The Only Creamy Mushroom Chicken You’ll Ever Need!

The Only Creamy Mushroom Chicken You’ll Ever Need

Presenter/Channel: Rick — Backyard Chef

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts — a couple; cut into roughly 1-inch slices (remove any unwanted bits/bones/fat)
• Mushrooms — sliced
• Onion — about 1/2 onion, finely diced
• Garlic — minced (optional)
• Double cream (or cream) — quantity not specified
• Parmesan cheese — grated (used to thicken and flavor)
• Parsley — chopped, for finishing
• Olive oil
• Butter — a small knob for sweating the onion
• Salt and pepper

Optional additions / substitutions:

• Chicken stock — to thin and increase sauce quantity
• Herbs/spices — Italian/mixed herbs or a tarragon-style herb
• Spinach — can be added with mushrooms
• More garlic, if desired

Equipment & prep

• Knife and cutting board (slice mushrooms, dice onion, mince garlic, cut chicken)
• Bowl for seasoning the chicken
• Large frying pan/skillet (preheated to a fairly warm heat)
• Spoon or spatula
• Grater for parmesan (implied)

Method — step-by-step

1. Prep

   • Slice mushrooms, finely dice 1/2 onion, mince garlic, grate parmesan, chop parsley.
   • Cut chicken breasts into ~1-inch chunks/slices; remove any bones/fat and season lightly with salt and pepper in a bowl.

2. Sear chicken

   • Heat a pan until fairly warm, add olive oil.
   • Add chicken and sear briefly to get color/“seal” the pieces — not to cook through. Leave until some browning develops; expect some spitting due to moisture.
   • Remove the chicken and reserve, keeping any juices.

3. Sauté aromatics

   • Add a small knob of butter to the pan.
   • Add diced onion and cook briefly.
   • Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn).

4. Cook mushrooms

   • Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt (this draws out moisture).
   • Cook 4–6 minutes, turning, until moisture has cooked off and mushrooms develop some brown color.

5. Make the cream sauce

   • Turn heat down and add cream.
   • Stir in parmesan (this helps thicken the sauce). Gently simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
   • If you want more or thinner sauce (for serving over mashed potato, for example), add chicken stock to loosen it.

6. Finish cooking chicken in sauce

   • Return the seared chicken and any collected juices to the pan.
   • Stir and simmer 3–4 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked and warmed through).
   • Turn heat off, stir in chopped parsley.

7. Serve

   • Plate chicken with creamy mushroom sauce.
   • Sprinkle extra parmesan and a little parsley on top.
   • Serve with sides of your choice (mashed potato suggested).

Chef tips, technique notes & common mistakes to avoid

• Remove any bones/fat from the chicken and season lightly before searing.
• Sear chicken only to color/“seal” — finish cooking it in the sauce.
• Expect chicken breasts to spit because of moisture; that’s normal.
• Don’t burn the garlic — add it briefly (about 30 seconds) before the mushrooms.
• Cook off the moisture from mushrooms so they brown and concentrate flavor (about 4–6 minutes).
• Use the reserved chicken juices from searing — they add flavor to the sauce.
• Parmesan helps thicken the cream sauce; add chicken stock if you want a thinner sauce.
• The recipe is adaptable: add spinach, herbs (Italian/mixed/tarragon-style), or adjust garlic to taste.

Variations

• Garlic-free: omit garlic; rely on onion and parmesan for flavor.
• Herb variations: add Italian/mixed herbs or a tarragon-style herb.
• Mushroom-spinach: add spinach with the mushrooms.
• Thinner/larger-quantity sauce: stir in chicken stock.
• Stronger garlic flavor: increase garlic.

Final notes

• No exact measurements were provided other than approximate counts (a couple of chicken breasts, half an onion). Cook by eye and taste as demonstrated.
• Presenter/Channel: Rick — Backyard Chef. No external sources referenced.