Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs (30-Minute Dinner)

Pan fried chicken thighs are coated in a rich garlic mushroom cream sauce with the right amount of seasoning and herbs.

This creamy garlic mushroom chicken is a budget-friendly recipe that is ready in 30 minutes!

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This chicken thighs recipe is one of our family’s favorites. Try our chicken drumsticks, air fryer fried chicken next.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs - with skin on and bone-in. This part of the chicken is well, very forgiving! Even if you don't eat the skin, I highly recommend cooking the chicken with the skin on in this recipe. The skin protects the chicken from drying out.
• Mushrooms - cremini mushrooms, also called baby Bella or baby portobello are what I used. Or you use Portobello, Shiitake, Crimini, White or Chanterelle, Morel, Oyster, and Porcini.
• Cream -  for the richest and thickest sauce use heavy cream of at least 35% fat.
• Dried Italian seasoning/herbs - we like Italian herbs as they give a good twist and match the creamy garlic mushroom sauce to a T. 
• Garlic - don’t skip this! Browned garlic cooked with mushrooms adds the needed richness and complexity to the sauce and helps the mushrooms become flavorful.
• Parmesan cheese - feel free to double up the parmesan cheese or add a generous pinch or two when serving individual portions of the chicken thighs.

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Tips

• Heavy cream can be substituted with evaporated milk, but the sauce may be thinner. To thicken it, add a water-cornstarch slurry (about 2 tablespoons each) at the end, stirring on medium heat to avoid curdling.
• Searing the chicken is necessary for not only keeping the chicken inside juicy and not dried out but also adding rich and caramelized buttery flavor.
• I also recommend adding only a little salt as you go along, once you add the cheese to the creamy sauce taste for seasoning again and adjust where necessary. 

What To Serve With Pan Fried Chicken Thighs

• Grains & starches: pasta, rice, cauliflower rice, mashed potatoes or baked sweet potatoes.
• Veggies: roasted asparagus, air fryer broccoli and air fryer cauliflower.

Freezing And Storing Instructions

• To Store. Keep the chicken thighs in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• To Freeze. For up to 3 months. Let chicken thighs thaw fully in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
• For reheating, do it over the stovetop (my go-to method) or microwave.

How To Make Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs well. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Coat chicken thighs in cornstarch in a large bowl or plate, shaking off any excess to enhance crispiness and reduce mess during searing in a hot skillet.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sear chicken thighs for 6 minutes on each side until the exterior crisps up and turns golden brown.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet with a lid and cook the chicken for an additional 12 minutes or until a kitchen thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 F. Set the chicken aside on a plate.
5. Make the sauce. In the same skillet melt the butter, and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook constantly stirring for about 4 minutes and add Italian herbs and garlic. Make sure the garlic gets lightly browned.
6. Cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and simmer for 3 minutes.
7. Make sure the heat is on medium-low and slowly pour in the cream.
8. Let the cream simmer for a minute or so before adding the parmesan. Stir the sauce until the parmesan is melted and the sauce thickens.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper accordingly.
9. Return the cooked chicken thighs and coat them in the sauce. Let them simmer on low for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and more parmesan.