Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream

Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream is a decadent meal flavored with caramelized, earthy mushrooms, white wine, thyme, garlic, and a cream sauce served around juicy, crispy-skinned chicken thighs.

One can’t always be good and sometimes you just need a little decadence in your life.  Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream is just that.

This chicken always brings good memories to mind.

My daughter and I were visiting family and friends in London.  A NYTimes version of this recipe was our plan for dinner that evening.  Even though we had been anticipating this meal all day, after a couple hours spent on the patio on a perfect June evening socializing with a cocktail or two, we debated, for all of 15 seconds, whether we wanted to move inside and cook or not.  Then we thought about chicken, mushrooms, wine, and cream and the obvious choice was made.

This was a really fun group effort in every sense.  We had people prepping mushrooms and shallots, making Oven Roasted Asparagus, and a lively discussion as we tinkered with our base recipe.  We wanted all thighs, more sauce, more mushrooms, shallots instead of onions, and everyone needs garlic.  All good things!

After coming back home from our trip, this was the first meal my daughter and I made for my Hubby and sons.  A new family favorite for sure.

While this is a little more time consuming then an average weeknight meal, the techniques are simple and the results are totally worth it!

Start by browning chicken thighs seasoned with salt and pepper skin side down in a medium-hot fry pan, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven in an olive oil/butter combination.  Cook for about 10 minutes until golden brown on both sides.  Place the browned chicken skin side up in a 9×13 baking dish.  Add 3/4 cup boiling or very hot chicken broth or stock to the edges of the dish and cover with a lid or foil.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for half of an hour.

After the chicken cooks, drain the extra pan juices into a bowl and let the chicken rest while the sauce is prepared.

Now, on to the mushrooms.  This recipe uses 6 cups of sliced mushrooms.  You can use any combination that you prefer.  I have used anything and everything with this recipe from a gourmet mixed mushroom box from Borough Market to a combination of cremini and shiitake mushrooms.

As far as cleaning your mushrooms, I recommend wiping with a damp towel.  If your mushrooms are excessively dirty and need to be rinsed, do it before slicing and let them dry before cooking.  Mushrooms are like sponges.  Never soak them or they will absorb water.  Dry mushrooms cook and caramelize so much better then trying to use wet, soggy mushrooms.

While the chicken is in the oven, add additional butter to the hot chicken drippings in your fry pan and return temperature to a medium to medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms, shallots, salt, pepper, and thyme springs to the hot pan.

Cook the mushrooms for 10-15 minutes until they start to brown and caramelize.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant for about a minute.

Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and pick out any thyme stems.  About this time, the chicken will be finished cooking.

Return the pan the mushrooms finished cooking in (but not the mushrooms themselves) to a medium heat and add the remaining butter.  When the butter foams, add the dry white wine.  Use the wine you wish to drink with this meal.  I used a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  Scrapping up any browned bits from the pan, bring this to a gentle boil and let it reduce by about half.

Add 3/4 cup of the reserved extra pan juice from the cooked chicken.  Reduce some more by about a third.  Slowly whisk in the cream and bring to a simmer.  Cook an additional one to two minutes.

Arrange the mushrooms around the chicken and pour the cream sauce over the chicken and mushrooms.  Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs if desired and enjoy your Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream.

5 from 3 votes

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Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream

Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream is a decadent meal flavored with caramelized, earthy mushrooms, white wine, thyme, garlic, and a cream sauce served around juicy, crispy-skinned chicken thighs.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Author Jennifer Grissom

Ingredients

Chicken

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablepoon butter

Mushrooms

• 6 cups sliced mushrooms of choice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 10-12 thyme sprigs
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cloves minced garlic

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon buttter
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup reserved cooked chicken pan juices
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper as needed
• garnish thyme sprigs/leaves

Instructions

Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   

2. Heat olive oil and butter in a medium-hot fry pan, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven until butter is foamy.
   

3. Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper.
   

4. Cook skin side down, flipping once, until chicken is browned for about 10 minutes.
   

5. Place the browned chicken skin side up in a 9x13 baking dish.
   

6. Add 3/4 cup boiling or very hot chicken broth or stock to the edges of the dish and cover with a lid or foil.

7. Bake for 1/2 an hour.
   

8. After the chicken cooks, drain the extra pan juices into a bowl and let the chicken rest in the baking dish while the sauce is prepared.

Mushrooms

1. While the chicken is in the oven, add additional butter to the hot chicken drippings in your fry pan or skillet and return temperature to a medium to medium-high heat.

2. Add the mushrooms, shallots, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper to the hot pan.

3. Saute until the mushrooms start to brown and caramelize, about 10- 15 minutes.
   

4. Stir the minced garlic into the mushrooms and cook until it is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
   

5. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and pick out thyme stems.
   

Cream Sauce

1. As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, return the fry pan the mushrooms finished cooking in (but not the mushrooms themselves) to a medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter.

2. When the butter foams, add the dry white wine and bring to a gentle simmer.  Cook until reduced by half while making sure to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
   

3. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved extra pan juice from the cooked chicken. Simmer and reduce by about a third.

4. Slowly whisk in the cream and bring back to a simmer. Cook an additional one to two minutes.

5. Arrange the mushrooms around the chicken and pour the cream sauce over the chicken and mushrooms.
   

6. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs or leaves if desired.