Pan seared chicken thighs with delicious mushroom sauce is a fantastic one pan meal! Make this chicken mushroom recipe for dinner tonight.
This dish goes from stove to table in just 30 minutes!
My Creamy Chicken Madeira is similar to this chicken mushroom recipe, except it uses chicken breasts and the sauce has a richer, more savory flavor.
For an easy way to make a complete meal with chicken thighs, try my Five Spice Roasted Chicken and Vegetables. It’s another one pan meal that cooks in the oven instead of on the stove.
Entree Definition: Pan Seared Chicken Thighs
Pan searing chicken is very easy to do, and requires minimal effort.
It involves cooking skin-on thighs (or chicken breasts) in a skillet on the stove, locking the juices inside of the meat. As a result, the chicken is sure to be tender and juicy.
How to make chicken and mushrooms
Cook the meat and vegetables separately, then add the pan drippings to create the delicious, savory mushroom sauce.
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Note: This is just a partial list of ingredients. For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken thighs – Use boneless, skinless thighs and pound them to a similar thickness so they cook faster and more evenly. You could also use chicken tenders or breast cutlets.
- Mushrooms – Crimini, also known as Baby Bella, tend to have more flavor than other small mushroom varieties. Also, they hold their shape better in sauces and soups, but any white mushroom variety works.
- Garlic – While optional, I recommend adding garlic to sauces for additional flavor.
- Dry white wine – This is to deglaze the pan and add depth of flavor to the sauce. However, you can replace it with chicken broth if you need to make this dish alcohol free.
- Chicken broth – Use store bought or homemade chicken broth as you wish. Vegetable broth or stock may be used instead.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Saute the mushrooms: Simmer the mushrooms in the butter and lemon, then brown with the garlic until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the wine and some broth before transferring everything to a small bowl.
- Cook the chicken: Next, season the chicken and sprinkle with flour to create a light crust. Cook on both sides until done, then remove from the pan.
- Finish and serve: Return the mushrooms to the pan and combine with the remaining ingredients and the drippings from the plate of chicken. Once the sauce is done, spoon over the chicken thighs and serve with your sides of choice.
What to serve with pan seared chicken thighs
I like to pair this dish with some roasted potatoes and asparagus because it really lets the flavors from the mushroom sauce shine.
Or, any of these other side dishes will round out the meal perfectly::
- Rice or rice pilaf
- Pasta
- Roasted mashed potatoes
- Green salad
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
Recipe notes
- Pounding the chicken
If your chicken thighs are already thin, you can skip this step entirely.
For larger thighs, place the meat on a cutting board between two pieces of plastic wrap. Then, use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound them to about 1/4-inch thick.
- Avoid overcrowding
Be sure to use a large enough skillet for this chicken mushroom recipe. Otherwise, the chicken will take longer to cook and won’t have that golden color on the outside.
- Storage and reheating
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Reheat to enjoy within 3 to 4 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Reheating
Simmer the chicken and sauce in a pan on the stove, covering the pan with a lid. This prevents the chicken from drying out as it reheats.
Alternatively, reheat slices in the microwave until they are warmed through. You may need to add some additional chicken broth if the sauce is too thick.
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Pan Seared Chicken with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless (See Note 1)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
Mushroom Lemon Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups thinly sliced Crimini mushrooms (or any small mushroom)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves minced (optional)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup parsley chopped, divided
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add mushrooms, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Uncover and add garlic (optional), cook over high heat until liquid almost evaporates and mushrooms brown and glaze, about 5 minutes. Add white wine, 1/4 cup broth. Stir to scrape up browned bits in pan. Pour into a small bowl.
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with salt, pepper and flour. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to skillet and melt over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 6Â minutes. Remove to platter, cover to keep warm.
- Pour cooked mushrooms back into pan and add remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup parsley, scraping to release brown bits on bottom of pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and swirl in pan until melted. Drain juice from cooked chicken into pan. Pour mushroom sauce over chicken, sprinkle with Âremaining parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Nutrition
This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking on September 2016 and has been updated with a new photos and video.
Wow, what a meal! This looks restaurant quality and I’d be a pretty happy girl ending any day with a meal like this. Love the sound of that mushroom sauce!
Thanks Faith, that lemony mushroom sauce is a favorite of mine to make. 🙂
Happy you are getting some much-needed rain! This looks so delicious and perfect for a weeknight when I have no idea what to make! Wait, that’s every night.
Thanks Karen, pretty good stuff for a 30 minute meal! It’s still pouring down. My dogs don’t know what to make of it. 🙂
So sorry you’re feeling under the weather Kevin. I’ll keep my fingers crossed it doesn’t last much longer. This chicken dish sounds like a total winner. I love the mushroom sauce and so will my husband Tom!
On the mend finally, thanks Mary Ann. Having and appetite again, so that’s always a good sign! 🙂
I think I just salivated on my keyboard. Seriously! The colour of that chicken, how juicy it all looks. And asparagus! I miss asparagus!
Thanks John, I think those might have to happen again this week, so good!
Thank you Kevin
Made this today – delicious
I did add some sliced garlic though
Will def be making this again
Thanks for letting me know Tatiana, so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Excactly! Days are passing so fast now. Just a few weeks ago I still had quite decent light to shoot at around 8 p.m., and now it’s completely dark at this point. The combo of chicken and mushrooms is so hearty, earthy, and comfort – that’s exactly what we’ll all need soon. I’d like this with mashed potatoes please:)
Hi Ben! By 7 pm its dark here now, it used to be 8pm or later!
See I was trying to be good and just have some steamed veggies with this and Dave mentioned mashed potatoes too. Haha!
Mushroom and chicken is a always a winner combo 🙂 love this easy recipe, and the photos look so good, and I love this marble 🙂 Sorry to hear about Dave, it’s not easy to keep diabetes under control, send me wishes.
Thanks Farida! So happy you had a wonderful trip to Istanbul with your family. I need to get over to your site and read the latest. I enjoyed the photos on IG very much.
Kevin, this looks so beautiful…and I saw those pictures of you guys hiking 🙂 that looks errrrr… brutal!
Annnnnyhow looks my type of dinner…
Thanks Mila! It was windy, but so fun!
Oh I’m so glad you guys are getting rain!! I know you need it! And since most of our amazing produce comes from Cali, trust me I am sending ALL the rain vibes your way!! 😉 I saw a clip of your hike on social media and HOLY WINDY!! But I’m glad you guys had a great time! (quick side note- I’m sorry to hear about Dave’s blood sugar level issues. I’m sending all the figure-that-ish-out-quick and get better soon vibes his way!!) Anyways, this chicken! SO YUM! I adore chicken thighs, but Boy for some reason isn’t the biggest… Read more »
That had to be the windiest day ever up there. It supposedly was 50 mph wind, but so fun! Thanks for all the good vibes and thoughts Chey!
Hey Kevin! Nothing beats a good mushroom gravy and this one sounds delicious! I pick up mushrooms every time I go to the store, there are so many uses for them! Glad to hear you are getting wet as I know you really need it. We are still hitting record highs but it is suppose to cool down some in a few days (assuming the weather guy is correct…yeah that happens often). Hope Dave feels better soon!
Sadly the rain didn’t last… 101°F the last two days. Help Dorothy, we’re melting!
We have no lack of precipitation in this parts, Kevin! Though, it was pretty nice here this past weekend! I hope Dave feels better 🙂 I can’t believe where the year went, either. Like you said, the mornings are pretty dark and the days are getting shorter. My mindset is even looking ahead now to Christmas! What?!
So this chicken and mushrooms looks delicious. You know I love chicken thighs (and, yay, no skin 😉 ) And I just can eat mushrooms all day, every day. So good! Lovely recipe, as usual, my friend!
Thanks Dawn! I know, it’s time for all the best holidays already, crazy, huh? If I’m not roasting the chicken the skin comes off. It’s great to baste the chicken when roasting, but otherwise… I’d rather save the calories and eat a hasselback apple! 😉
Hey, send some of that rain our way…it’s so dry out here! We did finally break into Fall temps, and I had to wear a light jacket over the weekend. Finally! 🙂 This chicken looks amazing, Kevin. I didn’t used to like mushrooms (texture thing), but I’m slowly coming around. I think I need to give this one a shot…it looks too good to pass up! Oh, and glad to hear the car fiasco is moving along. Good luck!
The rain was ever so brief, back to over 100°F the last two days. I haven’t worn a jacket in ages, though I did see a cool one at REI the other day! Funny, I was not a sweet potato or mushroom fan until a few years ago. I’m happy to have tried them again and realize I like them!