Chicken Breasts in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Today we’ll be doing a relatively easy chicken breast recipe. Chicken breasts can be pretty bland but I like to think of them as a blank canvas. So we season the chicken with some thyme and rosemary and pan-sear it.  At this point, it’s already good on its own, but we’ll also be adding some mushrooms in a rich and creamy sauce seasoned with a little garlic, mustard and smoked paprika.

The sauce is pretty rich so make sure to have some neutral sides to balance it out. Stuff like green beans, broccoli or asparagus will work, so you’re not constantly hit by the richness throughout the meal. There’s enough for four people and it’s one of the 30 minute recipes.

Let’s get started!

I used four boneless, skinless chicken breasts here with the fat trimmed off. If you’re using frozen chicken breasts, make sure to thaw them out. Season them on both sides with salt and pepper to taste and the two herbs, rosemary and thyme.

I used a non-stick skillet, melted the butter and added some olive oil over medium high heat. Sear the chicken breasts on one side until it’s nice and brown. Make sure you reduce the heat to medium after one side is done so the other side doesn’t burn. We’ll be flipping the chicken to brown the other side and covering the pan and cooking it for another 10 minutes. Covering the pan traps in the heat and cooks the thickest part of the chicken breasts faster.

Be sure to check the breasts once it’s done to see if the thickest part of the chicken is cooked properly. It should read 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer or if you don’t have one, cut the thickest chicken breast in half to make sure all the pinkness is gone. Not all chicken breasts are created equal so there will be a bigger one among the rest and we’ll use that one as a benchmark to check for doneness.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside to let it rest. Here’s where we’ll be making the sauce. Start by sauteeing the mushrooms with some garlic, then add some chicken broth and mustard. Tweak the mustard to your tastes by adding half a tablespoon at a time. If you don’t like mustard, you can skip this. The mustard adds a little depth to the sauce but does not overwhelm it. If you’re the kind that loves mustard, here’s the chicken recipe for you where mustard is the star of the show.

Simmer until the chicken broth has slightly reduced then add the heavy cream, smoked paprika and parsley. I added a little bit of sugar to balance out the taste a little more but this step is optional. Do a taste test and see if you’re okay with the sauce before you try the sugar. Some will like it the way it is, others might like it a little more balanced.

And that’s about it. Serve with some greens and enjoy your meal!

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