Name: Creamy Mushroom Chicken (20-Minute Dinner!)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 8-oz Boneless skinless chicken breasts; 2 tsp Sea salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 1 tbsp Olive oil; 1 cup Cremini mushrooms ((sliced)); 1/2 cup Cooked bacon ((chopped; optional)); 2 cloves Garlic ((peeled and crushed)); 3 sprigs Fresh thyme; 1 tsp Cajun seasoning ((optional)); 1 cup Heavy cream; 1 tbsp Grated parmesan cheese ((plus more for garnish if desired))

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With juicy chicken breasts and a velvety mushroom sauce, this creamy mushroom chicken recipe is one of the fastest chicken and mushroom recipes you can make — just 20 minutes! Creamy chicken with mushroom sauce has similar flavors to chicken marsala, chicken florentine, and chicken zucchini casserole, but with the addition of smoky bacon and zesty seasonings. It’s one of my favorite one pan meals!

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Mushroom Chicken Recipe

Tender chicken and mushrooms
Rich mushroom cream sauce with smoky bacon
Done in 20 minutes
Naturally low carb and gluten-free
No thickeners needed
Easy for weeknights, but special for when company’s coming

Creamy mushroom chicken recipe on wooden spoon.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for chicken with creamy mushroom sauce, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Chicken – Choose fresh, equally sized boneless skinless chicken breasts so they cook at the same rate. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are also great in this recipe, but cook time will vary.
Sea Salt & Black Pepper – Since this creamy mushroom chicken is a gluten-free dish, we’re simply seasoning with salt and pepper instead of dredging in flour. The sauce will still come out thick and creamy!
Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive imparts a clean, herby flavor to this recipe, but you can substitute your favorite cooking oil, or use half oil and half butter.
Cremini Mushrooms – These meaty mushrooms also go by the name “baby bellas.” Other fresh mushrooms such as sliced portobellos, shiitake, or everyday white mushrooms will work as well.
Bacon – Optional but adds so much flavor! You can get my preferred brand of bacon here, or any brand you like. If you already have oven baked bacon available, feel free to use that.
Garlic – Use fresh cloves here, as they will get peeled and crushed. If you don’t have any, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
Fresh Thyme – Adds fragrant depth to the cream sauce. If you need to substitute dried thyme, use 1/2 teaspoon. Alternatively, fresh rosemary would work great as a replacement.
Cajun Seasoning – A blend of spices, including paprika, onion powder, and cayenne, among others. It brightens the flavor of the sauce, but you can omit it if desired.
Heavy Cream – Acts as a natural cornstarch substitute to create a thick and smooth sauce in this creamy chicken mushroom recipe. (Heavy cream thickens when reduced.) Don’t substitute milk here, as your sauce will be watery, but coconut cream can work as an alternative if needed.
Grated Parmesan Cheese – Tangy parmesan cheese gives the mushroom sauce extra flavor and helps thicken as well.

Chicken mushroom recipe ingredients in bowls.

How To Make Creamy Mushroom Chicken

This section shows how to make creamy chicken and mushrooms, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Season. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Sear. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Raw chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper.

Make mushroom sauce for chicken. Add mushrooms, bacon (if using), garlic, thyme, and Cajun seasoning (if using) to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned.
Simmer. Stir in heavy cream and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Mushrooms, bacon, and seasonings in a skillet.

Thicken. Add parmesan cheese and stir, until the creamy mushroom chicken sauce is smooth.
Combine. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover the chicken with mushrooms and sauce. Cook just long enough to reheat the chicken. If desired, garnish creamy mushroom chicken with additional parmesan and fresh parsley.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep chicken mushroom recipe leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium heat, or in the microwave at low power, until heated through.
Freeze: Cover tightly or seal in a zip lock bag and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before reheating. The sauce may separate a little, but should come back together if you stir it.

Chicken and mushrooms in a bowl over mashed potatoes.

What To Serve With Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Try these healthy, delicious pairings to go with creamy chicken and mushrooms:

Potatoes – Make your favorite mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower), or try this dish with mashed sweet potatoes. Mashed works best to soak up the delicious sauce, but roasted potatoes (or roasted sweet potatoes) also work.
Simple Salads – Caprese salad, spring mix salad, or a classic wedge salad would all compliment this creamy mushroom chicken recipe.
Easy Veggies – I like serving this dish with pasta swaps like zucchini noodles or baked spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, and roasted green beans.

More One Pan Chicken Recipes

Chicken makes the best one pan meals! Once you master this chicken mushroom recipe, try some of these easy ones next:

Baked salsa chicken recipe in a pan with parsley garnish.

Tools To Make Chicken With Mushroom Sauce

Large Skillet – One of my favorite skillets! This one has a heavy bottom, so it heats evenly and your creamy mushroom chicken cooks quickly.
Meat Thermometer – Helps ensure that your chicken cook to perfection. Look for a reading of 165 degrees F when searing the chicken breasts.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

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5 Comments

Janet
0 November 21, 2022Reply

Absolutely delicious, inexpensive, and just as fast as promised. Since my diabetic DH is eating low carb, but not keto, we splurged with modest helpings of fluffy mashed potatoes and a generous helping of fresh steamed green beans, and this sauce would make a terrific holiday green bean casserole. We don’t eat much bacon so it’s always a treat. I’ve cooked it in the oven for years now, and plan on leftover slices. I also save my bacon fat as it can add wonderful flavor in lots of dishes. This recipe would also taste great over those zero cal shirataki noodles which I use frequently.
Wendy
0 November 12, 2022Reply

This mushroom chicken was so good! I love how rich and creamy it is.
- Brittany
  0 February 11, 2023Reply
  
  Really good dish! We used 2 cups of mushrooms and a 1/2 lb of uncured no sugar bacon and added a touch more of the homemade Cajun seasoning and we all loved it! We ate it over ancient grain rice/quinoa/lentils. It truly felt like a fancier dish than normal even though we make complicated meals regularly. 10/10
Stef
0 November 11, 2022Reply

This was so quick to make and sooooo delicious. Putting this recipe into regular rotation!
Glenda
0 November 11, 2022Reply

Creamy, savory comfort. We loved it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.