French🥩 Meat

Chicken Bercy with Sauce Bercy

Name: Chicken Bercy with Sauce Bercy
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs; 1 tbsp oil; 20 g butter; 50 g shallots; 100 ml wine; 200 ml stock; 1½ tbsp arrowroot; to taste water; 10 g butter; ~½ tsp salt; ~¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tbsp parsley

⏱ 50 min🍽 Serves 4

A classic French dish featuring simply sautéed chicken thighs served with a quintessential brown sauce named after the Bercy district of Paris. Sauce Bercy is a foundational culinary technique taught in the first year of culinary school, demonstrating the essential sauté de glacé method—deglazing meat with wine and shallots, then enriching with stock to create a balanced, tangy brown sauce.

Adapted from a video by French Cooking Academy

The perfect easy chicken recipe to tackle your first French pan sauce.

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

chicken thighs4
oil1 tbsp
butterfor searing chicken20 g
shallotsthinly chopped50 g
winewhite or red wine100 ml
stockhomemade or store-bought, reduced to 200 ml200 ml
arrowrootfor thickening

Steps

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1
Prepare all ingredients ahead of time: measure out the wine, thinly chop the shallots, chop the parsley, and have your stock ready.
2
Heat oil and 20 grams of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, place the chicken thighs skin side down and season with salt and pepper.
3
Let the chicken cook slowly on this side for 5 to 10 minutes until nicely browned. You can loosely cover with a lid to help retain heat.
4
Flip the chicken and continue cooking. Meanwhile, in another pot heat the stock and reduce it by half to concentrate the flavors.
5
Mix 1.5 tablespoons of arrowroot with a small amount of water to form a paste. Stir into the warm reduced stock and cook until it reaches a semi-syrupy, sauce-coating consistency.
6
Once the chicken is fully cooked (over 25 minutes, internal temperature at least 75°C), transfer to a plate, cover with foil, and keep warm in a 50°C oven while preparing the sauce.
7
In the same pan with the browned bits and fat, add the chopped shallots over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes until softened, being careful not to burn them.
8
Increase the heat to high and pour in the wine. Slowly scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze and release all the caramelized bits, letting it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
9
Pour the prepared thickened stock into the wine and shallot mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for just a few minutes until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
10
Remove from heat and add 10 grams of butter. Gently swirl the pan to let the butter melt, which gives the sauce a glossy finish and richer taste.
11
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Optionally add a small squeeze of lemon juice for extra acidity.
12
Plate the chicken thighs and pour the Bercy sauce generously over them, including the cooked shallots. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Chicken Bercy with Sauce Bercy

Ingredients

Steps

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