like this honey mustard cream sauce? Here's more I think you'll like:

 

• Citrus Rosemary Turkey Breast and gravy recipe
• Creamy Parmesan Pumpkin Pasta
• Lemon Chicken Winter Salad with honey mustard dressing!
• Curry Coconut Carrot Soup
• Homemade Dinner Rolls with Cheese and Bacon
• and probably all of these 7 Tasty Ways to Use Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later! To make sure you’re never missing another recipe, please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. As a thanks you will receive a free e-cookbook Travels Through the Seasons, with many delicious recipes from around the world that suit different seasons of the year.

 

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