Chicken and Mushrooms with Herb Gravy
Chicken and mushrooms with herb gravy begs for a big slice of Texas toast or crusty baguette to dip. Fresh thyme, tender mushrooms and juicy chicken make this an easy weeknight dinner or impressive dish for guests.
This recipe originally appeared on Yellow Bliss Road in 2017.
Bone dry chicken breasts are boring–and they are everywhere. That’s why it’s time for you to spread your wings little bird and fly far, far away from the stuff.
We’re using a dutch oven for this chicken and mushrooms with herb gravy to hold in moisture and allow for a bit of slow-cooked flavor to rise up even though we aren’t using a slow cooker because those things are the devil, I hate them and around here flavor trumps all.
How to make your chicken and mushrooms juicy and flavorful
- If you don’t have a dutch oven use a good heavy pot with a tight lid that’s oven safe. Wrap the lid and pot in foil if needed to make a solid seal.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. These are sold in the grocery as “split chicken breasts” or you can cut the breasts off a whole chicken (or even use a whole cut up chicken but the cook time changes if you do that).
- Get fresh thyme in the produce section. Strip off the leaves from the woody stems before adding to the sauce.
- Feel free to use a gluten free flour blend instead of regular wheat flour for a gluten-free sauce.
- Make sure to allow your chicken to rest after removing it from the oven so the juices have time to redistribute and your chicken is ultra-juicy.
What to serve with chicken and mushrooms
Because the dish already has your vegetables and meat, I’d add a starch on the side. Try:
- Sour cream mashed potatoes
- Crispy mashed potato cakes
- Simple buttered noodles
- Homemade au gratin potatoes
Chicken and Mushrooms with Herb Gravy
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 3 bone in, skin on chicken breasts about 2 pounds total
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and sliced in to 1/4" thick rings
- 12 ounces baby portobello mushrooms wiped clean, stems removed tops quartered if large or cut in half if small
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour a gluten free 1:1 blend will also work
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 1/4 cup white wine will substitute
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 6 slices texas toast optional, baguette or sourdough toast would also work
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Place the dutch oven on the stove, add the oil and preheat over medium high 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and place chicken skin side down in the pot.
- Allow chicken to sear on one side 6 minutes before turning and searing 5-6 minutes more on the second side. Transfer to a plate temporarily.
- To the same pot, add 1 more tablespoon avocado oil and add the onions. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook until just softened–2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the flour to the onions and oil and stir until no pockets of flour remain–about 1 minute. Add the broth, white wine vinegar or white wine, thyme leaves, half of the salt and all of the pepper. Stir and allow to simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens–about 5 minutes. Taste to see if you need the rest of the salt and add it if necessary.
- Add the chicken into the gravy, cover and bake 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and add the mushrooms, nestling them into the area around the chicken. Cover and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken registers 160 near the bone. Allow the chicken to rest covered in the pot 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with thick toasted bread.
How long do you cook with boneless skinless breast?
Hey Stephanie, I’ve never made this recipe with boneless and skinless because it will just be a dry powder by the time you get the dish cooked. It’s really designed for bone in. You can get a whole cut up chicken at the grocery or you can cut up your own if you feel up to the task. –Rachel