Pan Seared Chicken with Mushrooms
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These quick and easy Pan Seared Chicken thighs are here to save your weeknight dinner plans! Just a handful of ingredients are needed to saute juicy, tender chicken and prepare a zesty, mouthwatering lemon mushroom sauce.
My pan seared chicken thighs recipe is a simple yet foolproof way to get moist, flavorful meat in less than 40 minutes. Healthier than frying, more flavorful than using chicken breasts, and flavored with simple, common ingredients, it’s a one-pan winner of a dish.
The real star, however, is the pan sauce – made with savory cremini mushrooms and bright lemons, this vibrant and decadent sauce is the theoretical cherry on top.
I like to serve pan seared chicken with mushrooms alongside fried potatoes or a tray of roasted vegetables, or with fluffy yeast rolls. These sides make for a well-rounded home cooked meal that is sure to satisfy every member of the household.
Want another dish just like this? Try my Creamy Chicken Madeira! Succulent chicken with mushrooms topped with a creamy sauce and served on a bed of fluffy white rice… it’s another guaranteed crowd pleaser.
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Boneless Chicken Thighs – Boneless, skinless thighs are the preferred cut for this recipe. They will be coated with flour, seasoned simply with salt and black pepper, and pan seared in a butter sauce.
- Mushroom Lemon Sauce – The delicious pan sauce in the recipe is a combination of the meat drippings and:
- Butter – To give the pan sauce a silky, creamy texture.
- Cremini Mushrooms – Small mushrooms with an earthy, rich flavor. Good substitutes would be portobello or regular white mushrooms.
- Lemon Zest & Juice – You may need two lemons to get enough juice and zest. To be sauteed with the mushrooms to add acidity to the glaze and pan sauce.
- Minced Garlic – To flavor both the meat and glaze. If substituting with powder, you’ll need at least ½ teaspoon.
- Dry White Wine – Any acidic, non-sweet cooking wine will do. If you prefer, you could use white wine vinegar instead.
- Chicken Broth – Forming the base of our pan sauce. I’d advise against substituting with vegetable or beef stock, and would instead recommend substituting with bouillon.
- Chopped Parsley – A nice and earthy herb to help even out the sauce, and to serve on top. Cilantro, chervil, or tarragon could be used as substitutes.
HOW TO MAKE PAN SEARED CHICKEN
- Make the Mushroom Lemon Sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat and throw in the mushrooms, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cover and simmer the contents for 5 minutes before adding the garlic and increasing the temperature. Cook on high until the liquid has almost all evaporated. Pour in the white wine and ¼ cup of broth and stir. Transfer to a bowl, including the bits of mushroom and garlic, and set aside.
- Sear the Meat. Season the thighs with salt, pepper, and flour. Melt another 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and add the meat. Brown the meat for 4 minutes, flip, and cook the other side for another 6 minutes. Remove the meat the from heat, move to a platter, and cover to keep warm.
- Reduce and Season the Sauce. Add the mushroom mixture back to the pan and pour in the remaining broth as well. Sprinkle in ¼ cup of parsley. Add the rest of the butter and stir tothe pan’s contents until melted. Take the platter with the resting meat and pour the juice into the pan.
- Top and Serve. Mix the sauce well before pouring over the chicken. Sprinkle the rest of the parsley over top, and serve!
What is pan seared chicken?
Pan searing is cooking your meat, in this case boneless chicken thighs, quickly on high heat. The outside of the meat forms a nice flavorful crust, while the inside retains as much moisture as possible. The result is juicy meat with a fantastic texture!
How long does it take to make pan seared chicken thighs?
It takes a total of 35 minutes to prepare pan seared chicken with mushrooms: 10 minutes for prep, and 25 minutes to cook both the meat and the sauce. It makes four total servings, and can be easily doubled with a large enough pan to hold additional meat.
How do you pan sear chicken without burning it or overcooking?
You don’t want the heat to be too high – medium high heat is sufficient. Sear both sides, and don’t cook any longer than it takes for the meat to reach a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
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This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking on September 2016 and has been updated with a new photos and/or video May 2022.
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 all purpose 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 6 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 remaining parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Enjoyed this recipe tonight; used chicken breast in place of the thighs (we had chix breasts on hand and not big fans of dark chicken meat) and a lightly oaked chardonnay. Loved it! Served with egg noodles and green beans. Next time we may try topping with toasted pine nuts. Keeping a copy of the recipe in my must repeat file!
Nice, always enjoy reading comments like this one Julie. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know! 🙂
Hey Kevin, is your nutrition information correct? The serving size is 1 g? Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts? Thank you!
Sorry about the recipe glitch, when I converted from an older recipe plugin (site techy jargon) it had a few glitches on several. It’s been updated to reflect. Thanks!
Hi Kevin,
Made this tonight. Really good. thnx.
Wondering if this would be good on pasta, but not sure if I would just make more sauce or do something more simple. thoughts?
thnx, Rob
I like your thinking. Definitely Rob. 🙂
Kevin this was GREAT! I used all chicken broth since I didn’t have any white wine, and the texture of the chicken thighs was moist and terrific. Mushrooms and lemon juice/zest made for a delicious flavor.
So glad to read you enjoyed these. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know Jennifer!
I cooked this chicken tonight and it was so yummy – much better than I imagined. Thank you for sharing this recipe…. it is now in my recipe folder 🙂
Glad to be a part of your recipe collection Manda! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I am planning to make this for my moms birthday dinner and was curious what type of mushrooms that you recommend
Hi Amanda! I use small brown topped Crimini mushrooms in this dish.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome!! Super easy for a weeknight meal and really tasty!!
Oh that’s music to my ears! Thanks for stopping back and letting me know Erin. Cheers!
Thinking about making the chicken thighs with mushroom sauce, but was wondering if I do not have broth on hand (do not drink so never have wine) could I make up a few bullion cubes or would that be too salty? Not a cook.
Hi Celina. I don’t drink alcohol myself, but cook with it. It will burn off if that’s the issue. If not then I would use the same amount of water in lieu of the chicken stock and wine (1/2 cup and 1/3 cup respectively) and add 1 chicken bullion cube if salt is in question. This will alter the final dish, but I think you’ll be fine. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Awesome recipe! I can’t cook and this was a winner!! Thanks so much .. will be following you for more !
So glad you found the site and gave my recipe a try Zahabia. Thanks for coming back and letting me know. Cheers!
Hello this looks delicious.. i don’t have any white wine. What can I substitute with? Red wine OK?
Hi Kay! You could use vermouth, but I have not used red wine. Let me know how it turns out! If nothing else, more chicken stock will do just fine. 🙂