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This One-Pan Skillet Chicken with Mushroom Sauce is the perfect weeknight meal! This skillet chicken recipe is made with juicy bites of chicken breast simmered in a simple and flavorful mushroom sauce. Enjoy over white rice, pasta, or cauliflower rice for an easy, well-rounded dinner option.
Easy Skillet Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
I’m all about one pan meals. They truly are the best. I mean, who wants to come home and clean up multiple pans and dishes after a long day? Not me!
This One-Pan Chicken with Mushroom Sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner. It’s simple to make, but loaded with the best flavors. This skillet chicken recipe is packed with aromatic veggies and a comforting, oh-so-flavorful sauce. It’s ready in a total of 20 minutes and it’s a dinner the whole family will love.
Plus, you can enjoy it to the fullest since you know you won’t have to spend a ton of time cleaning up the kitchen after dinner! Win!
Can You Cook Chicken in a Pan Without Drying it Out?
Absolutely! Especially if you cook it in a flavorful mushroom sauce. While there are plenty of ways to avoid drying our your chicken, there really isn’t much to worry about with this recipe.
Since the chicken is cut into cubes, it cooks super quickly which lowers the risk of it drying out. It also spends most of its cooking time simmering in a delicious mushroom sauce which adds tons of flavor and plenty of moisture!
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken: You’ll need 1 pound of boneless chicken breasts cubed into even pieces.
- Oil or Butter: Either olive oil or grass-fed butter work great to sear the chicken.
- Salt and Pepper: A little bit of salt and pepper is all you need to season the chicken. The sauce adds plenty of flavor!
Mushroom Sauce
- Butter: You’ll need just a little bit of butter to add flavor and sauté the aromatics.
- Aromatics: We’re creating a flavor base with sautéed garlic and onion.
- Cremini Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms are like baby portobello. I love the flavor they add to this dish. If you can’t find cremini, portebello or regular white mushrooms will work too.
- Broth: I use organic chicken bone broth, but feel free to use what you have on hand. You can also make a homemade chicken broth in the instant pot or slow cooker!
- Red Wine: A splash of red wine deepens the flavor of the sauce.
- Herbs and Seasonings: We’re seasoning our sauce with a simple combination of thyme, bay leaf, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make One-Pan Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
This simple skillet chicken recipe comes together in a total of 20 minutes! Here’s a quick summary of the recipe:
- Sear the chicken: Heat oil or butter in a skillet. Once hot, add in the cubed chicken and sauté until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In the sauce pan, add more butter, onion, and garlic. Sauté for a couple minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
- Combine: Add the chicken back into the skillet along with chicken broth, red wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
How Long Does Chicken Take to Cook in a Pan?
That depends on the size and thickness of the chicken you’re cooking. For this skillet chicken recipe, I like to chop the chicken cubes. The smaller pieces allows the chicken to cook much more quickly than it would if it were left as a whole chicken breast.
If you’re looking for more specific time estimates, plan for 2-3 minutes of browning, then 8-10 minutes of simmering in the sauce.
TIP: Cube the chicken evenly! We want pieces that are all the same size so they cook at the same rate!
How Do You Know When Chicken in a Skillet is Done?
The best way to know when the chicken is done cooking is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should be 165ºF.
How Do You Thicken Mushroom Sauce?
the mushroom sauce will naturally thicken as it simmers in the pan and as moisture evaporates. It will also thicken up considerably as it cools. With that in mind, I wouldn’t do anything to alter the texture right away.
If you do know you want a thicker mushroom sauce, you can thicken it quickly by adding a cornstarch slurry. Simply mix together equal parts cornstarch and water, then whisk that into the sauce (very little bits at a time) until your desired texture is reached.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken with mushroom is definitely a lighter meal on its own, so I love to serve it over:
- Rice
- Coconut rice
- Cauliflower rice
- Pasta
- Zucchini noodles
- or round it out with a side of Roasted Veggies
How to Store
Leftover chicken with mushroom sauce will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It can also be wrapped tightly and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then warm on low on the stove until heated through.
One-Pan Chicken in Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Pinch black pepper
Mushroom Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 container cremini mushrooms can sub other!
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons red wine
- 2 springs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut chicken into cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a skillet heat oil or butter and sauté chicken for 2-3 minutes, not fully cooked. Set chicken aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet add butter, dicd onion, and minced garlic. Sauté for 2-5 minutes or until soft and fragrant.
- Add in the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing often to allow for water to cook out.
- Add back in chicken into the skillet.
- Add chicken broth, red wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve!
great sauce, the perfect compliment to chicken served this way, love it, thank you!
Loved it!! Although I wouldn’t call this 4 servings, more like dinner for two with a small amount leftover.
Is this freezer friendly?
Yes! Should be fine in the freezer!
Is there a substitution for the red wine? I don’t drink wine and never have it in my house. Thanks!
I’ll have to look into getting an instant pot! Any recommendations ?? 🙂
Hi Samantha. Try checking out “QVC.com”. Their products are all high quality, and you’ll have 30 days in which to return anything that you’re not satisfied with. They do have what you’ looking for. I hope this info helps you.
Amazon! http://amzn.to/1RfVggV
Love my Instant Pot!!! Makes the best stew! I can make spaghetti squash in about 30 min. And I use it to make yogurt, rice once and a while, plus a lot of crockpot stuff.