Chicken with Mushrooms in a Light Balsamic Cream Sauce

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Chicken with Mushrooms  Light Balsamic Cream Sauce

Do you ever find yourself scrambling, trying to figure out what the heck you should make for dinner? As much as I am a big believer in planning ahead, there’s at least one night per week where I just don’t have a clue what to make. It’s nights like that where I turn to recipes like this Chicken with Mushrooms in a Light Balsamic Cream Sauce.

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Make no mistake, this is NOT your average creamy chicken with rice. This is an updated, more modern, tastier version of the classic dish and it is QUICK to make. By quick, I mean you will have this on the table in under 30 minutes! It’s really hard to beat that.

You will start this recipe by cutting two large boneless skinless chicken breasts in half, lengthwise. This will help the chicken cook a bit faster. As with most chicken recipes you will find on this site, season the chicken with a little salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I tend to use those three seasonings ALL the time! They’re my trusted trio of seasonings.

Once the chicken is seasoned, you will heat a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is nice and hot, you will add the chicken to the pan and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes per side. Once the chicken is cooked through and reaches a temp of about 165 degrees, remove the chicken from the pan and start working on the sauce.

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The sauce, OH the sauce! This goes down as one of my favorite pan sauces ever! It’s got mushrooms, onions, garlic, and it’s creamy! For being a cream sauce though, it’s pretty light in terms of fat content. The majority of the sauce is comprised of chicken broth, but what makes it creamy is just a few tablespoons of half and half.

You’ll start by sautéing the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Once they’re tender, you’ll sprinkle in a little flour and let it cook for a minute. Then you’ll slowly stir in chicken broth and eventually a little half and half. The most important ingredient to this sauce, however, is the balsamic vinegar!

There is something I just love about balsamic vinegar. It’s got a little bit of a tang which is exactly what it adds to this cream sauce. I ended up making some egg noodles to go along with the chicken, but rice would be another great alternative. To serve, arrange noodles or rice in a bowl, and top with a piece of tender chicken and a good amount of the cream sauce. SO good!

Another favorite recipe of mine that is similar is this recipe for Tomato and Basil Chicken with Pan Sauce. Mmmmmm mmmm!

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Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Total Time: 30 min

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 pound egg noodles (I use no yolks), cooked according to package directions
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into half lengthwise so that you end up with 4 pieces of chicken
  • Salt, black pepper, garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned, and sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (do not substitute any other vinegar)
  • 3 tablespoons half and half
  • Fresh, chopped parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Season chicken with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
  3. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches a temp of about 165 degrees.
  4. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, and set aside.
  5. To the pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and reduce the heat to medium.
  6. Add in onions and mushrooms and sauté until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Add in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more.
  7. Season onions and mushrooms with a bit more salt, pepper, and add in 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme.
  8. Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and allow it to cook for a minute.
  9. Slowly whisk in chicken stock, then balsamic vinegar. Whisk well.
  10. Add in half and half, and raise the heat to medium-high. Simmer the sauce until it stars to thicken, then reduce the heat to low and add the chicken to the pan, and simmer for about 3 minutes longer.
  11. To serve, arrange noodles in a bowl. Top with a piece of chicken and mushrooms balsamic cream sauce.
  12. Serves 4, enjoy!

Recipe adapted from
Rachel Ray

Hi, I’m Ashley & I’m so happy you’re here!

Ashley is the founder of CenterCutCook and a former teacher that now spends her days in the kitchen so that she can share her favorite recipes with you!