American
Creamy Chicken Mushroom Skillet
Chicken and mushrooms are seared, then finished in a sauce of broth, garlic, thyme, and cream. The flavor stays with the browned mushrooms and the thyme.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Mushrooms are browned hard before the liquid is added, which is where most of the flavor comes from.
- A spoon of flour gives the cream something to cling to besides reduced fat.
- Thyme is added with the garlic so it perfumes the sauce without a long stew.
- The chicken finishes in the sauce, so the center reaches 165°F without a dry second sear.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Cut the chicken into thick slices and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 2
Sear the chicken until browned, about 3 minutes per side. It will finish in the sauce. Transfer it to a plate.
- 3
Lower the heat to medium. Melt the butter and cook the sliced mushrooms until they give up their liquid and brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
- 4
Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir for 1 minute.
- 5
Pour in the broth and cream, scraping the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 3 minutes.
- 6
Return the chicken and any juices. Simmer gently until the thickest piece registers 165°F, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and add a pinch more salt if the cream has dulled it.
Pro tips
- Do not crowd the mushrooms or they steam and never brown.
- Keep the cream at a gentle simmer once the chicken goes back in so it does not break.
- Slice the chicken evenly so the pieces hit 165°F at the same time.
Easy substitutions
- Chicken breast
- Boneless chicken thighs, cooked to 165°F
- Cremini mushrooms
- White button mushrooms, same weight
- Heavy cream
- Half-and-half, simmered a minute longer to thicken
Storage and reheating
Storage
Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat until the chicken is hot, loosening the sauce with a spoon of broth.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 473
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
You might also like
Chicken and Gravy Skillet
Chicken thighs and potato chunks simmer in an onion gravy made in the same skillet. It is the soft, salty plate people mean when they say they want comfort food on a Tuesday.
45 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Spaghetti
Spaghetti baked with chicken, green chiles, cream cheese, and cheddar. Use chicken that was cooked to 165°F. This is a potluck bake, not a braise.
45 min · Easy
View recipe
Creamy Beef and Noodles
Ground beef and egg noodles simmer in broth with a measured splash of milk. It is a soft noodle skillet, not a mushroom stroganoff.
35 min · Easy
View recipe
Tater Tot Casserole
Seasoned ground beef under a layer of tater tots, baked until the tots are deep golden and the filling bubbles. The beef is cooked to 160°F before it goes in the dish.
1 hr · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Parmesan Chicken Orzo
Chicken and orzo cook in one pot, and the orzo simmers in broth until the liquid thickens into a starchy sauce. Spinach wilts in at the end, and parmesan is stirred off the heat so it melts without seizing.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Shrimp and Grits
Creamy grits sit under shrimp cooked in butter, garlic, and a little smoked sausage.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Biscuit-Topped Chicken Bake
Chicken, peas, and carrots sit in a pan gravy with refrigerated biscuits baked on top. The biscuits take most of the oven time, and the filling is a pot-pie style mix without a bottom crust.
55 min · Easy
View recipe
Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Bake
Chicken breasts and broccoli bake under a cheddar sauce built from butter, flour, milk, and cheese, not a canned soup. Breadcrumbs brown on top in the oven.
55 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.