Pan sauces for the win! Making a quick sauce in the skillet after browning meat is one of the easiest ways to make a really spectacular meal. Those little browned bits on the skillet (called fond) are ultra flavorful and shouldn’t be wasted. This time, I used a mixture of balsamic vinegar, garlic, thyme, soy sauce, brown sugar and butter to turn some plain chicken thighs into this decadent Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms. You’re going to love the rich and tangy taste, and how easy it is to throw together!
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Garnished with fresh thyme.
What to Serve with Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms
I served my Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms with Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes and some steamed green beans. The buttery balsamic sauce would also pair beautifully with Browned Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes, Roasted Vegetable Couscous, or Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad.
What Kind of Mushrooms Should I Use?
I used baby bellas for this Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms, but I think white button mushrooms would work just as well. The sauce is so flavorful on its own that a less flavorful mushroom, like white button mushrooms, wouldn’t make or break the dish.
Don’t Fear the Fond!
If looking at a skillet full of brown gunk stuck to the bottom makes you cringe because you think you’re in for a lot of hard scrubbing to get it clean, it’s time to learn how to make a pan sauce! Those little brown bits are caramelized proteins and they have a LOT of flavor! The process of making a pan sauce dissolves them off the bottom (no need to scrub later!) and brings all that flavor back onto your plate.
How to Make a Pan Sauce
Pan sauces are simple:
- Brown a meat or other protein in a skillet or pot with butter or oil, then remove it from the skillet.
- Add a liquid (broth, stock, wine, balsamic vinegar, etc.) and stir to dissolve the browned bits.
- Let the liquid simmer and reduce by half.
- Add butter and stir until melted. The butter thickens the sauce and adds body.
- Drizzle the pan sauce over your cooked meat and enjoy!
Other options for pan sauces: add other flavorful ingredients like garlic, shallots, herbs, spices, or even jams and jellies.
Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.55)
- 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.18)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme ($0.02)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.25 lbs. total) ($3.02)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.69)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
Instructions
- Prepare the balsamic sauce first. In a small bowl, stir together the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and dried thyme. Set the sauce aside.
- Season the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper on each side.
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook on each side until browned and cooked through (about 8 minutes first side, 5 minute second side). Remove the chicken to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.
- While the chicken is cooking, clean the mushrooms and then slice them in half. After removing the chicken from the skillet, add the mushrooms in their place, and sauté in the remaining oil and fat until the mushrooms are slightly tender and browned on the outside (5-7 minutes).
- Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the prepared balsamic sauce to the skillet and stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Simmer the balsamic sauce with the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.
- Add the butter to the skillet and stir until it is melted into the sauce. Add the chicken back to the skillet, turning it to coat in the sauce, and allow it to simmer for a few minutes more to rewarm the chicken. Serve hot and drizzle the pan sauce over the chicken and mushrooms.
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Equipment
- Color Cutting Boards
- Chef’s Knife
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the balsamic sauce first. In a small bow, stir together 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp dried thyme. Set the sauce aside.
Season four boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the chicken thighs and cook until they are browned on both sides and cooked through (about 8 minutes first side, 5 minutes second side). Don’t worry if some of it sticks to the skillet, you actually want that to happen! :)
While the chicken is browning, clean and slice 8 oz. mushrooms in half.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet to a clean plate and cover to keep warm (foil or a second, upside down plate). Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook them in the leftover oil and chicken fat.
Sauté the mushrooms until they are slightly tender and browned on the outside (5-7 minutes).
Turn the heat down to medium-low. Pour the prepared balsamic sauce into the skillet. Stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Simmer the sauce until reduced by half (about 5 minutes).
Add 2 Tbsp butter and stir until it is melted into the balsamic sauce.
Finally, add the chicken back to the skillet, turning it to coat in the sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes more to warm the chicken through.
Serve the balsamic chicken and mushrooms hot, making sure to drizzle the extra pan sauce over the chicken!
Shown with Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes and steamed green beans.
I made this with pork chops because I didn’t have any chicken on hand & it was amazing. I doubled the sauce ingredients & may triple them the next time I make it, as well as adding onions as someone suggested above. It paired nicely with mashed potatoes.
This recipe is amazing. It’s the first Budget Bytes recipe I’ve made and it’s definitely one of the best things I’ve ever cooked. I can’t wait to try more recipes!
Not a fan of dark meat would I need to change anything to sub Breasts? Sounds delicious!
No you could be just fine.
Would using chicken breast still give me fond to make the sauce with?
Yes you should be okay!
Served this over a bed of salad greens with tomatoes and it made for a fantastic dinner.
This is so so good!! Will definitely make this often!
This is FANTASTIC! My super picky husband loved it and asked for more. I paired it with some roasted broccoli and some of your garlic herb mashed potatoes! I think this will be a regular for us. I have been following your recipes for over 4 years now and some of my first cooked meals in my own place were from your site. Thanks, Beth!
This recipe deserves more than 5 stars. I added sauteed onions to mine cause I can’t eat anything without onion… SO. DELICIOUS. This will be added to my regular recipe rotation.
Thank you Katie!
This is fantastic and so easy to make. I only could find bone-in thighs, but de-boning only added a few minutes on. I will absolutely make this again.
Happy to hear it Mallory!
We don’t care for mushrooms but I read through this recipe regardless….I ended up pre-steaming some carrots and used that in place of the mushrooms. It was absolutely delish and I instantly regretted not making more carrots!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Oh good thinking!
I was thinking of adding carrots to this recipe, maybe carrots, spinach and mushrooms. A third of each, I’ll post my thoughts after preparation!
So good! This has just the perfect balance of tangy, sweet and savory and is absolutely PERFECT as-is. Probably the only recipe I didn’t feel the need to tweak at all. Even my picky husband who doesn’t like vinegar or mushrooms devoured this two nights in a row!
Thank you Erin!
You know a recipe is good if you make it 2 nights in a row! Seriously, this recipe is THAT good and I did make it 2 nights in a row for me and my husband (we thought about going for 3 nights in a row but that seemed a bit obnoxious :)
This said – thank you SO much for posting your recipe. It is seriously delicious. Making it again this evening.
The first time I served it with long grain wild rice, the second time I served it with mashed potatoes. Both times I added a side of sauteed sugar snap peas. Followed the recipe exactly – AH-MAZING!! Thanks again and have a gorgeous weekend.
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing!
A-mazing. I was told to put it in the regular dinner rotation. It was really good over some mashed potatoes. Mmmm. We were low on mushrooms so I can’t wait to make it again with lots and lots of them next time!
Is there a way to make this dairy-free? Aka: would it still be good without the last step of adding the butter?
Yes you could swap with olive oil!
I made this as-is and it was SO good. Got rave reviews from my husband and even our toddler loved it.
Wahoo! Happy to hear it Esther!