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This creamy sherry chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken in a savory sherry cream sauce with mushrooms. It’s easy, elegant, and ready in about 30 minutes!

Love sherry? Try my Chicken Gloria recipe for a cheesy take on this dish.

close-up of sherry chicken in a copper skillet

Why you’ll love it

This skillet chicken recipe is ideal for date night or when you want to make something special for company but don’t really feel like spending hours in the kitchen. It’s perfect when you’re short on time since it takes just half an hour to make and has no obscure ingredients, but it tastes like it’s on the menu at a fancy restaurant.

The sauce is truly the star here. The mushrooms, cream, and sherry combine to make some magic and completely envelop the tender and juicy chicken. It’s silky, rich, and satisfying, and the signature sherry flavor is so memorable and one you’ll want to try if you haven’t before!

What you’ll need

  • Chicken breasts – we’re using two of them cut into four thinner cutlets
  • Garlic powder, salt & pepper, flour – for seasoning and dredging the chicken
  • Olive oil and butter – for sautéing and to make the base of the sauce
  • Mushrooms – I like cremini for this recipe for their flavor and meaty texture. White button mushrooms would also work in a pinch.
  • Onion – sweet (Vidalia) is our go-to variety
  • Italian seasoning – it’s a fragrant blend of dried herbs like rosemary and thyme that comes in one single jar. I use it in so many of my sauces!
  • Garlic – you can use even more than suggested if you really like garlic. I use this press to mince it since you don’t even need to peel the cloves.
  • Sherry – use a dry sherry for this savory recipe. Sherry is a fortified wine. I don’t recommend using “cooking” wines if you can avoid it. They’re never as good and can also be quite salty.
  • Heavy cream – to make that luscious cream sauce

Can I substitute the sherry?

  • Sherry gives this recipe its signature taste, so I wouldn’t recommend it. You could try marsala or madeira wine, but then it’d be different than intended (and you can make separate recipes with those wines specifically that I’ve linked below). White wine would work, but then you may as well make my Creamy White Wine Mushroom Chicken
creamy sherry chicken in a skillet

How to make creamy sherry chicken

This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

  • Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so they cook through faster and remain tender, then sprinkle them with salt & pepper, garlic powder, and coat them in flour.
  • Pan-fry them until they’re just about cooked through, then take them out of the skillet.
  • Sauté the mushrooms and onions along with the Italian seasoning. Once the water has cooked off, pour in the sherry. Let it reduce, then stir in the cream. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce (it’ll thicken up a bit), and that’s it!

Substitutions and variations

  • You could make this without the flour if need be, but I’d be sure to get your pan hot enough that the chicken doesn’t stick, and you may want to let the sauce reduce for a bit prior to adding the chicken back to the pan for the last step.
  • As always, sub ingredients at your own discretion. If substituting the cream for something lower fat, it may yield a thinner and less rich sauce that’s likely to curdle, so I wouldn’t suggest doing so.

What to serve with this recipe

Leftovers and storage

  • Leftovers of this chicken will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
  • It won’t freeze well because of the cream sauce.
  • To heat it up again, put leftovers in a small saucepan over a low heat so that the sauce doesn’t separate.
close-up of chicken with sherry cream sauce in a skillet

Will you make this sherry chicken? Questions? Let me know in the comments below!

close-up of sherry chicken in a copper skillet
4.95 from 17 votes

Creamy Sherry Chicken

This creamy sherry chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken in a savory sherry cream sauce with mushrooms. It's easy, elegant, and ready in about 30 minutes!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Flour for dredging
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter divided
  • 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream

Instructions 

  • Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder, season them generously with salt & pepper on both sides, and then coat each piece in flour.
  • Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes.
  • Sear the chicken for about 4-5 minutes/side or until golden. Transfer it to a plate.
  • To the skillet, add in the remaining butter, mushrooms, onions, and Italian seasoning. Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until the water has been released and then cooked off.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
  • Add in the sherry and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce bubble for until the liquid is reduced by half (about 2-3 min).
  • Stir in the cream, then add the chicken back to the pan. Let it cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced/thickened up a bit. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.

Notes

  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 156mg, Sodium: 229mg, Potassium: 729mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 955IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.95 from 17 votes

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44 Comments

  1. Sherry says:

    Can I make this with chicken thighs and just cook longer?

    1. Natasha says:

      You bet!

  2. Vera says:

    5 stars
    Itโ€™s a amazing recipe but I did cook with mushrooms I cooked with crab meat my husband absolutely loves it he said it is the best chicken recipe I have ever made

    1. Natasha says:

      Excellent! Thanks, Vera!

  3. Tonya says:

    5 stars
    My husband said this was the best dinner we’d had in weeks! So delicious and will be going into the regular rotation of meals at our home. I followed the recipe exactly as it was written!

    1. Natasha says:

      That’s wonderful to hear, Tonya!! ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks for your review!

  4. Mary Ellen Lloyd says:

    4 stars
    Itโ€™s very good. I expected it to taste more like Lobster Newburg with the sherry and the cream, but of course with onions, garlic and Italian seasoning, I should not have expected it to. But itโ€™s different and very good.

    1. Natasha says:

      Glad you enjoyed it! I can’t say I’ve ever tried Lobster Newburg but it sounds delicious!

  5. Ruth Gallagher Nelson says:

    5 stars
    Simple. Tasty. All ingredients sing. Well-focused. Absolutely will make again!

    1. Natasha says:

      Thank you so much, Ruth!

  6. Dave Chandler says:

    5 stars
    Made this for my wife and a guest. Easy to follow recipe and everyone loved it. Thank you from Qld,Australia.

    1. Natasha says:

      That’s wonderful to hear, Dave!! You’re very welcome from Vancouver Canada. ๐Ÿ˜€

  7. R shaffer says:

    5 stars
    This was so delicious!! Used sundried tomatoes instead of mushrooms. Taylor dry sherry gave a really good flavor to the dish.
    Thank you so much.

    1. Natasha says:

      You are very welcome!

  8. Bernice Bickford says:

    5 stars
    Made this tonight. Very tasty I used Bristol Cream Sherry. Would another sherry bring a stronger sherry taste. It was so good but I wanted a little bit more sherry taste. I do each new recipe exactly as it is. Could I add more sherry next time? Because this is going into my meal plans..Thanks so much.

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Bernice! Thanks for your review. If you use a darker sherry next time it’ll have a more robust flavor. You could add a little more of the sherry you have, but then you may need to cook the sauce down a bit longer.

  9. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    Girl. This recipe is a family fave. Have made it several times already and it is ALWAYS a hit! My husband requests it for his home cooked birthday dinner and his dad had it with us on my husband’s birthday, and now his dad requests it for HIS home cooked birthday dinner now too! HA! Just shared this recipe to a friend of mine now. I can’t wait to hear how much she loves it! Thanks for sharing awesome and easy recipes!

    1. Natasha says:

      Aww I love that!! ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks so much for your glowing review!

    2. Michelle says:

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness this was amazing. I made it as written (with the exception of using canned mushrooms because I didn’t have fresh). I will definitely be making this again.

      1. Natasha says:

        Wonderful!! Thank you!! ๐Ÿ˜€

  10. Joann Sauer says:

    5 stars
    This came out so good. I had some egg whites left so I dipped in flower then the egg whites.

    1. Natasha says:

      Excellent!!