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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Chicken Breasts in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
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Prep Time: 10 mins -
Cook Time: 20 mins
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Total Time: 30 mins
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Yield: 4
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Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, rosemary and thyme
- Over medium high heat, melt butter and add 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pan-sear the chicken breasts until browned on one side, about 5 minutes
- Lower heat to medium and flip the chicken to the other side. Cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F and juices run clear
- Remove chicken from skillet and let it rest
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet, and saute the mushrooms and garlic for 2 minutes
- Pour in chicken broth and mustard and stir to combine
- Simmer until sauce has thickened slightly
- Stir in heavy cream, smoked paprika, sugar and parsley and simmer a little more until the sauce is as thick as you like it
- Return chicken to pan and stir to coat with the sauce
- Dish and serve hot
10 Comments
Kelly Staple
November 22, 2015 at 9:52 PMLoved it! Next time I’m going to try and make more of the sauce. It was so good with our roasted potatoes. I took your advice and stopped at half the mustard. Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
November 30, 2015 at 2:40 PMThanks for trying it out, Kelly! If you need more sauce, just add more chicken broth and heavy cream until it’s the way you want it. Season it accordingly to taste.
Barely Vegan
November 23, 2015 at 11:48 PMThis looks great. The sauce seems like it would be good on chicken, fish, vegetables….pretty much anything!! Awesome recipe.
The Cooking Jar
November 30, 2015 at 2:41 PMI think it’ll be great on steak too, yum! Meatloaf too!
Chanel | Cultural Xplorer
November 27, 2015 at 4:36 PMOMaGosh Farah! This recipe looks so amazing! I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken and I definitely think I am going to make this dish this week!
The Cooking Jar
November 30, 2015 at 2:42 PMGood luck with it, Chanel! Chicken breasts are so versatile like that, you can pretty much do anything to them 🙂
Carol
December 14, 2015 at 9:19 PMI made this for the first time tonight. I actually doubled the recipe in hopes of having leftovers for another meal. No such luck. Only enough left for a small lunch. The family loved it. My son who isn’t crazy about chicken had thirds. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
The Cooking Jar
December 16, 2015 at 12:49 PMSo great to hear this! You’re very welcome, Carol.
Leah
December 10, 2016 at 10:29 AMHi. I am new to your site and saw this interesting recipe. However, I cannot use cream (or any dairy products). How else can I thicken this sauce? Thanks for your help.
The Cooking Jar
December 10, 2016 at 9:19 PMHeya Leah. You could try a cornstarch slurry (1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water) to thicken the sauce but it will not have the creaminess that dairy can give. That’s about all I can think of!