Creamy Chanterelle Pasta with Chicken Schnitzel

Celebrate the chanterelle season with this delicate chanterelle pasta dish. The pasta is coated in a delicate creamy and peppery chanterelle mushroom sauce, flavoured with white wine and contrasted with sweet grapes. An unbreaded chicken schnitzel adds some interesting texture to this dish. 

This is one of my favourite chanterelle mushroom pasta recipes. Chicken, chanterelle mushroom, cream and pasta are a delicious irresistible combination. The grapes add some freshness to this dish and contrast the peppery flavour of the chanterelles well with their sweetness. 

What are Chanterelle Mushrooms? 

Chanterelle mushrooms actually include several different species of mushrooms in the Cantharellus, Gomphus, Polyozellus, and Craterellus families. They can be found mainly in Northern Europe but also grow in the US. 

What are Chanterelles called in German? 

Chanterelle Mushrooms have several names in German. The most common name is  “Pfifferlinge”. You pronounce Pifferlinge as “VIV-ARE-LING-EH”. The origin of the name comes from the peppery flavour of the mushrooms. “Pfeffer” is the word for pepper in German and “Pifferlinge” is a diminutive form. 

Alternative names for Chanterelles are “Eierschwamm” or “Rehling". Here are some more regional names in Germany:

• Eierschwamml and Reherl (Bavaria) 
• Gelberle (Franconia) 
• Eierschwämmli (Switzerland) 

When is chanterelle season? 

The best time to harvest chanterelles depends on the region where you live. Chanterelle mushrooms grow near leafy trees such as beech trees and oaks, or needle trees such as pines. They love mossy soil that is semi dry and nutrient-poor. 

Chanterelle season in Germany starts in June and ends in October. In the UK, where the climate is milder, it goes from June to December. 

The chanterelle season in the US depends on the climate. In the eastern United States, chanterelles fruit from early spring through late summer.  In the western United States, chanterelle season is from September through February. Again, the length of the season is entirely dependent on the weather. Chanterelles are found throughout the United States, except for Hawaii.

Why are chanterelle mushrooms so expensive? 

Chanterelles are expensive to buy in grocery stores because they cannot be commercially farmed. Also, since the 70s they are appearing less and less, which is probably because of the increased air pollution. So, some countries limit the harvesting of chanterelles. 

What do chanterelle mushrooms taste like? 

Chanterelle mushrooms have an aromatic, delicate and peppery flavour. Some say they also taste and smell a hint of apricot in freshly harvested mushrooms. 

How to prepare the mushrooms? 

It is important to clean the chanterelle mushrooms thoroughly before use. It is best to hold them under running water and then dry them on some paper towels. 

BONUS TIP - If your mushrooms are especially dirty you can use the following tip: place the mushrooms in a plastic bag, add a little flour to the bag and shake it thoroughly. Then flour binds with the sand. Then clean the mushrooms under running water. 

It is important not to eat the chanterelle raw, as in this form they are difficult to digest. Cook them for at least 15 minutes before consuming. They taste especially good if they are fried in oil or butter with a little bit of bacon. 

About this Chanterelle Pasta Recipe 

This dish brings together three traditional German ingredients. Chanterelle mushrooms (Pfifferlinge) which are harvested between June to October, Schnitzel, a staple of German cooking, and Riesling wine.

Ingredients: 

• 4 chicken steaks / escalopes about 140 gr each
• 200 g/ 7 oz fresh chanterelle mushrooms (fresh, from a jar or frozen) 
• 1 onion
• 100 ml/ 3.3 fl oz dry white wine ( I would recommend German Riesling Wine) 
• 200 g/7 oz whipping cream 
• 150 gr/ 5 oz grapes (green or red or a mixture of both)
• 2 tsp fresh thyme (use dried thyme as an alternative) 
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 250 gr pasta (Spaghetti, Fettuccini, Tagiatelle)

To garnish: chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Recipe Step by Step

1. If you are using wild chanterelles, clean them thoroughly (See post for suggestions). 
2. Chop the onion finely. Half the grapes and deseed them if necessary. 
3. Place the chicken steaks between two sheets of plastic film. (i.e. freezer bags). Flatten the meat using the flat side of a meat hammer to an even thickness of 1 cm. Alternatively use the bottom of a heavy pan or a rolling pin (affiliate link).
4.  Season both sides of the schnitzel with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
5. To ensure that the pasta is ready at the same time as the sauce, it is best to heat a large pot of water and boil the pasta according to the instructions. 
6. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and fry the schnitzel on each side until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. 
7. Heat a further tablespoon of butter in the pan. Fry the shallots on medium to low heat until translucent.

8.  Add the mushrooms and fry for around 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring to a boil- leave to boil for a further 5 minutes on low heat.
9. Pour in the cream and season the sauce with salt and pepper. 
10. Now add the chicken and grapes to the sauce and boil for a further 5 minutes. 
11. You can serve the pasta with the sauce on top or mix it directly into the sauce to serve. Sprinkle the dish with fresh parsley (optional) before serving. Goes well with a glass of white wine. 

Ingredient substitutions: 

Fresh chanterelle mushroom substitute

As chanterelle mushrooms can be hard to get hold of, you can also buy them in jars or dried. 

• Chanterelle mushroom in a jar UK (Affiliate Link)
• Dried chanterelle mushrooms USA (Affiliate Link)

Substitute for Chicken Schnitzel 

You can chicken schnitzel with turkey or pork schnitzel. If you don’t want to tenderise the meat, you can just replace the schnitzel with chicken breast bites. I do this often, as my kids cannot use knives and forks yet.

Vegetarian chanterelle pasta 

To make a vegetarian chanterelle pasta dish simply leave out the meat. It is still delicious. 

Vegan adaptation 

You can substitute the butter for oil and the whipping cream for vegan cream to make this recipe vegan friendly. 

Pasta replacement

Replace the pasta with German Spätzle. Spätzle and Chanterelle are other unbeatable combinations. Chanterelle mushrooms are also delicious when eaten with German Bread Dumplings.

How to serve this Chanterelle Pasta dish?

This dish is best served hot and the day it is cooked. You can accompany your meal with a glass of German medium-dry white wine. (the leftovers of the wine you were cooking with). 

Storage Instructions

The sauce tastes great fresh on the day it is cooked. If you have leftovers then store them in the fridge in an airtight container. 

I advise against freezing the sauce, as the cream does not thaw very well. 

 More German Sauce Recipes

• Jager Sauce ( German Hunter Sauce)
• Rahmsauce (German Cream Sauce)
• Frankfurt Green Sauce
• Currywurst Sauce

More Delicious German Main Courses

• Königsberger Klopse
• Käsespätzle- German cheese spätzle
• Frikadellen - German Meatballs
• Szegedin Goulash - Goulash with Sauerkraut
• Wiener Schnitzel
• Turkey Schnitzel
• German Onion Cake

Did you try this recipe?

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