A good pan sauce is so simple to make and squeezes every last drop of flavor out of your meat. This week I made a creamy garlic pan sauce for some chicken thighs that I had stashed in the freezer, and added mushrooms to bulk out the meal a bit. You can serve this Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken over pasta or rice, or if you’re trying to curb the carbs, make a big ol’ beautiful salad to compliment these creamy flavors. Keep dinner simple, keep dinner delicious!
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Goes great with: Focaccia Rolls, Homemade Garlic Bread, Summer Vegetable Tian, Oven Roasted (frozen) Broccoli
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz mushrooms ($1.99)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs ($3.94)
- Salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth* ($0.07)
- 1 cup half and half ($0.85)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.41)
- Parsley for garnish (optional) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Wash and slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium, then add a tablespoon of cooking oil. Swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for one minute, or just until the garlic softens. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5-7 minutes more, or until the mushrooms have wilted. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve all the browned bits off the bottom.
- Add the half and half to the skillet and bring it up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the liquid, stirring often, for about five minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until it has melted in.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the chicken back to the skillet, drench with sauce, and heat over low until warmed through. Top with fresh parsley for garnish, if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!That creamy sauce, though! 🤤
I am using a 10″ Lodge Cast Iron Skillet (affiliate link).
How to Make Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Begin by washing and slicing 8oz. mushrooms and mincing four cloves of garlic.
Season both sides of four boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium, then add a tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken thighs and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through (about 5 minutes on each side). Remove the chicken thighs to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute, then add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté until they have softened.
Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve the browned bits off the bottom, then pour in 1 cup half and half. Bring the liquid up to a simmer, then turn down to medium-low and let simmer, stirring often, for about five minutes.
Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and stir in until melted into the sauce. Taste the sauce and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to your liking.
Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet, spoon the sauce over top, and allow to heat through (just a few minutes).
Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired! (It sure does make it look pretty, huh?)
Tender, creamy, and delicious!
Serving up soon. Taste tests say, YUM!!!! I like that it’s not a thick heavy sauce. I don’t feel the need to thicken with add-ins it before serving. It’s going to be a keeper. Thank you! <3
I’m a little late to the party but just tried this recipe tonight. Knowing I was adding 1/2 c chicken broth, I cut the half and half to 1/2 cup. Added almost a half cup of the parm and let it simmer. It didn’t really thicken. I might try full cream next time to see if it’ll thicken then.
My husband is thrilled I’ve found your website. Everything I’ve made from it he wants on a weekly rotation.
This is amazing!! I just made this and added onions and herbed cream cheese for lunch and it is soooo good!! Thank you for the recipe!
I had been meaning to make this recipe for a while, but I kept forgetting to pick up one ingredient or another. Finally, I just couldn’t take it any more and decided to make a substitution for the one ingredient I didn’t have (half & half). I had cream cheese, and since I’ve made similar sauces using cream cheese, I thought it would work out. It certainly did! The cream cheese melted nicely into the broth, and it looked a lot like the pictures in the recipe. Overall, this recipe was absolutely delicious, and I definitely will make it again. I’ll probably double the sauce, though, because I ended up with very little. It clung to the chicken and mushrooms, with little extra. I don’t know if it was because of the cream cheese, but either way, I don’t regret my substitution. I served it over some leftover mashed potatoes.
Good recipe. As others said, the sauce ends up being a little too runny for me. I add more parmesan and a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to make it thicker.
I made this recipe today for my friend and, it was delicious!! I will try to make it with tofu too!
Delicious!
Loved it! My picky kids even really liked it! I added a half stick of butter and a bit more Parmesan and it was delicious!
Sauted peppers and onions into the recipe after reading the comments and very glad I did. As even with the addition I Found it a little too bland, especially to eat over noodles. Sauce did come together nicely though
I doubled the sauce but I think that was a bad move. It ended up being a bit too runny. Overall, I thought the flavors were nice and went swimmingly together. Just not totally sure I’d make again.
Holy moly. Just made this expecting a fight from my mushroom hating boys (6&8yo). They. Gobbled. It. Up.
Little one said it’s a keeper! I’m thinking I might add in some crumbled bacon and more garlic next time. Thanks for another crowd pleasing, budget keeping, easy to make recipe!
No mention of spinach in the list of ingredients. What’s up with that? How much ??
Last set of directions Mentions addition of spinach.
There is no spinach in this recipe. I garnished with a little parsley for the photos, but only for visual appeal. :)
Delicious. Super simple to put together. Since I’m going to enjoy this dish for lunch, I cut the chicken thighs into strips to make it easier to eat and served it with mashed potatoes. I want to make this recipe again later on. Thanks, Beth!!! ☺️
This was delicious! Very decadent and a bit unhealthy, but the mushrooms with the creaminess of the sauce and chicken
– yum! Sopped it up with Beth’s focaccia bread and accompanied with a simple romaine salad. 👍🏻
Oh that focaccia is a great partner for this dish!
Mine didn’t thicken:(
I made this for the first time and but I did make a few changes. I used chicken breasts, because I only eat white meat. I also added red and green peppers. Lastly I did add some lemon pepper spice which made the result lighter in color. My family loved it and I will continue to cook this meal in the future. Thank you for your help…
Outstanding!! Simple and yummy. I used the recipe for a luncheon I catered. Everyone raved about the chicken. I did “put my foot in it”!!
I deglazed the pan with a little white wine and added onions. Delish!
I thought this recipe was a little simple so I added an onion and thyme.
Was excellent with these aromatic additions.
Found it bland. Will have to tweet next time
Great recipe, made several times. I did substitute the thighs for chicken breast as I don’t eat dark meat, I also used shrimp which was also delicious. This is a keeper!
Made this today. Amazing. Little variation with this. I sprinkled a few sun-dried tomatoes after I added the mushrooms and use fancy shredded Parmesan cheese. At the very end a small amount of fresh chopped chives.
Can this be made as a crock pot meal? By just putting all ingredients in together?
(Maybe cheese at very end)
Unfortunately I don’t think this one would work in the crock pot because it doesn’t allow for any evaporation or reduction of the sauce. It would turn it into a soup.
Can this be frozen once it’s been made???
Unfortunately I don’t think the creamy sauce would hold up well to freezing.
An absolutely delicious receipe. I did however tweak it a bit. I seasoned my chicken with thyme for some fragrance in the chicken. I also deglazed the pan (with mushrooms) with fresh squeezed lemon juice before adding my stock and cream. I finished it off with a touch of lemon juice as well. The added acidity really did bring the dish together wonderfully. I will definitely make this again.
was looking for a recipe for chicken and mushroom pie on pinterest and this recipe popped up. any suggestions for making this into a filling for individual pot pies/hand pies?
Less cream maybe or cornflour to thicken it
Will a can of mushrooms be okay instead of fresh?
No, unfortunately you really need to use fresh for this recipe. The canned mushrooms will not have the same flavor and you won’t be able to get that nice browning action that flavors the sauce.
I made this recipe with chicken breasts but I cut them in half and pounded them out like you said, and it turned out AMAZING. I think I might add more sauce next time because I used rice as a side, and drizzled the sauce over the rice too! Thank you!!!
Love your recipes! This is my go to website for quality yet budget friendly meals. I’m curious if this recipe would work well with chicken breast???? I loathe dark meat chicken.
Yes, you can do this with breasts, but I would suggest pounding them out to an even thickness first, so they cook a bit more quickly and evenly. Sometimes breasts can be so thick and take forever to cook, making them quite dry.
Hands down the absolute best sauce I’ve ever made! And after I saved some in the fridge, and reheated it the next day, it only took a tiny bit of stirring with a fork to get it back to the perfect consistency of the first day! Thank you so much!
I doubled the recipe and added a can of cream of mushroom soup slowly at the end and let it simmer on low. Great recipe for a flexible dinner schedule. Had organic beans and organic pasta to mix into it. Amazing!
Thanks for sharing your tweaking the recipe. I’m definitely going to experiment it the next time. Adding some beans, baby carrots or broccoli.
Really good with bowtie noodles.
Loved this recipe and I can’t wait to make it again! I’m trying to load up on veggies, do you have any ideas as to veggies I could throw in with the chicken and mushrooms?
Spinach is always a great combo with creamy sauces and mushrooms, or if you can get some asparagus for a good price, that would also be awesome!
It was my first attempt at making this recipes. I had it with basmati rice. Never thought that asparagus wud be a wonderful combination. Thanks.
Loved this! I’d also double the sauce/mushrooms and spoon over yolk free noodles.
making this recipe tonight, I wanted to know what happens if i don’t use the cheese ? but overall the recipe looks delicious and I’m pretty sure its gonna turn out well.
If you don’t use the cheese, I would definitely recommend using heavy cream instead of half and half or else the sauce will be too thin, and you may need to add more salt to make up for the saltiness of the cheese. And of course, the flavor will be slightly different because cream and cheese are different ingredients. :)
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I did notice that my chicken took quite a while to cook (longer than specified). Also, my sauce was thin…. if I made it again I would probably do double mushrooms and double sauce (I like sauce). Delicious anyway!
I loved this recipe! About the sauce…is it supposed to be thin or thick/creamy? Mine was thin…if I wanted to thicken it up without losing flavor, what would be the best way?
It should be thick. If it was still thin, there is a chance that the Parmesan wasn’t fully melted. Sometimes it can appear like it’s melted in, but it’s still slightly grainy. Keep stirring over low heat until it melts and it will suddenly thicken up.
Do you know how many carbs and calories this recipe has?
Delicious!
Easy and tasty
I really appreciate it, Beth, when you have the “Goes great with:” links list. So helpful!!
I made this chicken-mushroom dish exactly to the T, following the time to cook the chicken thighs (7 minutes) to make it golden brown. It looked good but when I took a big bite at the end, the chicken was pink and raw in the middle ! I had to cover the lid and simmer for 20 minutes more but the meat inside was still pink and flaccid! There was blood spot. I ended up dissecting the chicken and let it simmer for 10 minutes until it was firm and safe.! Now my stomach is troubled.
The recipe does not explicitly state it but you have to cook the chicken.
Same thing happened to me! What kind of recipe doesn’t tell you the FULL recipe?!
Is there a way to make this in the crock pot?
No, unfortunately you need a skillet for this one.
We made this the a few weeks ago and I’m not a fan of mushrooms, but love the flavor. My husband loves them. I loved the sauce and he ate all the mushrooms! The chicken seemed a little fatty so I think next time I will use chicken breasts. This was such a savory delicious meal! We are enjoying your site so much! The visuals and directions are wonderful!
This was THE BEST chicken thigh recipe. Hands down. My hubby hates mushrooms and he said it was the best. Honestly, thank you!! I’m on a keto diet now and this hit the spot. Diet or not this rocks!
Can this be made earlier in the day and reheated for guests? It’s on the menu today!
While I did enjoy my leftovers, I would suggest making it just before serving if you are serving it to guests.
Made this last night for my wife and I, the speed and ease of preparation was fantastic, perfect for fixing on one of her work nights, especially since it snowed and her arrival time was iffy, just added a small twist in the form of a couple strips of diced smoky bacon in with the mushrooms, took it to a higher and deeper level at the same time, and boy did it turn out good! Definitely a keeper.
Can I make this dish ahead and freeze for a later date? Thanks
Creamy sauces often don’t freeze so well, so I wouldn’t suggest that for this one.
Was reading the recipe and was thinking “This will be GREAT for freezing..” LOL!! maybe it won’t, but I will give it a test and report back. I freeze a similar dish but with pork tenderloin. Sauce may appear a bit separated, but some whisking together and some heat you’d never know it had been frozen.
Made this last night (at 9:30 p.m., after an aikido class) with some chicken breast and it turned out fantastic and was truly quick. I threw in a handful of spinach I had in the fridge with no plan for and served it over some rice. Husband loved it too. This will have to become one of the regular meals.
What is half & half? half & half of what!!
“Half and half” is a cream product in the United States. It is 12% butter fat, as opposed to heavy cream, which is about 35-38% butter fat. I have it linked in the recipe card to a page that defines what half and half is and compares it to other cream products, since most people outside the U.S. aren’t familiar with it.
Made this for dinner tonight! My wife loved it and I think this will be a regular meal for us from now on! I think it could use more mushrooms next time!
This looks so good sand not hard to make.. going to get the ingredients and make it!..
Great recipe! I used chicken breasts instead of thighs, which were thicker, so I had to adjust the cooking time, but this recipe is versatile enough that it still works! Will definitely make this one again!
Could I use cream of mushroom instead of half and half?
I suppose. Then you’d just have double mushroom soup. :P
Would it be okay to substitute wholemilk for half and half?
Not for this one, unfortunately. You really need half and half to make the sauce have body.
Tried this recipe last night and it was fantastic! I used angel hair pasta so the consistency was great as is and I didn’t need to thicken the sauce. I added onions and spinach. Thanks for this recipe! It’s so easy and quick to make. It’s definitely a keeper.
Yummy! I used light evaporated milk instead of half & half. Also added an onion and a handful of baby spinach. Thanks 😊
This was awesome! I served it on a bed of fresh spinach. Yum!!!
Made this earlier this week and it was SO good! Even my very picky boyfriend liked it! Added to my recipe list :)
Made this tonight – it was delicious! I didn’t have any parmesan cheese, so I was going to use some mozzarella instead, but what I had was a little past its prime. I added a little cornstarch to thicken it since I didn’t have the cheese to do that, but it didn’t do much, so I decided to use some greek yogurt and it worked like a charm. This is so similar to stroganoff anyway, I figured that would work pretty well, plus it’s a very mild flavor so it wouldn’t compete with the others. Awesome dish, will definitely make again!
Awesome, simple recipe. I added about 1/2 of parmesan cheese. It turned out great! For sure adding this recipe to my recipe box. Thanks!
Just got done making this. It was delicious. I was going to use cilantro instead of parsley cause that’s what we had, but I forgot. I also forgot to make rice. But we decided this needs to be made again, so I just printed the recipe. Thanks for your wonderful and tasty recipes.
This was outstanding!
A few small changes: subbed whole milk for half and half (it’s what I had), doubled the parmesan cheese, added just a bit of corn starch for thickening at the end, and garnished with scallions in addition to fresh parsley. Lastly, the thighs I had varied considerably in size so I cubed them after cooking rather than leaving them whole.
Served over rice for dinner last night but would be great with pasta or any other starchy base (I would definitely consider trying veggie noodles some time).
We both loved it – I plan on putting this in regular rotation!
Wonderfully thick sauce without flour.
What is half and half – used in your creamy garlic mushroom chicken?
It’s cream with 10-12% fat. What is Half and Half?
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe to make sure we’d have lots of leftovers and I’m glad I did. My sauce didn’t thicken up as much as I wanted it to, so I stirred in a little cornstarch slurry before adding the chicken back to the pan. I served it over egg noodles.
Great and simple recipe! Only problem I had was thickening the sauce. It was too liquidy when I was done with it
The family loves this meal, we do double the sauce and served over veggie noodles! We love your recipes but may I suggest that you change the part about “washing” mushrooms, as you know that will stop the mushrooms from browning up quickly but that would be my only suggestion!
Could this be adapted to be cooked in a slow cooker?
I don’t think the sauce will work in a slow cooker, unfortunately.
instead of salt and pepper at the end, my boss gave me a gift of a grinder with a french spice blend from a vacation she took to Nice. It worked so amazingly in this recipe! It was my first chance to use it so I was extremely happy for it! I had to use the salt at the beginning though since my chicken broth base doesn’t have any salt in it. Between that and the cheese though, I had plenty of salt to help properly flavor the dish.
I have seen recipes that dredge the chicken in seasoned flour before browning. This helps thicken the sauce later and the flour can ‘protect’ other spices that you apply directly to the chicken like paprika.
Try putting another smaller cast-iron skillet on top of the chicken while browning. (wrap the bottom of the second skillet with foil) Pressing the meat into the pan with a weight causes great browning. But you need to rotate the meat after 2 minutes because cast-iron does not distribute heat very well. (Leave 1 thigh un-rotated to see what I mean).
I was told Garlic gets bitter when over cooked. So try doing the mushrooms first, then make a doughnut by pushing the mushrooms to the side and cook the garlic in the middle for 1 minute, then the broth to deglaze.
I think the next time I make this, I will cook the mushrooms first. Especially since I use pre-minced garlic. I travel a lot for my work so I find pre-minced works best for me instead of constantly having to throw out cloves because they have gone bad while I was gone or not in a cooking mood.
This sauce was too runny for me but I thickened it with Italian breadcrumbs. Other than that, this was awesome! This is going to be a regular on my menu list!
Loving your recipes, however what is (1cup of half and half)?
I think it might be a cream/dairy based product.
Yes, it’s a common product here in the U.S. that is about 10-12% dairy fat (around half milk, half cream). Here is more info: What is Half and Half?
I have now made this twice, and holy moly! We love it. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs, and served it over mashed potatoes. Thanks for the great recipe! It’s permanently in our rotation now.
Looks really good. I feel like it would taste great with barley. Any tips on incorporating barley? Would prefer keeping this to one-pan, but I guess I could cook it separately and add it at the end into the sauce.
Hmm, yeah, I think this one would work best if you cooked the barley separately because the long simmer needed for the barley would probably break down the creamy sauce.
Made this tonight and the only change I made was chicken breasts over chicken thighs. Served it up over egg noodles. Husband said it was “Very good”!!
You are awesome!! Every recipe is amazing!! Stay encourage and God bless you!
I made this recipe with frozen spinach and canned artichokes instead of the mushrooms and it came out great! Thanks for another great recipe!
This chicken was so good! I’ve gone back for seconds and thirds today. My sauce never thickened as much as I expected it to, but I was fine with that.
made this last night and it turned out great! My only difficulty was getting the cream to thicken – any advice?
Mine only thickened slightly during the simmer, but once the Parmesan melted in it thickened up quite a bit.
I used heavy cream instead of half and half. Served it over egg noodles. Delicious!
This was delicious! I made as written but used chicken breast tenderloins instead. Next time I will increase the sauce because it was so yummy. We ate it over rice. Thanks for another winner Beth!
Would there be enough sauce for 6-8 small chicken thighs?
Hmm, I’d double the sauce.
I love your recipes! Thank you for sharing.
Is it possible for you to add a calorie/nutrition breakdown with your recipes? I usually do it on my own, but I’m trying to eat better and it helps to know in advance if I can fit this into my plan.
Just made this tonight, fantastic! I only used two thighs but they ended up good anyhow, and canned mushrooms instead of fresh. Served over linguine.
Made this for my brother and roommate, served over rotini.
Fantastic recipe, and will definitely be repeating it.
This was great. I added a fistful of frozen peas at the end just because. I made it again the next morning and took it over to a sick neighbor and she loved it, too. Thanks for the nice recipe.
Looks so good, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
I have never thought to cover the meat removed to a plate mid-cooking, only when the dish is finished and waiting to be served. I wonder if it makes a difference.
Can I substitute almond milk for the half and half and the cheese? I cannot eat dairy.
Unfortunately I don’t think that will work for this one.
Can I use fresh spinach instead of mushrooms and when would I add it?
Hmm, for fresh spinach I guess I would add it toward the end, just before adding the chicken back to the skillet. Stir in a handful at a time until it is wilted into the sauce, then continue by adding the chicken.
I use canned coconut milk in situations like this and I haven’t had any problems with it so far. It is what I will do when I make this recipe and if I make it sometime soon I will comment on how it turns out.
Can I use 2% milk instead of half and half?
Unfortunately I don’t think that will be thick enough or have enough of a creamy flavor to make this work.
Thanks!
It may work if you add some flour to the sauce to act as a thickener. You could also mix equal parts flour and water and make a slurry to add along with the milk. Cook a little longer to help thicken it.
This is super delicious! I appreciate the budget friendly recipes for myself and my college aged children. They use your recipes all the time. They always rave about how tasty, easy and economical they are. I agree. I appreciate all your efforts. Thank you for the yummy recipes.
Would you have to change anything to use bone-in thighs ?
Well, those will take quite a bit longer to cook through, so you’ll just have to be careful to make sure the insides are fully cooked. Make sure not to simmer the sauce for very long after you add the chicken back because the Parmesan in the sauce may begin to burn on the bottom.
We used bone-in thighs. After browning the chicken in the skillet, we transferred it to an oven safe dish and put it in the oven at 325 F while we made the sauce in the skillet (instead of just transferring to a covered plate to stay warm). The thighs had finished cooking through by the time the sauce was ready to add the chicken back to the skillet. I don’t eat meat myself but the folks who do said it was another fantastic Budget Bytes recipe so I assume the cooking variation to accommodate using bone-in thighs rather than boneless worked.
Delicious!!! I’m diabetic and love your pasta or rice recipes, but have to watch it and not over indulge. Thank you for low carb alternatives of this recipe and the 45 recipes in a previous post.
Is there a good replacement for mushrooms? This recipe looks delicious, but I cannot use mushrooms, so instead of just removing them (I assume that is viable) I was wondering if there was a good alternative. Thanks!
Hmm, I can’t think of anything that I’d use in their place. I think simply omitting them is a better option.
I made this tonight and added zucchini instead. My family doesn’t like mushrooms. It was really good… I’m sure the flavor may be off but the zucchini added the bulkiness well.
I have made a recipje like this with green peppers and it turned out great. I prefer them to have a little crunch so I didn’t cook them as long as the mushrooms are cooked in this recipient but try it!
It might be nice with sundried tomatoes instead of mushrooms… Or lightly sauteed spinach.
Someone else commented after you and said they used frozen spinach and artichokes in place of the mushrooms and it was good!
“Season both sides of four boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper”
Should that maybe say thighs? It had me confused for a moment. :)
Ooops! Thanks! It’s all fixed now. :)
I’ve just discovered your blog via Google. Needless to say, I love the recipes you have posted here. Especially useful for me since I am trying to vacation on a budget this springtime. Thank you for your hard work!
So nice to see a recipe that doesn’t include cream of something soup!
I love this recipe! It looks like a perfect weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing.
Do you have a suggestion for replacing the cheese in this recipe, but still having the sauce turn out creamy? I hate cheese, but would love to make this!
If you leave out the Parm, I’d definitely switch the half and half for heavy cream. The Parmesan really thickens up the sauce, so without it the half and half just won’t be thick enough. Heavy cream thickens really well with a few minutes of simmering. Also, you may need to add more salt to make up for the Parmesan.
Thank you!
I have bone-in thighs. Any recommendations on adjusting the cooking time or method?
They’ll definitely need to cook longer to cook through. I suggest using a meat thermometer to make sure they are cooked through because you can’t let the sauce simmer too long at the end after you add the chicken back. The Parmesan can begin to burn with too much heat.
Thaks for inspiration. I did not make this long time. Now i know what for tomorrow dinner :)
Yum! I have to start keeping chicken thighs in the freezer again, that looks way too good. A trick I learned from my mom: if you have plates with a bit of a lip, flip one upside down to use as a lid to keep stuff warm & save on foil! Good for your wallet and the landfill :)
Great tip!