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creamy golden mushroom chicken

Golden Mushroom Chicken with Garlic, Thyme & Parmesan

Golden chicken breasts nestled in a silky Parmesan cream sauce with deeply browned chestnut mushrooms, garlic and fresh thyme. White wine, Dijon mustard and a little lemon bring balance to the richness, while a scattering of fresh herbs finishes things beautifully. For those who believe there's no such thing as too many mushrooms, add golden king oyster mushrooms pan-fried in garlic butter.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Modern British, Modern Mediterranean
Keyword: chestnut mushrooms, chicken with white wine sauce., creamy mushroom chicken, garlic chicken, Golden mushroom chicken, one-pan chicken, Parmesan chicken
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • 28–30cm heavy-based frying pan, food thermometer

Ingredients

Chicken and mushrooms

  • - 4 boneless chicken breasts 700–800g total
  • - 400g chestnut mushrooms sliced
  • - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • - 25g butter
  • - Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

White wine, garlic and Parmesan sauce

  • - 75ml dry white wine
  • - 120ml chicken stock plus a little extra if needed
  • - 200ml double cream
  • - 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • - 6–8 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped from most
  • - 60g Parmesan finely grated
  • - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • - 1–2 tsp lemon juice

To finish

  • - 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • - Chopped fresh chives quantity to taste
  • - A few fresh thyme leaves
  • - 2 tbsp reserved browned chestnut mushrooms

Optional: Garlic butter king oyster mushrooms

  • - 2 large king oyster mushrooms halved lengthways
  • - Garlic butter quantity used not recorded

Instructions

  • Prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt and black pepper. Prepare the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and Parmesan.
  • Sear until golden. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in two batches for approximately 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden. It does not need to be fully cooked at this stage. Transfer to a clean plate.
  • Brown the mushrooms. Add the sliced chestnut mushrooms to the same pan and cook for 6–8 minutes over a medium-high heat. Avoid crowding the pan and allow the mushrooms to develop deeply browned edges. Reserve approximately 2 tablespoons for finishing.
  • Add the aromatics. Reduce the heat and add the butter, chopped garlic and thyme leaves. Stir for 30–60 seconds until fragrant, without allowing the garlic to burn.
  • Deglaze with white wine and Dijon. Pour in the 75ml white wine and add the Dijon mustard. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the caramelised cooking juices. Allow the wine to simmer briefly and reduce slightly.
  • Build the sauce. Add the 120ml chicken stock and simmer for 1–2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the double cream and stir until combined.
  • Finish cooking the chicken. Return the chicken breasts and their resting juices to the sauce. Simmer gently, turning once, until the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 75°C in the thickest part.
  • Add Parmesan and lemon. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the finely grated Parmesan and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add a splash of additional chicken stock if the sauce needs loosening.
  • Prepare the optional king oyster mushrooms. In a separate frying pan, cook the halved king oyster mushrooms in garlic butter until golden on their cut sides and tender. This is an optional finishing element, and no exact cooking time or garlic butter quantity was recorded.
  • Plate and finish. Arrange the chicken and creamy chestnut mushrooms in a warm, shallow serving dish. Spoon the sauce around the chicken, keeping some of the golden surface visible. Scatter over the reserved chestnut mushrooms, chopped parsley, chives and fresh thyme. If using, arrange the garlic butter king oyster mushrooms on top.

Notes

Mushroom browning: Allow the chestnut mushrooms enough room in the pan to develop colour. Their golden edges contribute considerable flavour to the finished sauce.
The white wine: Use a dry white wine. It helps release the browned cooking juices and brings acidity to the cream sauce.
Parmesan: Finely grate the cheese and add it off the heat to help maintain a smooth sauce.
King oyster mushrooms: Entirely optional, but a particularly good addition if you're fond of mushrooms. Pan-frying them separately gives the dish a contrasting texture and an attractive finishing element.
Chicken: Use a food thermometer rather than relying on appearance alone. The thickest part should reach 75°C and hold that temperature for 30 seconds.
Storage and make-ahead
Refrigerating: Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within two hours in a covered container. Eat within 48 hours.
Reheating: Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout. The chicken must be thoroughly heated, not simply warmed.
Freezing: Freezing is possible from a food-safety perspective, but the texture of this particular Parmesan cream sauce after freezing hasn't been tested. I would therefore avoid promising that it freezes beautifully.
Food Standards Agency+1
Make-ahead: The ingredients can be prepared and measured in advance. The original production recipe was cooked fresh, so I wouldn't recommend a fully assembled make-ahead method as tested.
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