Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce Recipe
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This one-skillet Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce Recipe is a delicious way to turn plain chicken breasts into something special in about 30 minutes.
Are you chickened out? You know what I mean, chicken this and chicken that. Boring and ho-hum chicken again for dinner. Well, say goodbye to that boring, ho-hum chicken and say hello to Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce. I know. I sound like a car dealer. But this chicken is better than any car. Of course you wouldn’t eat a car. Or at least you shouldn’t. That would be weird. But this chicken, this chicken isn’t weird. It’s scrumptious! Let me tell you all about it.
Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Inspiration began with Julia Child’s recipe for Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I followed Julia’s basic flavor profile, using most of the same ingredients and measurements, as well as the first steps for making the cream sauce. But I veered off from her recipe, using skinless, boneless chicken breasts and ad-libbing ingredients and measurements here and there because, you know, it’s a free country.
After a bit of simmering and fiddling, this delicious dish was ready in no time. And, holy Toledo Batman, this easy chicken breasts recipe with mushrooms and a delectable cream sauce is some kind of goodness, far and away from boring or ho-hum. The savory cream sauce with a hint of cognac, combined with the chicken and mushrooms, is most satisfying.
Since this recipe is so easy to prepare, it has become a fabulous addition to our regular dinner rotation. I tend to keep most of the ingredients stocked up and ready to prepare on the fly for those nights when I haven’t planned very well or our schedule goes awry. Of course, sometimes I may have to swing by the grocery store to grab mushrooms or a shallot (or use garlic in a pinch), but I usually have everything on hand for this one.
Ingredients for Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- butter
- fresh lemon juice
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- sliced mushrooms
- minced shallot
- beef broth
- cognac
- whipping cream
How to Make Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce
- Begin by pounding the trimmed chicken breasts lightly to about half an inch thickness.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add three tablespoons of butter and allow to melt.
- Next add chicken breasts to the skillet in a single layer and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Brown chicken breasts on each side for three minutes. Once browned, transfer to a plate and cover.
- To make the sauce, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter to the skillet and allow to melt. Add mushrooms and minced shallot to the pan, plus a pinch or two of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
- Stir in the beef broth and cognac, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a steady simmer. Simmer and stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the cream, bring back to a steady simmer. Lower heat to achieve a slow simmer. Continue to stir occasionally, until thickened slightly, which should take about 2 minutes. - Finish by reducing heat to low and season to taste. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet. Turn chicken breasts to coat all sides with sauce. Cook on low until chicken is done.
- Serve warm garnished with fresh parsley.
What to serve with Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce
So what are you waiting for? Ditch that ho-hum plan for boring chicken and take this Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce for a spin. Serve with a side of veggies, like roasted asparagus, or a simple salad for a meal that will make you forget all about boring. Or, if you’re in the mood for pasta or rice, the sauce this recipe makes is perfect tossed with pasta or rice. If you are wanting to combine this dish with pasta or rice, I would double the sauce. Enjoy!
This chicken dish is an excellent go-to if you are entertaining or want to prepare a meal for a special occasion. While the cream and cognac are a bit indulgent, this recipe is not as fancy as it seems. Instead, it’s a super easy recipe and can be made in about 30 minutes. Plus, you can keep it warm on the stove (or transfer to a crockpot on very low heat) until you’re ready to serve. Also, there never seem to be leftovers with this recipe. It’s that yummy. So if you’re wanting extra, go ahead and double the recipe.
Other delicious chicken recipes you will love:
- Chicken Piccata Recipe
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Marsala Recipe
- Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe
Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe
This one skillet Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe with chicken and mushrooms in a savory cognac cream sauce is a delicious way to turn plain chicken breasts into something special in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup cognac
- 1 cup whipping cream
Instructions
- Pound chicken breasts lightly to about 1/2-inch thickness.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter; allow to melt.
- Add chicken breasts in a single layer. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Brown on each side for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to pan; allow to melt. Add mushrooms and minced shallot, plus a pinch or two of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in beef broth and cognac, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a steady simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in cream, bring back to a steady simmer. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Season to taste. Return chicken breasts to pan, turning to coat in sauce. Cook on low until chicken is done through.
- Serve warm garnished with fresh parsley.
Whipping cream? Like from a can of whipped cream or cool whip? Or cream cheese?
You would use heavy cream like you would use if you are making whipping cream from scratch. You get it in the milk section of the story, usually in pint or 1/2 pint cartons. There is usually “cream” and “heavy cream” options. Go with the heavy cream option and cream option second.
Omg this sauce was super amazing! The absolute best mushroom sauce I’ve ever made! I used beef broth and substituted sherry for the cognac. Im going to serve this for Christmas and it will be scarfed up in a flash. Going to make ahead of time because I have a crowd…then crockpot on low as suggested. Im also wondering bout just warming up in oven covered with foil? In any event its incredibly good. Thank you!!!
Liquid refrigerated whipping cream from a carton in the dairy section.
OMG…EVERYONE loved this!! Definitely a ‘make again”.
I added baby spinach at the end and let it wilt.
Thank you!!
I just put this in oven…it smells amazing. Will let you know how tasty it is!!!
I made this last night and loved it! I didn’t have cognac, so I used Marsala wine instead and it was a good substitute for cognac. I served it with steamed broccoli, so it looked pretty too! 🙂
My husband requested this dish again the next night! I’m cooking it tonight…a week later. It is delicious! And I put it all together after work. So easy! Thank you!
Motivation started with Julia Child’s formula for Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Wonderfully delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe
Do you think this would work with veal cutlets?
I made this today and it was incredibly tasty, I didn’t add any alcohol and instead used a bit of vinegar to deglaze, and I still believe it tasted great. The only problem I faced was during the final phase, when I added back the chicken; somehow, the sauce disappeared and there was barely anything left by the end of the 7 minutes. I had it on low but it was still boiling (rolling boil), and I covered the skillet throughout this time. What do you think I did wrong?
Thanks for the lovely recipe.
OMG DUDE! THIS IS DA BOMB!! LOL.. But seriously, this was fantastic! I added baby spinach at the end and used white wine instead of the cognac cause that’s what I had! YUMMY!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Barbara!
This looks delicious! I’ll have to try it soon.
Stupid question maybe… what is metric you are using for the chicken? What is it in pounds?
The metric is already in pounds.
This is a great recipe. Made it tonight!
Here were my substitutions as I didn’t have everything and wanted to use up what I already had.
-dry white wine instead of cognac
-garlic instead of shallots
-dried parsley instead of fresh
I also added green beans to the dish along with the chicken for about the last 8-10 minutes.
Served over white rice to soak up the yummy sauce.
So great! Thank you! 🙂
Hi Amy one question could you put jack Daniel’s in this.?
Sure!
This recipe is amazing!! I wanted to make something different with chicken breast, found this recipe and tried it out!! So so tasty! It’s added in my recipe book ☺️ a big well done for this recipe from Malta!
Absolutely great recipe…a keeper. Replaced cognac with white wine. Would add more mushrooms next time.
This looks yummy and probably tastes great. However, I’m a bit scared of all the calories! How can we reduce them? Could I use 10% cream instead of whipping cream? Could I decrease the butter? I’d love your suggestions so I can try this recipe.
Hello Linda, I have not made this with reductions in anything so I cannot say for sure how it would turn out making substitutions. If you reduce the cream it will not thicken up as much, but that would be one way to reduce calories. You could easily substituting the same amount of olive oil for the butter. Again, any substitutions will change the results.
This is a very delicious recipe. It was easy and yummy!!! I used garlic instead of shallots, white wine instead of cognac. I also used half and half because I didn’t have whipping cream and, as expected, it didn’t thicken but it was creamy.
Very Delicious!! Thank you
Sauce very running, add cornstarch. Basically cream of mushroom soup, only home made.
This is an outstanding dish. Used white wine.
Do not scrimp on the mushrooms as they, together with the sauce, make this dish.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.