Chasseur Sauce: Classic Hunter's Sauce

Prep: 10 minCook: 20 min6 servingsmediumFrench
Chasseur Sauce: Classic Hunter's Sauce

Rich French hunter's sauce combining sautéed mushrooms, bacon, and shallots in a red wine and beef stock base, thickened with a roux and finished with ketchup and herbs. Traditionally served with beef, pork, or schnitzel for elegant weeknight dinners.

Ingredients

6 servings
  • 9 oz mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
  • 5 ½ oz bacon
    pancetta1:1porkcured

    traditional French substitute

    Full guide →
  • 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 14 tbsp red wine
    dry white wine1:1winewhite

    different flavor profile

    Full guide →
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
    thyme1:1herbsdried

    classic French herb pairing

    Full guide →
  • 14 tbsp beef stock
    chicken stock1:1stockpoultry

    lighter alternative

    Full guide →
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
    tomato paste0.5:1tomatoconcentrated

    more concentrated flavor

    Full guide →
  • olive oil, a dash
  • salt(optional)
  • pepper(optional)

Instructions

  1. 1

    Clean mushrooms with brush or kitchen paper and slice thinly.

  2. 2

    Peel and finely chop shallots.

  3. 3

    Heat olive oil in large frying pan and sauté half the mushrooms until browned, then add remaining mushrooms and cook until all evenly browned.

  4. 4

    Season mushrooms with salt and pepper, set aside.

  5. 5

    Heat butter in saucepan and fry bacon with shallots.

  6. 6

    Add flour and cook briefly to form a roux.

  7. 7

    Slowly add red wine while stirring with whisk.

  8. 8

    Add beef stock, ketchup, bay leaves, and oregano, bring to boil.

  9. 9

    Add cooked mushrooms to sauce and simmer gently over low heat until thickened.

  10. 10

    Season with salt and pepper, remove bay leaves, serve immediately.

Tips

Tip 1

Sauté mushrooms in batches to ensure proper browning and better flavor.

Tip 2

Whisk red wine slowly into roux to prevent lumps from forming.

Tip 3

Simmer sauce gently over low heat to allow it to thicken evenly.

Good to Know

Storage

Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding stock if thickening too much.

Make Ahead

Prepare sauce completely through step 9, cool and refrigerate. Reheat before serving.

Serve With

Serve immediately over beef roulade, pork cut, or schnitzel.

Common Mistakes

Watch

Fry all mushrooms at once to avoid uneven browning and reduced flavor.

Watch

Add red wine too quickly to roux to avoid lumps forming in sauce.

Watch

Use high heat during simmering to avoid sauce breaking or becoming too thick.

Substitutions

bacon
pancetta1:1porkcured

traditional French substitute

Full guide →
oregano
thyme1:1herbsdried

classic French herb pairing

Full guide →
beef stock
chicken stock1:1stockpoultry

lighter alternative

Full guide →
ketchup
tomato paste0.5:1tomatoconcentrated

more concentrated flavor

Full guide →
red wine
dry white wine1:1winewhite

different flavor profile

Full guide →
Find more substitutions →