When you feel like a flavoursome, comforting meal my Creamy Mushroom Chicken is ideal. This is a quickly prepared meal, making it an easy, weeknight family dinner but sufficiently elegant for relaxed entertaining. Creamy chicken and mushrooms are great companions. Here, we have chicken in a smooth and creamy flavour-filled sauce, with the mild flavour of white button mushrooms heightened by the rich earthiness of dried porcini mushrooms. It is a meal that will become a family favourite and one that you will make often.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- This is a meal that provides maximum enjoyment for minimum effort.
- The creamy, flavour-filled sauce is a perfect balance of flavours and a great accompaniment to the tender, juicy chicken.
- The chicken and sauce are quickly and easily made. This dish is ideal for busy weeknight family meals and also suitable for entertaining. It is a crowd pleaser.
- Like my recipes for Creamy Tomato Chicken and Creamy Lemon Chicken, this recipe is made with reliably tender chicken tenderloins.
- Easy chicken dinners are always a hit – we also love our Creamy Chicken Pasta and Mediterranean Chicken Casserole.
- You can make it gluten-free by using the appropriate flour. Always check labels to be sure your ingredients are suitable.
Recipe Inspiration: I am a fan of easy chicken meals. They are generally family friendly, and as many of us are time poor, something that is quickly prepared, comforting and full of flavour is always welcome.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Chicken tenderloins – we have chosen tenderloins as they are reliably tender. You can use the breast if you prefer, but it is inclined to become dry if even a little overcooked.
- Plain/all-purpose flour – we use this to coat the chicken for pan-frying. It also acts to slightly thicken the sauce. Use a gluten-free flour if necessary.
- Dried oregano – in this instance, I prefer the dried herb. The flavour is more subtle than the fresh herb and complements the other ingredients without dominating them.
- Coarse cooking salt and freshly ground black pepper – properly seasoning food is essential for a well flavoured dish.
- Unsalted butter – we use unsalted butter to pan fry the chicken tenderloins and to cook the mushrooms.
- Extra virgin olive oil – we use some olive oil when pan frying the chicken and the mushrooms to prevent the butter burning.
- Dried porcini mushrooms – also known as king bolete or cepe, the flavour of this dried mushroom is concentrated and intense, adding rich earthiness to many dishes. We soak them in warm water to rehydrate them. Use them in soups, stews, risotto or pasta.
- White button mushrooms – this is the most cultivated variety in the world. They have a mild flavour and are extremely versatile. They are great in pasta, risotto, stir-fry, soup or sauces. Two of my favourite ways to enjoy them is in Mushroom Lettuce Wraps or Baked Stuffed Mushrooms.
- Garlic cloves – we use fresh garlic cloves to add great flavour to the cream sauce.
- Heavy/thickened cream - Also known as whipping cream, it has a milk fat content of at least 35%. It makes a rich, velvety sauce.
- Thyme leaves – fresh thyme leaves add great savoury flavour.
- Flat leaf parsley – our preference is the flat-leaf Italian variety. We finely chop some to add to the dish as we serve.
Variations:
Chicken tenderloins – if you prefer, you can use strips of breast meat, but it is not as forgiving as tenderloins and will become tough if overcooked.
Thyme – you could substitute fresh rosemary; it has great flavour.
Button mushrooms – you could use small Swiss Brown mushrooms if you prefer.
How To Make Creamy Mushroom Chicken:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Soak the porcini mushrooms:
In a small bowl, soak the dried porcini mushrooms in warm water. We will use the soaked mushrooms and liquid in the sauce.
2 – Prepare the chicken:
Mix flour, oregano, salt and pepper on a plate and toss the chicken in it to coat well. Tap off excess.
3 – Cook the chicken:
In a large frying pan, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until just cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
4 – Cook the mushrooms:
In the same pan, add the remaining butter and olive oil. When heated, add the mushrooms, and sauté until golden and cooked. Add the chopped garlic and cook.
Add the porcini mushrooms and porcini stock and de-glaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits in the pan. They add great flavour.
5 – Finish the sauce:
Add the cream and fresh thyme. Simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly.
6 – Return the chicken to the pan:
Return the chicken to the pan. Check that the seasoning is to your liking. Serve immediately sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
Hint: always save the liquid from soaking dried porcini mushrooms. It has fantastic flavour and is a great addition to soups, stews, risotto or pasta sauces.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
There is a small, white, tough tendon visible at one end of the tenderloin. Remove it with a sharp knife or a pair of scissors. There’s no need to remove it all; the tendon inside the meat is very thin and you won’t notice it after cooking, but it is important to remove the larger, thicker piece. Don’t try to pull it out or the meat may fall apart.
Yes, you can, just be careful to not overcook the chicken breast. It is not as reliably tender as a tenderloin and tends to become tough and dry if even a little overcooked.
It is best if served as soon as it is made. If made in advance and reheated, there is the possibility the creamy sauce may split, and the chicken toughen. As the cooking process is so speedy, I recommend that you prepare the separate components a day ahead, and store in the refrigerator ready to cook.
If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge as soon as possible. For safety reasons, if leftovers have been out of the fridge for 2 hours, discard them. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days, then reheat gently on low heat on the stovetop or in a microwave until the internal temperature registers 75 degrees C (165 F). I don’t recommend freezing this dish. With the high dairy content, on thawing, it could separate.
Top Tip:
I encourage you to practice “mise en place”. This French term, meaning “everything in its place,” means that you have your ingredients ready when you begin to cook. Read through the recipe and make sure that you have the ingredients you will need prepared, and cooking utensils to hand. It makes for a smoother, quicker, cooking process.
Serving Suggestions:
Creamy Mushroom Chicken works well with so many dishes. Some suggestions are:
- To soak up the delicious sauce, serve with rice, pasta or our easy Spelt Focaccia.
- Crispy Roasted Smashed Potatoes are an ideal side dish.
- Roasted Broccolini is a great way to include some greens.
- A simple Tomato and Onion Salad adds freshness.
Creamy Mushroom Chicken is quickly and easily prepared, making it ideal for a full of flavour weeknight meal, whilst also being an elegant dish suitable to serve to guests. It will make any occasion feel special. The flavours are perfectly balanced, with the savoury earthiness of the mushrooms complementing the creaminess of the sauce. I do hope that you enjoy this meal very soon.
Alex xx
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Creamy Mushroom Chicken
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 500 g (1.1 lb) chicken tenderloins
- 40 g (¼ cup) all-purpose/plain flour - use gluten-free if needed See Note 1
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter See Note 2
- 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Creamy Mushroom Sauce:
- 15 g (½ oz) dried porcini mushrooms
- 125 ml (½ cup) warm water - for soaking the mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 200 g (7 oz) white button mushrooms - cleaned and thinly sliced See Note 3
- 3 large garlic cloves - finely chopped
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 4
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley - finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste See Note 5
Instructions
- Have all your ingredients prepared before you start to cook.In a small bowl, add the dried porcini mushrooms to the warm water. Set aside for 15 minutes, or until softened. Using a small sieve lined with a piece of paper towel, strain the liquid into a small bowl to remove any grit. Set aside for the sauce. Remove the mushrooms and finely chop.
- Whilst the mushrooms are soaking, prepare the chicken.There is a small, white, tough tendon at the end of the chicken tenderloin. You will need to remove it with a sharp knife or a pair of scissors. There’s no need to remove it all; the tendon inside the meat is very thin and you won’t notice it after cooking but it is important to remove the larger, thicker piece. Don’t try to pull it out or the meat may fall apart.
- Pat the chicken dry with some paper towel. On a large plate, mix the flour, oregano and salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in it so it is well coated. Tap off any excess flour.
- In a large frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. Remove the chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the remaining butter and olive oil. Once heated, add the mushrooms, and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until golden and cooked.
- To the mushrooms, add in the chopped garlic, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful to not let the garlic burn.
- Add in the porcini mushrooms and the porcini stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the flavour.
- Add in the cream and fresh thyme. Simmer the sauce for 3 minutes, or until it thickens slightly
- Return the chicken to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes. Check that the seasoning is to your liking.Serve immediately, topped with the finely chopped parsley.
Notes
- Gluten-free: adapt this recipe to gluten-free by using the appropriate flour.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each listed tablespoon.
- Mushrooms: clean the mushrooms using a dry paper towel. Only use a damp paper towel if they are especially dirty.
- Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Proper seasoning is essential for a delicious dish that is well flavoured.
- Storage: cooled leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat gently at a low heat. As the sauce is cream based, reheating can cause it to split – adding a little additional cream can stop this from happening.
- Freezing: this dish is not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Rebecca says
I’m excited to give this a go! This brings back fond memories of my grandma who used to make a creamy chicken mushroom dish.
Alexandra Cook says
That is so lovely! I hope you'll enjoy it, Rebecca 🙂
Alex xo
Rebecca says
I made this tonight and it was just as good as I hoped it would be. The perfect meal to enjoy on a cold night. Kids even enjoyed it too which surprised me as they don’t like mushrooms!
Alexandra Cook says
Thrilled to hear this, Rebecca!
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Alex xo