Creamy Mushroom Chicken Herb Potatoes (Printable view)
Juicy chicken in velvety mushroom cream sauce with golden herb-roasted potatoes. A comforting main dish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
→ Vegetables
02 - 1.1 lb baby potatoes, halved
03 - 10.6 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
→ Dairy
06 - ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
07 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
→ Pantry
08 - 2 tbsp olive oil
09 - 1 tsp paprika
10 - 1 tsp garlic powder
→ Fresh Herbs & Seasoning
11 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
12 - 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
13 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Liquids
14 - scant ½ cup chicken stock (gluten-free if needed)
→ Thickener
15 - 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss halved baby potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, half the thyme, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper until evenly coated.
02 - Spread the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway through, until deeply golden and crisp on the edges.
03 - Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes per side until a golden crust forms and the meat is nearly cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
04 - In the same skillet, cook the chopped onion over medium heat until softened, about 2–3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté briefly until fragrant. Add the sliced mushrooms and remaining thyme; cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are deeply browned and their moisture has evaporated.
05 - Pour in the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Return the seared chicken to the skillet and simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. For a thicker sauce, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water and stir it into the skillet; cook for 1–2 minutes more.
06 - Stir the chopped parsley into the sauce. Plate each chicken breast with a generous spoonful of the creamy mushroom sauce and serve alongside the crispy herb-roasted potatoes. Garnish with additional fresh thyme.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce practically builds itself from the browned bits left in the pan, so you get bistro quality without any fancy technique.
- Those potatoes emerge so shatteringly crisp on the outside and fluffy within that people will assume you deep fried them.
- Everything lands on the table in under an hour, which makes it Weeknight dinner royalty in my house.
02 -
- Do not crowd the mushrooms in the skillet or they will steam instead of browning, and you will lose that deep caramelized flavor the sauce depends on.
- Letting the chicken rest for a few minutes under foil before returning it to the sauce keeps the juices inside rather than spilling into the pan.
03 -
- Press the potatoes flat against the baking sheet with a spatula halfway through roasting to maximize the crispy surface area.
- Use the cornstarch slurry only at the very end and add it gradually, because a little goes a long way and you cannot undo too much.