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!
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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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 for my family last night. It was delicious! I served it with rice, green beans and homemade tortillas. It will be a go to recipe because it was so easy.
Delicious! I was a bit skeptical because of how simple the ingredients sounded but it turned out fantastic. I ended up using two chicken leg quarters and it worked out very well. We had it with garlicky green beans and baked sweet potatoes with butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
This chicken was incredibly flavorful, quick, and easy! I will definitely be making it again!
One word : WOW . A definite must try.
Would love to make this tonight! Is soy sauce absolutely necessary for this recipe? I don’t have any on hand in the pandemic. Anything I can sub for it? Thanks in advance!
I made this recipe tonight it’s delicious! And I think you can substitute soy sauce with Worcestershire sauce if you have that available. Other wise I don’t think it will be terrible if you don’t put the soy sauce because the combination of the balsamic vinegar and the sugar with the garlic it’s awesome!
Made this for my family. My wife said it was one of the best things she ever ate. Kids loved it. Will definitely make again but triple the recipe. Found the link to this website posted on Reddit. Will be trying many more recipes. Would love to see a diabetic option on the webpage!
WOW. During Covid-19 lock-in days, I challenge myself to finish up some pantry items that have been neglected. Last night’s challenge: Sub-par balsamic vinegar (blech!, but I’m too cheap to throw it away). After a quick taste of the sauce, I knew it wasn’t right, so I added some extra brown sugar. Still didn’t taste quite right, so I added a splash of Madeira wine that I had on hand. That helped a lot. Substituted pounded boneless breast for thighs (husband doesn’t eat dark meat, the fool) and fresh rosemary instead of thyme, but otherwise followed the recipe. SOOOOOO good! I served it over mashed potatoes (cheated and bought the dehydrated boxed stuff) and roasted green beans on the side. Restaurant quality meal! Thanks for a great recipe. My first time on your site, but I’ll be back! Looking forward to making this on a regular basis.
This is one of my weeknight go to recipes! Thank you so much for sharing it! My best recommendation — use a good balsamic vinegar. It’s something worth splurging on a bit! A nice balsamic really does taste so different!
The sauce sounds amazing — do you think it would work for pork tenderloin medallions? (I will try it as written as well, but I have a pork tenderloin defrosting!)
Oooh yes that could be delicious!
Had this for dinner and it was YUM!! I added a little more soy sauce & vinegar (Around half a tbsp more) because I like it real flavourful and it turned out great! So easy to make too
Outstanding! I’m a home chef and cook dinner apprx. 355 nights a year :) This said – this is one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had. I make this often (I double the sauce) and serve it with mashed potatoes or wild rice and sauteed snap peas.
Thank you SO much for your recipe and for posting — if I could give you 10 stars I would!
First off, the modifications I made:
I doubled the sauce, doubled the mushrooms, and used chicken breast.
That said, it was OK. The sauce was more sugar than balsamic and it was just OK. We had it with rice since it felt more Asian inspired and there was just nothing exciting about it. I would make it again but I’d do some modifications to make it slightly different. I wanted a deeper and richer flavor than I got. I think there was far too much sugar with the Balsamic vinegar. It didn’t caramelize in the cooking time. I had leftovers and those were recooked and were more caramelized. It the first cook wasn’t awesome.
I like the recipes on this site, this wasn’t bad but it wasn’t what I expected.
I love this recipe. Cook it about once a week. Pro tip use a quality balsamic and double the sauce and mushrooms.
So in love with this rich and flavorful chicken recipe! I serve with mashed potatoes and try not to drink the sauce straight from the pan…
My husband says this is the best thing I have cooked in a long time! Absolutely delicious!
This. Was. So. Good. Publix was out of boneless, so I used bone in and it worked just fine. Since it was dark meat bone in, I finished it in the oven at 300 for 10-15 minutes which just made it fall off the bone tender. Reheated in the oven the next day it was still super good. In the future, I’m also going to just use the sauce to make balsamic mushrooms as a side dish.