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’ll be honest, I almost didn’t make this… but the reviews won me. My husband and kids ate this without complaint! Great over rice!!!
Hit with my husband and 14 month old! I didn’t have thyme so I used Italian seasoning. My sauce wasn’t thickening so I sprinkled just a dab of cornstarch into the sauce and it thickened right up.
Absolutely fantastic, I loved this dish. I used canned mushrooms (made as a last minute dinner and that was all I had) and tasted great. Next time I’ll definitely try the fresh mushrooms though. My kids gave the thumbs up to do again also. All around delicious. I also used chicken breast cut in 1/2, only took 2 breasts cut in half and fed all 3 of us.
My mushrooms released quite a bit of moisture during the cooking process and it resulted in a thin, poorly mixed sauce. I think that next time I make this, I’ll remove the mushrooms and let the sauce reduce even more than recommended to achieve the consistency of a traditional pan sauce. The taste was great and it paired nicely with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts!
@Kelsey My mushrooms also released A LOT of water (partially thawed button mushrooms!)–but instead of removing them, I just let them simmer for longer until the liquid started to cook off to almost nothing then added the balsamic sauce mixture. The mushrooms cooked down more than in the pics above, but I felt they were still juicy and delicious and the final sauce was PERFECT! Best cooking wishes fellow Budget Byter!!
My husband and I loved this. It isn’t too acidic and the chicken is excellent.
Husband loved. He ate the whole thing. I added Tuscan sunset seasoning instead of thyme since I didn’t have that and thyme was in that seasoning. Thanks again.
Delicious! I marinated my chicken thighs and grilled them on the grill, then covered them with the mushroom sauce. Everyone agreed it was fabulous and I will definitely add this to my favorite recipes😋
Delicious! I didn’t have brown sugar so I used regular sugar. I also added a little oyster sauce because it wasn’t thickening enough. It was a little too acidic so I added more sugar while it was simmering. Even the kids ate it without complaints and they are hard to please. I made white rice with peas and carrots for the sides. Will be using recipe again!
Also wanted to add that I seasoned the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders as well as paprika and a little oregano.
I loved this recipe. the sauce is amazing, I made it with chicken breasts and different kinds of mushrooms and it was lovely. I paid it with airfried baby potatoes and arugula salad. YUM. thank you so much
We had some chicken thighs and mushrooms we needed to cook so decided to give this a try despite my husband being hesitant about the balsamic (sometimes it’s overpowering to him). This turned out amazing and he asked for it to be added to our rotation! The sauce was perfect, great flavor and not too strong.
Would make this again! Very easy and mushroom balsamic sauce was fabulous . I used chicken breasts halved.
It wasn’t bad, but I probably won’t make it again as the sauce was too acidic and salty and the chicken tasted bland.
This was good, but the texture of my chicken didn’t turn out great (was a bit rubbery), and it was a little too acidic for my taste.
Hi there! Could I substitute chicken breasts? How many would I use? Would 2 be okay with the current recipe?
Yes you can use chicken breasts, and 2 would be sufficient.
That pan sauce is DANGEROUS!!!! Holy moly. I’m definitely making this again.