Chicken Chasseur: Cooking Through the Decades

Chicken Chasseur is a classic recipe from the seventies that is just as delicious today. An easy one pot meal which is perfect for dinner.

Every decade throughout the last century seems to have its own distinctive features. If you think of the 1920’s you will think of the Charleston and flappers. The sixties is associated with miniskirts and Twiggy whilst the fifties is a time for rock ‘n’ roll. Each decade also has its own style of cooking and iconic dishes that are associated with them. Some of these were created due to necessity like bubble and squeak  created during rationing in the Second World War. Others evolved due to new gadgets becoming available in the kitchen or different ingredients being imported.

Recently Rennie® launched a cooking though the decades campaign where they challenged food bloggers to cook a meal from Britain’s past or present. It spans the past 100 years from 1920’s to 2010. I was challenged to make a meal from the 1970’s so I chose chicken chasseur. I grew up in the seventies and I have memories of my mum making this. It is a classic French recipe with chicken, wine, herbs and mushrooms and is very tasty. We often had Volcano pudding to follow it. This was a self saucing chocolate pudding that used to crack on the top with the inside liquid layer bubbling up from underneath. I need to locate the recipe for this classic.

Growing up in the Seventies

In the seventies there were no computers, or games consoles and even the television only had three channels we could watch. Children’s programmes were limited to a couple of hours each day. We would come home from school and watch Record Breakers. Younger children would watch Play School in the mornings with Humpty, Big and little ted. In the evening we were fascinated by programmes such as The Goodies, Starsky and Hutch and Charlie’s Angels. Saturday mornings were the time to watch the Multi Coloured Swap Shop. Music came on vinyl records and we used to save our pocket money to buy the latest single. Cassette tape recorders were held in front of the radio to tape the top forty and this was played back over and over again. Jackie magazine was the must buy magazine for teenage girls and bedroom walls were adorned with posters pulled out of the magazine. You could buy half penny chews with actual half pennies and if you were feeling extravagant you could get a 10p mix up, a bag filled with sweets. Space hoppers and chopper bikes were the must have mode of transport and roller skates were also popular.

The 1970’s saw the introduction of foreign foods to the menu. Italian, French and Chinese cuisine become more popular. Spaghetti bolognese, stroganoff and goulash were classic dishes. Steak and chips with peppercorn sauce was the ultimate in dinner party food. Desserts like the black forest gateaux and arctic roll became popular. It was also the time when the classic prawn cocktail was born. Convenience foods were starting to appear in the seventies. Angel Delight was a popular pudding and things like Smash helped saved time in the kitchen. Many of these foods are still popular today.

Chicken chasseur is one of these classic dishes. It can be cooked in one pot and the blend of flavours mingles together to create a warming and hearty meal. It is perfect served with mash and green beans. Ideal for a day like today where it looks warm when you look out of the window but if you go out the wind is cold and chills you. It is quick and easy to prepare but looks like you have spent ages in the kitchen.

Chicken Chasseur Recipe

Chicken Chasseur

Alison

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Ingredients

  

• 3 chicken breasts
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 200 ml white wine
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 300 g mushrooms
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes

Instructions

 

• Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
• Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan and add the chicken. Cook until brown then set aside.
• Peel and chop the garlic and onions.
• Add these to the pan with the rest of the oil and cook gently until soft
• Stir in the tomato purée and add the wine and stock.
• Add the chicken to the pan with the mushrooms and simmer for about thirty minutes until the sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked

Have you ever made chicken chasseur? What dishes do you remember from the 1970’s?