Picture tender chicken and earthy shiitake mushrooms, surrounded by a sage-infused, bubbling crushed tomato sauce. Bits of fresh mozzarella melt between olives and garlic cloves. Slowly cooked in wine and herbs, this chicken gratin is incredibly flavorful and perfumed by all the ingredients simmered together in a lovely tomato base. When I say this is one of the best recipes on my site, it is 1000% true.

Make a large skillet of Chicken Mushroom Gratin with Sage, White Wine, and Crushed Tomato for your family tonight, and enjoy the just-as-fabulous leftovers the night after.

 

Makes: 4 medium portions

The Ingredients

4 (1/2 lb.) chicken cutlets, cut in half

3/4 cup (plus 1/4 cup if necessary) canned, crushed tomatoes (I look for the fire roasted, San Marzano canned tomatoes)

10 fresh sage leaves (the smallest leaves on the stem are the most tender!)

1/2 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved

10 shiitake mushrooms, with stems removed

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or parmesan!)

1/3 cup mozzarella pearl balls, drained

3 medium garlic cloves, slivered

1/2 cup white cooking wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc)

4 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

~1 cup all purpose flour for dredging

 

The Steps

Tip: make sure all ingredients are ready to add by precutting and washing all ingredients! This dish is easiest when all the ingredients are prepped before you begin the cooking process!

Make a bed of all purpose flour on a large plate. Lightly coat outside of halved chicken cutlets in flour by dipping cutlets in flour bed and shaking off excess flour.

Place 2 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large (preferably nonstick) skillet. Make sure the skillet you use has a top so you can cover the simmering chicken later on. Turn stovetop on low, and let butter melt.

Add dredged cutlets into hot pan, in a single layer, and turn heat up to medium/low. Let chicken lightly brown in butter/olive oil mixture for 4 minutes. Every minute, check to make sure chicken pieces aren’t sticking to the pan. Flip cutlets and let other side lightly brown for another 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside on a clean plate.

In the same pan, reduce heat to low and add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil along with a tablespoon of water. Add mushrooms cap-side-down. Let sauté for about 3 minutes. Flip mushrooms (I use tongs to do this), and sauté for another 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan (you can put these mushrooms on the chicken plate to save on dishes).

Deglaze pan with wine, and place cutlets back into pan, in a single layer. Add crushed tomato sauce in spaces between cutlets. Sprinkle sage and garlic slivers in tomato sauce. Place mushrooms on top of chicken cutlets. Cover skillet, and let simmer on low/medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add a 1/4 cup more crushed tomato if sauce seems to reduce quite a bit.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top of cutlets. Add mozzarella balls in sauce and on top of cutlets. Cover again and let simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove from heat and add olives to sauce.

Tip: if you add the Castelvetrano (green) olives too early, they will turn gray and lose some of their taste! 

Serve immediately, perhaps with a piece of whole grain ciabatta (a nice touch to soak up that beautiful sauce…don’t you think?).

P.S. If the smell of this sauce doesn’t make you want to eat right out of the skillet, we may not be able to be friends.

 

The Steps with Pictures

Tip: make sure all ingredients are ready to add by precutting and washing all ingredients! This dish is easiest when all the ingredients are prepped before you begin the cooking process!

Make a bed of all purpose flour on a large plate. Lightly coat outside of halved chicken cutlets in flour by dipping cutlets in flour bed and shaking off excess flour.

Place 2 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large (preferably nonstick) skillet. Make sure the skillet you use has a top so you can cover the simmering chicken later on. Turn stovetop on low, and let butter melt.

Add dredged cutlets into hot pan, in a single layer, and turn heat up to medium/low. Let chicken lightly brown in butter/olive oil mixture for 4 minutes. Every minute, check to make sure chicken pieces aren’t sticking to the pan. Flip cutlets and let other side lightly brown for another 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside on a clean plate.

In the same pan, reduce heat to low and add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil along with a tablespoon of water. Add mushrooms cap-side-down. Let sauté for about 3 minutes. Flip mushrooms (I use tongs to do this), and sauté for another 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan (you can put these mushrooms on the chicken plate to save on dishes).

Deglaze pan with wine, and place cutlets back into pan, in a single layer. Add crushed tomato sauce in spaces between cutlets. Sprinkle sage and garlic slivers in tomato sauce. Place mushrooms on top of chicken cutlets. Cover skillet, and let simmer on low/medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add a 1/4 cup more crushed tomato if sauce seems to reduce quite a bit.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top of cutlets. Add mozzarella balls in sauce and on top of cutlets. Cover again and let simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove from heat and add olives to sauce.

Tip: if you add the Castelvetrano (green) olives too early, they will turn gray and lose some of their taste! 

Serve immediately, perhaps with a piece of whole grain ciabatta (a nice touch to soak up that beautiful sauce…don’t you think?).

P.S. If the smell of this sauce doesn’t make you want to eat right out of the skillet, we may not be able to be friends.