Skillet-Seared Chicken Mushroom (Print Version)

Tender seared chicken breasts topped with a rich creamy mushroom sauce, perfect for weeknight meals.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
05 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Mushroom Cream Sauce

06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
08 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
09 - ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
10 - ¾ cup chicken broth (gluten-free if needed)
11 - 1 cup heavy cream
12 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
13 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
14 - Salt and pepper, to taste
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How To Make:

01 - Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides evenly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove chicken and keep loosely covered.
03 - Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to skillet, then sauté mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and browned.
04 - Incorporate minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Pour in white wine or chicken broth, scraping browned bits from the skillet. Simmer for 2 minutes.
06 - Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
07 - Adjust seasoning of sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Return chicken to skillet with any juices, spoon sauce over, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
09 - Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the dish before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks and tastes like fine dining but uses one pan and takes less than an hour from start to finish.
  • The sauce builds itself from the browned bits left in the skillet, creating layers of flavor without any fuss.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have melded together overnight.
02 -
  • If your chicken breasts are thick and uneven, pound them gently to an even thickness so they cook through at the same rate without drying out.
  • Don't let the sauce boil hard once you add the cream or it might break and look grainy instead of smooth and velvety.
  • Always taste the sauce before adding the chicken back in because it's much easier to adjust seasoning when the pan isn't crowded.
03 -
  • Let your skillet get properly hot before adding the chicken, you should see a shimmer on the oil and the butter should just stop foaming.
  • Use a meat thermometer to check for 74°C instead of guessing, overcooked chicken is dry chicken and there's no fixing that.
  • Save any leftover sauce in a jar and toss it with pasta the next day for an effortless lunch that tastes like you tried.
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