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!
Pin this recipe for later!
All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and 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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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:(