Chicken Thighs With Mushrooms
This recipe is close to my heart because it combines three of my favorite things on the planet — savory mushrooms, tender chicken thighs, and a rich, delicious sauce. Not only is chicken thighs with mushrooms an incredibly impressive and flavorful dish, but it comes together in only an hour and a half. On top of that, this recipe is a true testament to how beneficial it is to cook one-pot meals. The end result is a delicious, harmonious dinner where all of the components work together to make each other shine brighter. Bonus points if you serve these chicken thighs with mushrooms over garlic herb mashed potatoes.
How long does it take to make chicken thighs with mushrooms? This recipe cooks within an hour and a half from start to finish. One of the best things about this recipe for chicken thighs and mushrooms is that for the bulk of the cook time it is very hands-off and requires just letting the chicken, onions, mushrooms, and broth simmer to develop flavor. This inactive cook time is great for busy weeknights when you don’t want a very difficult, involved recipe.
Can I cook chicken thighs with mushrooms in advance? No, this is one of the rare recipes where I don’t recommend making this in advance. This chicken thighs with mushrooms recipe isn’t ideal to cook in advance because the mushrooms tend to get soggy and add excess moisture to dishes when they’re cooked in advance. For best results, cook this dish and serve it right away.
How to tell when chicken thighs are done? For chicken to be fully cooked, the internal temperature of the meat should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit with a digital thermometer. The visual cues to look for with this recipe is that the chicken is well browned and tender (basically shredding apart) in the sauce.
Why are chicken thighs better than chicken breasts? Chicken thighs are better than chicken breasts because they have more natural fat in the meat making it harder to overcook. This means that the final product of recipes using chicken thighs are often moist and tender, while sometimes chicken breasts can become dry.
What to serve with chicken thighs with mushrooms? I recommend serving two things with this chicken with mushrooms recipe: a light side dish to compliment the rich flavor of this dish and a carbohydrate to soak up the sauce. The perfect accompaniments are balsamic glazed green beans and garlic herb mashed potatoes.
How to make chicken thighs with mushrooms:
Chicken Thighs With Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 lbs of baby Bella mushrooms
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cups white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice the mushrooms and place them in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Do not add any oil to the pan yet. This gives the mushrooms a chance to have some of their water evaporate so they can brown. Sauté them without oil for about 5 minutes, looking for them to start to brown. Then, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, and continue to cook them until they are well browned. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set them aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the chicken thighs. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Don’t rush this step — take about 10-15 minutes to develop golden brown color on both sides of the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the pan once it’s browned (but not fully cooked) and add the sliced onion to the oil and chicken fat. Let the onions cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften and turn translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and cook them briefly until they’re fragrant but the garlic is not browned.
- Deglaze the pan with the sherry and white wine, stirring the liquid and onions for about 5 minutes until the alcohol burns off and is no longer pungent in smell.
- Add the chicken stock, chicken, and mushrooms back to the pan. Stir everything until the liquid is well incorporated and turn the heat down to low.
- Cover and simmer the dish for about 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is tender and almost falling apart and the sauce has reduced slightly.
- With a measuring cup, remove about 1/4 cup of the broth from the pot and mix in 2 tablespoons of flour into this reserved liquid. Add the flour/broth mixture back to the dutch oven and stir until the broth has thickened and is a luscious texture.
