Creamy Mushroom Chicken

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This easy creamy mushroom chicken recipe is a real family favorite chicken recipe. The chicken thighs are cooked with mushrooms and garlic in a velvety cream sauce that is surprisingly easy to cook, but tastes really luxurious. Serve with mashed potato and green beans for the perfect family dinner.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Chicken, mushroom and garlic are a great combination of flavors. The earthy mushrooms work perfectly with the pungent garlic; adding lots of flavor to the meaty chicken in this creamy garlic mushroom chicken recipe.

I’ve opted to make creamy mushroom chicken thighs as there is more flavor in chicken thighs than the breast meat. Also, chicken thighs don’t dry out quite as easily, meaning the pieces of chicken are moist and tender in the sauce.

This is one of my favorite simple chicken and mushroom recipes, as hands on prep time is minimal. Just 15 minutes to assemble the dish, then you can leave it to simmer away gently on the stovetop while you get on with preparing any additional sides.

This is one of those easy chicken dinners that I prepare often, particularly mid week. I rarely have any leftovers, it’s clean plates all round in my kitchen.

Creamy mushroom chicken ingredients

• CHICKEN: I’ve used 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, allowing for 1 thigh per serving.
• FLOUR: I coat the chicken in all purpose flour before searing. The flour not only adds a crispiness, but also helps to thicken the sauce.
• OIL: I used regular olive oil to sear the chicken as it has the best flavor.
• MUSHROOMS: I used freshly sliced white mushrooms in the recipe.
• GARLIC: for the best flavor opt for freshly minced garlic, or use frozen garlic or garlic puree in a pinch.
• BROTH: I’ve opted for chicken broth, but vegetable broth would also work well in this recipe.
• LEMON: I like to add a little fresh lemon juice to the sauce, which helps add a little acidity which cuts through the rich cream sauce.
• SEASONING: I season the dish with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
• CREAM: for a luxurious creamy sauce I use heavy whipping cream.

How to cook creamy mushroom chicken

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a gallon bag.

Place the chicken thighs in the bag and toss to coat.

Heat the olive oil a large skillet over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides until golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add the mushrooms and garlic.

Saute until tender, adding more oil if needed.

When the mushrooms are cooked through, remove them from the pan.

Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning.

Allow the sauce to simmer for around five minutes, until thickened.

Stir in the heavy whipping cream and add the chicken and mushrooms back to the pan.

Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, around 10 minutes.

Flavor variations

• Chicken – swap the boneless skinless chicken thighs, for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, chicken breast, leg or drumsticks. Just ensure you adjust cooking times depending on the cut of chicken being used.
• Mushrooms – use any variety of mushroom in this recipe: white, button, cremini, shiitake or oyster mushrooms.
• Vegetables – add other vegetables into the mix, like carrot, onion, zucchini or broccoli.
• Leafy greens – add a handful of greens, like spinach, kale or shard, towards the end of the cook and allow them to wilt into the sauce.
• Cream – for a luxuriously creamy sauce I used heavy whipping cream, but for a lighter sauce you can swap this for light cream or half and half.
• Fresh herbs – stir through, or garnish the dish with some freshly chopped herbs like parsley, basil, oregano, tarragon or thyme.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve this creamy mushroom chicken with a potato and vegetable based side. Mashed potatoes and green beans are my go to, however, feel free to serve it with the sides of your choice.

For a potato side try my Slow Cooked Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Potato Wedges, Garlic Potatoes & Green Beans or my Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

I always add vegetable sides to my meals, try my Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Carrots, Roasted Carrots & Mushrooms, or my Roasted Broccoli.

Recipe hints & tips

• Take time to properly season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, as it will make all the difference to the finished dish.
• This is definitely a dish that is best served fresh from the skillet, when the sauce is at it’s silkiest.
• Slice the mushrooms to the same thickness, that means they will cook evenly and at the same time, avoiding some of the mushrooms overcooking and becoming too soft.
• The easiest way to check that chicken is cooked through, is to use a meat probe thermometer. If you don’t have one, then insert a sharp knife into the thickest part of the chicken thigh and the juices should run clear. If they are still pink, return to the heat for a few minutes more.

FAQs

Try some of my favorite chicken main meals here at When is Dinner

• Crispy Buffalo Spiced Chicken
• Chicken Tenderloins & Garlic Pasta
• Oven Baked Buttermilk Chicken & Gravy
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Mexican Shredded Chicken Casserole
• Chicken Fajita Pasta
• Chicken Carbonara
• Instant Pot Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta Casserole
• Chicken Alfredo
• Tuscan Chicken