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!
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
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!
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!