Thirteen ingredients and under an hour, in one skillet and one baking dish.
The sauce is built in the pan the chicken browned in, and the sherry goes in before the liquid so it cooks down with the mushrooms.
Five Steps in One Skillet
Chicken Gloria is defined by a sherried mushroom sauce: DRY SHERRY in the sauce and MUENSTER CHEESE on top. The order below is what makes the sherry count.
Brown
1 1/2 lb CHICKEN BREASTS CUT INTO 6 THIN PORTIONS, seasoned with 1 tsp SALT and 1/2 tsp BLACK PEPPER and BROWNED LIGHTLY IN 2 tbsp OLIVE OIL, then TRANSFERRED TO A BAKING DISH. Lightly - the oven finishes them.
Mushrooms
8 oz SLICED CREMINI MUSHROOMS COOKED IN THE SAME SKILLET UNTIL BROWNED. They go in second so they can pick up what the chicken left behind.
Thicken1 minute
2 tbsp UNSALTED BUTTER and 2 tbsp FLOUR COOKED 1 MINUTE with the mushrooms. A minute is enough to lose the raw flour taste.
Sherry
2 tbsp DRY SHERRY STIRRED IN before any other liquid, so it reduces against the hot pan and is COOKED INTO THE SAUCE.
Finish and bake22 to 28 minutes at 375°F
1 1/2 cups CHICKEN BROTH and 1/2 cup HEAVY CREAM SLOWLY WHISKED IN with 1 tsp DRIED THYME and SIMMERED UNTIL LIGHTLY THICKENED, POURED OVER THE CHICKEN, COVERED WITH 6 oz MUENSTER and BAKED 22 TO 28 MINUTES UNTIL THE CHICKEN REACHES 165°F AND THE CHEESE IS MELTED AND BROWNED.
How to Make It
Chicken seasoned, browned lightly, moved to the dish
Heat the oven to 375°F. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and brown lightly in the olive oil, then transfer to a baking dish.
Mushrooms browned in the same skillet
Cook the mushrooms in the same skillet until browned.
Butter and flour, sherry, then broth, cream and thyme
Add the butter and flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in the dry sherry, then slowly whisk in the broth and cream. Add the thyme and simmer until lightly thickened.
Sauce poured over the chicken, Muenster laid on
Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken and cover with the Muenster cheese.
Baked until 165°F and the cheese is browned
Bake 22 to 28 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F and the cheese is melted and browned. Finish with the parsley.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cutting the breasts into six thin portions lets them bake through in under half an hour.
- Browning the mushrooms properly concentrates them instead of leaving them watery.
- Flour cooked into the mushroom butter thickens the sauce before any liquid arrives.
- Sherry added first reduces down, which is how its flavour stays and its alcohol cooks off.
- Muenster melts to a pale sheet that browns in patches under the oven's heat.
Ingredient Notes
- Dry sherry
- Two tablespoons, cooked into the sauce. It is part of this dish.
- Muenster cheese
- Six ounces, sliced or shredded. It is the pale cheese browning on top.
- Cremini mushrooms
- Eight ounces sliced, browned before the sauce is built around them.
- Chicken broth and heavy cream
- A cup and a half with half a cup, whisked in slowly after the sherry.
Success Tips
- Give the mushrooms room and time; crowded mushrooms steam and stay pale.
- Pound or slice the breasts to an even thickness so all six portions finish together.
- Let the sauce thicken lightly in the pan - it will not thicken much more in the oven.
Serving Ideas
Six plated portions of chicken under browned Muenster, sitting in a creamy herb-flecked mushroom sauce, finished with parsley and served without a starch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there alcohol in this dish?
Two tablespoons of dry sherry go into the sauce and are cooked into it. That is part of chicken Gloria.
Which cheese is on top?
Muenster, sliced or shredded, melted and browned in the oven.
What is it served with?
Nothing, in this version. There is no starch on the plate.
