Easy Chicken and Mushrooms Recipe - Healthy Recipes Blog

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This hearty and flavorful dish of chicken and mushrooms is perfect for hosting because it looks so elegant, but it's also easy enough for a weeknight dinner. The leftovers are really good! In fact, they get better as the flavors meld and develop.

Chicken and mushrooms are topped with chopped parsley.

Chicken and mushrooms are a classic combination. And when you cook them in a reduction of balsamic vinegar and finish the dish with butter, you have yourself a restaurant-style dish that you can proudly serve to guests, although it's easy enough to make regularly for your family.

Ingredients

Here's a look at the ingredients needed to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

For the sauce: Aged balsamic vinegar, honey (real or sugar-free), kosher salt, black pepper, and dried thyme.
Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. You could use chicken breasts, but it won't be the same - they're not as juicy. If you opt for chicken breasts, slice them in half horizontally, as I do in this broiled chicken recipe, to ensure even cooking.
Kosher salt and black pepper: Used to season the chicken.
Fat for frying: You can use olive oil, avocado oil, or ghee - whatever you like. I like to use ghee.
Mushrooms: To make life easier, I use pre-sliced mushrooms. But you can obviously slice them yourself. White mushrooms work, as do cremini mushrooms.
Garlic: I use minced garlic. You can also thinly slice a few garlic cloves.
Butter: For finishing the dish. It greatly enhances the sauce and makes it creamier.
Chopped parsley: This is used for garnish, so it's OK to skip it. Although it does greatly enhance the dish in terms of presentation.

Variations

As mentioned above, you can use halved chicken breasts, although I highly recommend using chicken thighs in this recipe for the juiciest results.
You can vary the fat you use for frying. I tend to use ghee, but olive oil is delicious, too.
When adding the mushrooms, you can also add about half a cup of chopped yellow onions.
Garlic slices are just as good as minced garlic. It's just that I'm lazy so I tend to use jarred minced garlic.
Instead of dried thyme, you could use dried oregano. Both are excellent, although thyme is definitely my favorite.

Instructions

Making this recipe is truly easy, especially considering it's such an elegant dish. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:

Your very first step is to mix the sauce and set it aside. Next, season chicken thighs. Pan-fry them on both sides until cooked through.

Set the chicken aside, covering it with foil to keep it warm. Use the same skillet to cook the mushrooms and garlic.

Add the sauce and simmer until it's reduced, add the butter, and then add back the chicken and heat through.

The chicken was added back to the skillet.

That's it! To serve, divide the dish between four plates, brush or drizzle each plate with the pan juices, and sprinkle with parsley.

Expert Tip

The balsamic vinegar is very important in this recipe. It helps the dish to brown and caramelize. Please make sure you use it and don't try to replace it with any other vinegar. It won't work. It's also important to use aged balsamic vinegar - young vinegar is too sour.

Recipe FAQs

Can I cook the mushrooms in the same pan as the chicken?

I use the same pan, but I don't cook them at the same time. I cook the chicken first. Once it's cooked, I set it aside while I cook the mushrooms.

Are boneless chicken breasts and thighs interchangeable?

Not quite. While they can both be used in several recipes, the thighs are fattier and juicier and will generally give you better results.

Having said that, there ARE ways to make chicken breast taste good. Examples? Baked chicken breast, grilled chicken breast, and oven chicken kabobs. They're all excellent.

Do mushrooms go well with chicken?

Yes! They complement each other beautifully. Granted, sauteed mushrooms are a classic side to steaks such as New York strip steak, ribeye steak, or flat iron steak.

But they do also go well with chicken. And by the way, they're also great with pork - they go well with baked pork chops, roasted pork tenderloin, and country-style ribs.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this flavorful dish all on its own. It's a complete meal of meat and vegetables.

Sometimes, I spoon it on top of mashed pumpkin, mashed cauliflower, or cauliflower rice (you can obviously use real rice if you wish). It nicely soaks up the juices.

You can also add a bit of color to the dish by serving it with a vegetable side. To make things easy, it's best to choose simple sides such as microwave broccoli, microwave asparagus, or glazed carrots.