Mushroom Chicken is a simple, yet elegant meal to enjoy for quick dinners or fancy events. Pan-fried chicken and mushrooms are smothered in a rich and creamy garlic sauce and ready to eat in just 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
So, what makes this dish different from a true chicken marsala recipe? It’s the upgraded flavors in the sauce!
A splash of white wine, Italian herbs, lemon, and heavy cream come together and smother every bite of chicken and mushrooms. The sauce is so good on its own, you’ll want to eat it with a spoon!
This is sure to become a new family-favorite, not only because of those epic comforting flavors, but because it’s just so easy to make. Serve it for quick weeknight dinners or use it as a go-to for fancy events or holidays. You can’t go wrong!
Reader
Love
This was delicious. The only tweaks we made were to make it gluten free by using almond flour, which added a bit of crunch and added a bit of Emeril’s Essence to the flour mixture. We served it along with a side of blackened green beans and polenta.
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Ingredient notes
- Chicken breasts – The chicken is sliced into thin cutlets, lightly breaded, then pan-fried until crisp. You could use boneless chicken thighs if that’s all you have at home but they’ll take slightly longer to cook.
- Flour – All purpose flour works best to bread and dredge the chicken. Feel free to use a gluten free all purpose flour instead. The flour is lightly seasoned with garlic powder, but you can take it up a notch by whisking in black pepper, paprika, or onion powder.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Butter
- Mushrooms – Keep it simple with cremini (baby bellas) and white button mushrooms. Mushrooms can be a little tricky to clean, so be sure to check out my cleaning tips below to keep this dish as effortless as possible.
- Italian seasoning – I like to make my own to keep on hand, but any store-bought mix will work well.
- Shallots – If you don’t have shallots, use red onion or sweet onion instead.
- Garlic cloves – Fresh garlic is always best here! It gives the cream sauce its necessary savory baseline of flavor.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chicken broth – This is the best option, but vegetable broth or bone broth could work as a substitute.
- White wine – Stick to a dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Wines with sweeter notes, like Chardonnay, could throw the flavors off balance. To make this recipe without alcohol, replace the wine with extra broth.
- Heavy cream – This is the base of our cream sauce (of course!). Milk should work as a substitute but the finished result won’t be as creamy or silky smooth.
- Soy sauce – To help boost the umami undertones and compliment the mushrooms. Use tamari if you’re gluten free.
- Lemon zest and juice – these add a nice tang. If you don’t have any on hand, try adding in a little dijon mustard.
How to make it
Step 1
Prepare the chicken
- To prepare the chicken, cut each breast in half horizontally to create thin cutlets. (You can also purchase chicken cutlets from the store). Pat them dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Next, whisk the flour and garlic powder together in a bowl. Press each piece of chicken into the mixture, coating evenly on both sides.
Step 2
Brown the chicken
- Heat some oil in a skillet and, once it’s hot, add the chicken.
- Cook on both sides until golden.
- Take it out of the pan while you brown the mushrooms.
Step 3
Cook the mushrooms
- Cook the mushrooms in the same pan with butter.
- Sprinkle the Italian seasonings on top and cook until the mushrooms are golden.
- Transfer them to the same plate as the chicken.
Step 4
Make the sauce
- Now the best part: the sauce! Saute the shallots in the now empty pan until soft, then add the garlic.
- Deglaze the pan with broth and wine. Simmer and stir occasionally until the liquid reduces by about half. Finish by stirring in the cream, soy sauce, lemon zest, and juice.
- To finish, nestle the chicken and mushrooms into the sauce until they’re warmed through. Plate, serve, and enjoy!
Tip: How to clean mushrooms
Mushrooms are very absorbent fungi. The excess water can seep out and make your mushrooms mushy if cooked while damp. Use these tips to clean them correctly:
- In a bowl: Fill a large bowl with water. Add the mushrooms and use your hands to move them around to help loosen any dirt and debris. Once they’re clean, take them out of the water and pat dry.
- In a strainer: Place the mushrooms in a colander and spray them with water to loosen up the dirt and wash it away. Pat them dry.
More recipe tips
- This is an excellent recipe for a cast iron skillet. Just make sure not to overcrowd the pan (cook the chicken in batches if you need to).
- The chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
- Cook the mushrooms so there’s space in between each one. If they’re too crowded, the mushrooms will steam rather than brown, leaving you with soggy results.
- Keep the leftover mushroom chicken in a covered airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I don’t suggest freezing this one, as dairy-based sauces tend to separate once thawed.
Customize it
Check the list below for ways to modify this mushroom chicken recipe and make it your own:
- Dairy free: This recipe is easy to adapt with dairy free ingredients. Replace the butter with more olive oil or vegan butter, and swap the heavy cream with cashew cream or canned full-fat coconut milk.
- Instead of chicken: Follow the recipe as instructed but use pork or veal cutlets instead of chicken breasts or thighs.
- Leafy greens: Add one or two handfuls of baby spinach leaves to the skillet at the same time as the cream.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this creamy mushroom chicken on top of rice, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, polenta, or pasta noodles. Complete the meal with a few side dishes, such as:
Looking for something a little different? Check out these 50+ Sides for Chicken. You’re sure to find a side that the whole family will love!
Erin’s wine pairings
These 5 Wine Pairings for Marsala Chicken will pair just as well with mushroom chicken or you can use the recommendations below:
- A crisp Chardonnay has just enough body to complement the creamy mushroom garlic sauce.
- Or choose an earthy Pinot Noir and Merlot. Both are an excellent match for the meaty and umami-forward mushrooms.
- MORE —> the 8 BEST Wine Pairings for Chicken.
More one-pan dinners
More mushroom recipes
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Full Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 chicken breasts (boneless , sliced in half horizontally)
- Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces mushrooms (cremini or white mushrooms, sliced)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (+ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped, to garnish)
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour and garlic powder in a shallow bowl and coat the chicken pieces in the flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden, about 5-6 minutes per side, working in batches if needed, so as to not overcrowd the skillet.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the butter to the now empty skillet. Once melted, add the mushrooms, season with Italian seasoning, and allow them to brown for about 6-8 minutes. Once golden, remove and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper to the empty skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds longer.
- Add the broth and wine and bring to a simmer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, soy sauce, lemon zest and juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Return the chicken and mushrooms to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, or until warmed through. Enjoy!
Notes
-
This is an excellent recipe for a cast iron skillet. Just make sure not to overcrowd the pan (cook the chicken in batches if you need to).
-
The chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
-
Cook the mushrooms so there’s space in between each one. If they’re too crowded, the mushrooms will steam rather than brown, leaving you with soggy results.
-
Keep the leftover mushroom chicken in a covered airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I don’t suggest freezing this one, as dairy-based sauces tend to separate once thawed.
-
Dairy free: This recipe is easy to adapt with dairy free ingredients. Replace the butter with more olive oil or vegan butter, and swap the heavy cream with cashew cream or canned full-fat coconut milk.
-
Instead of chicken: Follow the recipe as instructed but use pork or veal cutlets instead of chicken breasts or thighs.
-
Leafy greens: Add one or two handfuls of baby spinach leaves to the skillet at the same time as the cream.
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