Easy chicken with mushroom sauce and caramelized onions that's absolutely delicious! Get a 5 stars dinner on the table fast with this low carb creamy cast iron chicken recipe that cooks in just 20 minutes. It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce is so delicious!
Who doesn't love quick weeknight dinners you can cook up fast in a cast iron skillet on the stove! We're taking quick pan fried chicken and then making an easy and flavorful mushroom cream sauce with onions and thyme too.
Such an easy cast iron chicken recipe to make! Don't have a cast iron skillet? That's totally fine too! Just use a skillet that does a good job at browning meats.
We used inexpensive chicken tenders for this recipe but we've made it with other chicken cuts before and it tastes terrific every time. Chicken tenders are just a piece cut from the side of a chicken breast. So you can just as easily make this a chicken breast with mushroom cream sauce by using small chicken breasts and just cooking them to 165 F.
You'll love this easy chicken and mushroom sauce recipe in a cast iron skillet! We start with our popular pan-fried chicken tenders and add a quick mushroom cream sauce like we used in our smothered pork steaks.
- Full of flavor - This chicken dish is loaded with flavorful veggies, and a quick mushroom sauce elevates any dish!
- Easy to make swaps! Change up the type of chicken, use different herbs, or swap heavy whipping cream with coconut milk for the creamy sauce.
- Super moist and juicy - cook the chicken until it's just cooked through and then simmer in a cream sauce to keep it juicy.
- This is a delicious dish that's also low carb, keto, and gluten free too!
Ingredients you'll need
- chicken tenderloins - also known as raw chicken tenders. You could also make these with boneless skinless chicken breasts, or you could use chicken thighs or chicken cutlets.
- butter
- extra virgin olive oil
- cremini "baby bella" or button mushrooms - use one variety or a mix.
- white onion - any onion will work here whether it's a sweet Vidalia onion, yellow onion, or red onion
- minced garlic cloves - use fresh garlic, jar garlic, or garlic paste.
- chicken broth - chicken stock or bone broth are good choices too.
- heavy whipping cream - make a dairy free version with coconut milk (and other plant based recipe swaps). It won't be a thick but it'll still taste delish.
- sour cream
- dried thyme. If you have fresh thyme, why not use that? 1 tablespoon fresh herbs is equal to 1 teaspoon dried.
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Kitchen tools
- Cast iron skillet for browning the chicken - use can use another type of skillet that browns well.
Substitutions
As written, the recipe is keto friendly, low carb, and gluten free:
- Vegan- You could use seitan or tofu with mushroom sauce. Use coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream and plant based sour cream too.
How to Make Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Pan Fry Chicken Tenders
- Pat the chicken tenderloins (tenders) dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter and the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate, covering them with foil.
Cook the Mushrooms and Onions
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add the sliced onions and mushrooms to the skillet. Add more butter and oil to the skillet if needed, and cook the vegetables for 4 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook it for 1+ more minutes until it's fragrant.
- Add the fresh parsley, dried thyme, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Add the broth and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy whipping cream and the sour cream and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook them for a few more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through to 165 F. The sauce will continue to thicken upon standing. Spoon sauce over the top of the chicken. Garnish with more fresh herbs and parmesan cheese if desired, enjoy!
Recipe notes
- If you're eating low carb or keto, you can easily cut the onions and/or mushrooms in half to reduce the carb even more.
- Chicken tenderloins are also called raw chicken tenders.
- This same sauce recipe would work great with boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken cutlets, boneless skinless chicken thighs, pork steaks, or boneless pork chops.
- You can add fresh baby spinach when you add the whipping cream and sour cream to the skillet.
- Dried herbs or fresh herbs can be used, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Recipe Variations
- Use a different cut of chicken - while we used chicken tenderloins, you can also use chicken cutlets, you could make a chicken thighs with mushroom sauce, or use sliced chicken breasts. Just adjust the cooking time to make sure the chicken meat reaches 165 F.
- Change the herbs- we used dried thyme but rosemary, tarragon, Italian seasoning, or herbs de Provence would be great also.
- Add white wine - cream sauce and white wine go hand in hand! We recommend a splash of white wine like chardonnay or a sherry cooking wine.
- Bread the chicken - while we kept our chicken naked, you could also pan fry it by dipping it in flour before cooking. Or make a chicken schnitzel with cream sauce by dipping the chicken in flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs.
What to serve on the side
- rice -white or brown
- cauliflower rice for low carb
- roasted vegetables
- garlic bread
- a simple side salad
- steamed broccoli
- mashed potatoes
- angel hair pasta
Storing leftovers
- Store: Store the chicken in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: We don't recommend freezing chicken in creamy mushroom sauce since the sauce could turn a little grainy when you go to defrost it. You could make the chicken in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat chicken in mushroom sauce by adding it to a skillet over medium low heat until the chicken is 165 F when tested with an instant read thermometer.
More Skillet Chicken Recipes
- How to pan fry chicken tenders
- Blacked chicken tenders
- Pan fried chicken wings
- Parmesan crusted chicken
- Spinach stuffed chicken breast (skillet seared then baked)
If you loved our chicken and mushroom dish, please leave us 5 stars for a review! Comments are always appreciated as well. <3
Recipe
Cast Iron Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Easy sauteed chicken with mushrooms and caramelized onions! Get dinner on the table fast with this low carb creamy cast iron chicken recipe that cooks in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins raw chicken tenders
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz cremini or button mushrooms sliced
- ½ large white onion thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ tablespoon fresh
Instructions
- Pat the chicken tenderloins (tenders) dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter and the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate, covering them with foil.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add the sliced onions and mushrooms to the skillet. Add more butter and oil to the skillet if needed, and cook the vegetables for 4 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook it for 1+ more minutes until it's fragrant.
- Add the fresh parsley, dried thyme, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Add the chicken broth and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy whipping cream and the sour cream and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook them for a few more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through to 165 F. The sauce will continue to thicken upon standing. Garnish with more fresh herbs and enjoy!
Notes
- If you're eating low carb or keto, you can easily cut the onions and/or mushrooms in half to reduce the carb even more.
- Chicken tenderloins are also called raw chicken tenders.
- This same sauce recipe would work great with chicken cutlets, pork steaks, or boneless pork chops.
- You can add fresh baby spinach when you add the whipping cream and sour cream to the skillet.
- Dried herbs or fresh herbs can be used, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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