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Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce is an easy and delicious dish easy enough for a weeknight but good enough for an elegant dinner party with your best company!
Tender and flavorful Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce
I adore everything about this dish and bet you will too! This delicious recipe for Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce was first posted in 2015 and has been a favorite ever since.
I’ve streamlined the process a little and tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it’s still the same one-pan, moan-worthy, restaurant quality chicken dish we love and depend on.
If you’re not in the mood for mushrooms, try our delicious Creamy Tuscan Chicken instead. It’s equally delicious with a slightly different flavor profile.
What kind of mushrooms are best for this Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce?
For this recipe I’m not stuck on using one kind of mushroom. I often see which mushrooms look best when I get to the store and go with it. The mushrooms featured in the photos above are Baby Bella’s.
These deliciously earthy mushrooms are a smaller version of the popular portabella mushroom. Baby bella’s are cremini mushrooms that have been allowed to mature for 7 days longer than commercial cremini mushrooms.
For this dish you can also use white mushrooms or a mixture of the two.
The best way to clean mushrooms
Mushrooms grow in a damp environment so they are fine to be washed. However, I never let mushrooms sit in water or they’ll eventually start to soak up the liquid. I clean each mushroom individually by wiping with a water soaked paper towel to remove the dirt.
You can also lightly rinse the mushroom under a stream of water, but if the gills are exposed under the cap I usually don’t turn the mushroom upside down in the water. Allow the mushrooms to dry in a strainer or pat dry with paper towels.
Cook the mushroom stems too please
Please use the entire mushroom. Cut off the rough, woody, dried up end of the mushroom before using.
Secrets for making this dish super flavorful
Building layers of flavor is the simple, easy way to make a dish flavorful. First, brown the chicken to seal in the juices then set aside to rest. All those nice flavorful bits of chicken goodness remain in the pan for the next step.
Next, cook the mushrooms, undisturbed, until dark golden brown on one side. Flip the mushrooms and stir until the moisture is released, and then evaporated. Add a hefty pile of thinly sliced shallots to the pan and sauté until tender and starting to caramelize.
Quickly sauté minced garlic with the mushrooms just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Next, carefully pour the white wine into the hot pan. Stir quickly while scrapping up the bottom of the pan to deglaze. This process incorporates all those crusty bits of flavor into the sauce building all that amazing flavor.
Finish the dish by adding fresh thyme sprigs, chicken broth, Dijon mustard and a little cream. Heat just until the sauce is thickened and warmed through.
Can you double this sauce / gravy in this dish?
Yes you can! However, take care to brown everything in batches to achieve the best flavor and color.
Cut the chicken breasts in half diagonally to create quick cooking cutlets.
This chicken is not just any old dried up piece of bird. These cutlets are tender, moist, juicy and delicious bites of chicken! Cutting chicken breasts into thinner cutlet size pieces helps the chicken cook quickly and more evenly.
You can cut your own chicken breasts or buy them from your local grocery store packaged as cutlets. Chicken tenders would be fine here too, just adjust the cooking time.
Another alternative is to use whole chicken breasts that have been pounded to an even thickness. And finally, feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this chicken mushroom recipe, too. It’s all good!
How to serve Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce
We like to serve this chicken with something fresh and green like a salad, steamed broccoli, green beans or oven roasted Brussels sprouts.
In addition to something green, serve this creamy chicken with wild rice, buttery mashed potatoes or a nice flat noodle. However, don’t forget the crusty bread to soak up the wine sauce. Yummy!
Ingredients Overview
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – for this recipe you’ll need 3 large breasts, or 6 chicken cutlets. You can also use chicken tenders, or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- all-purpose flour – for dredging the chicken
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- mushrooms – any small variety of mushrooms will do
- unsalted butter
- olive oil
- garlic
- shallots
- chicken broth – we prefer low-sodium to ensure the recipe is not too salty
- dry white wine
- heavy cream
- fresh thyme
- Dijon mustard
- cornstarch – for thickening the gravy
You probably have most everything needed on hand already. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try!
If you’re lucky enjoy to have leftovers, reheat gently in the microwave for another delicious meal.
Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless (5 to 6 oz) chicken breasts cut in half horizontally into cutlets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (66g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 12 ounces mushrooms cleaned and thick sliced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 large shallots sliced thin
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth low sodium
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 large springs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water or broth
Instructions
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Cut each breast in half horizontally into 2 thinner cutlets. Alternately, place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickeness.
- In a shallow bowl combine the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium until the butter is melted. Dredge 3 chicken cutlets in the flour mixture, coating both sides, shaking off the excess flour. Add the coated chicken to the skillet and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook another 3-5 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat until all chicken is browned.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, undistrubed, until the mushrooms are very dark on one side. Stir and turn the mushrooms and continue cooking until the moisture is released and then evaporated, and the mushrooms are all well browned.
- Add the sliced shallots to the pan and cook until softened and starting to brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour the wine into the pan and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Add the thyme sprigs, chicken broth, mustard and cream. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch. Bring the sauce back to a light simmer and add the chicken. Heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the chicken warmed through. Remove the thyme sprigs, and season the dish with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with parsley or additional thyme and serve with rice, potatoes or noodles.
Recipe Notes
- To make chicken breasts easier to slice into cutlets, put them in the freezer in a single layer for about 15 minutes.
- Any dry white wine will do for this sauce. For this recipe I typically use a Chardonnay. If you don’t drink wine, substitute white grape juice or additional chicken broth in this recipe.
- If you prefer more sauce / gravy, double the ingredients starting with 2 extra tablespoons of butter in Step 4. Then double the amount of mushrooms, shallots, garlic, wine, thyme, chicken broth, mustard and cream. Enjoy!
- Make sure the mushrooms are very dark on one side before turning for the best flavor and color. Once turned, cook until the moisture is released and then completely evaporated before adding the shallots.
Nutrition
Looking for more delicious creamy chicken recipes?
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This comforting, restaurant-quality meal is surprisingly easy to make at home and perfect served over your favorite pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.
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Classic Chicken Marsala
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Chicken Piccata Recipe
Easy classic Chicken Piccata with a light lemon sauce for the perfect weeknight meal!
View this RecipeOriginally posted 2015, updated March 2026
Lauren
I just made this super-easy recipe (having already had everything but cornstarch in the kitchen), and it is delicious! I used leftover dredging flour to thicken, just a bit, and I also cut the chicken into chunks, and I added half a yellow onion and a chopped carrot to the mix. I doubled the sauce (duh!) and have plenty to pour over pasta. I can’t wait to invite a friend over tomorrow for leftover lunch! It’s going to be a winner for dinner parties too.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for trying our recipe Lauren. Love the addition of carrots to this recipe! I bet the color really pops. Enjoy your luncheon and thanks a bunch for taking the time to comment.
Judy Miller
I made the skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce – delicious!! I had some de-alcoholized Chardannay which gave the same flavour without having to cook away the alcohol. I served it over pasta bowties. Yum yum. Thank you Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Fantastic non-alcohol solution Judy. Thank you so much 🙂
Susan
I don’t eat mushrooms. How would it taste without?
Tricia Buice
Hi Susan. I haven’t tested this recipe without mushrooms. If you give it a try, please let us know how it turns out. I’m sure there are others that don’t care for mushrooms, too.
Kim
Tastes great! Maybe a bit less wine next time. I doubled the sauce part and we ate it over mashed potatoes. It was really good.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Kim. Glad you enjoyed this chicken!
Dillie
Absolutely wonderful chicken recipe. Made quinoa as a side, and the mushroom wine sauce over the quinoa was an excellent pairing.
Tricia Buice
Quinoa sounds perfect with this chicken Dillie. Thank you!
MarySC
I decided to branch out from my usual chicken Marsala and tried this. Oh my goodness! Absolutely great flavor! I followed the recipe exactly up to the sauce. I then did improvise a bit, using about half the cream and probably more wine and stock (homemade turkey stock from the freezer), and thickening with the leftover dredging flour mixed with a half cup of stock. I forgot the Dijon and didn’t miss it. I served this with cauliflower purée and it was lovely… but I would be happy with a dinner of just a bowl of the mushroom sauce!
Tricia Buice
Sounds fantastic Mary! Thanks for the feedback and for trying this chicken 🙂
Suzette Percival
Can I substitute another ingredient for the heavy cream for the Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce? I have a hard time digesting heavy cream.
Tricia Buice
Hi Suzette. Half-and-half or whole milk would be your best options. I haven’t tested the recipe with any other products. Hope you get the chance to enjoy this dish!
Marianne
Made your dish the other day with portebella mushrooms and followed all your directions. It was absolutely delicious! I will definitely make again!
I served dressing and cranberries with it ( my sisters favorites) and she loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Marianne! I bet the pop of tart flavor from the cranberries was lovely with this chicken. Thank you for trying it and for taking the time to comment.
Donald
I found a nice handful of prime oyster mushrooms yesterday, and put them in the fridge overnight. Today I thawed some maitake I found earlier and chopped them with the oysters for this recipe. I used whole milk instead of cream and dried thyme, but no other alterations. It was absolutely delicious with mashed potatoes.
Tricia Buice
Sounds absolutely lovely Donald. Thank you!
Robyn
LOVED this recipe!!! Used thinly sliced onion instead of shallot. Served over egg noodles. This is a keeper and will pass it on!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Robyn! It’s a keeper for sure.
Joe in the Tetons
Absolutely fabulous. I used the organic chicken breast tenderloins from Costco. One question, did you remove the mushrooms once browned? I left them in while finishing up the sauce and they weren’t as pronounced as in your pictures. Next time I make this I think I’ll remove them and then place them back in the cast iron skillet after the chicken has been placed in the sauce. We served it with rice pilaf and broccoli. Thank you.
Tricia Buice
Hi Joe! Thanks for commenting. I removed about 1/4 of the mushrooms before proceeding to use as a garnish for photos. It’s not necessary to do this, but it does make a bigger impact, visually. You have a good eye and great taste – rice pilaf sounds terrific.
Liz kessler
I have rotisserie chicken from Costco- can I just warm this instead of using raw chicken breasts
Tricia Buice
Hi Liz. That may be fine but I haven’t tested it so I cannot say for sure. You’ll miss a little flavor boost from browning the chicken but it’s worth a try!
Francis Henry
Delish. I used boneless skinless thighs which I think give more flavor, cleaned them up and slashed a little for flatness, served over egg noodles. Wow.
Tricia Buice
I bet this was terrific over egg noodles Francis. Thanks for trying the chicken recipe and for commenting. Bravo!
Susan
Absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Susan!
Haley
This recipe was perfect. I used chicken thighs because that’s what I had on hand but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. My husband said that this is a recipe to make to impress dinner guests! He was gushing over how much flavor was in the sauce. Thank you!
Tricia Buice
Perfect! Thanks so much Haley. This comment made me smile from ear to ear. Thanks for taking the time to let us know how it worked for you.
Neal B.
This was an outstanding recipe! I made it with one small change. I used a beurre manie’ to thicken rather than corn starch because flour based thickener works better with leftovers than does corn starch, in my opinion. I used the leftover flour and seasoning from dusting the chicken and mixed it with melted buter to thicken my gravy. It was a homerun! On the first night I served this on rice. Second night I served it on cauliflower rice. Both were delicious! This recipe will stay in my collection!
Neal
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Neal! Sounds terrific, love your tips 🙂
Holly
My boyfriend told me he fell in love with me even more after trying this recipe haha. It’s a winner! Thank you for sharing!
Tricia Buice
Haha – thank you Holly! Sounds like a smart boyfriend 😉 You might want to hang onto him!
Hera
It tastes good!! But my dish came out grey-er than it’s supposed to be. Must be how I sliced/cleaned the mushrooms!!! Will try better next time, it tastes fantastic with coleslaw and brown rice.
Tricia Buice
Hi Hera! Be sure you are browning your chicken, it needs a good sear. Also the mushrooms should be very dark before turning and stirring. The mushrooms also need to release their moisture before proceeding. Good luck! Glad you enjoyed it anyway 🙂
Marianne
Very tasty! I made just a half batch since it’s just the two of us. I also used medium dry sherry instead of white wine and that added a nice flavor. Mine looked just like the photo when I was done.
Tricia Buice
Outstanding! Thanks for trying the chicken dish Marianne and for taking the time to comment 🙂
Vanessa
So good & easy! I love mushrooms, kids loved it too. Thank you for a flavorful yet quick dinner!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Vanessa. So glad you enjoyed it!
Kristen
I made this last week and followed the recipe exactly. It was so incredibly bland. It looked great, but had no flavor.
Tricia Buice
I’m very surprised by your one-star rating Kristen. When made properly, this chicken is very flavorful. I hope you’ll try again and brown your chicken well, and cook the mushrooms until seared. These few simple steps make all the difference in building flavor for this dish.
MarySC
I’m guessing a nonstick skillet was used. This is one of those recipes where a stainless or cast iron skillet is really needed to get everything to brown and produce a marvelous fond to be scraped up into the sauce.
Sheri Baggett
Absolutely DELICIOUS!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sheri!
Jbeam
I thought the sauce and seasonings were fine, always a matter of personal choice, but I will make it again and riff on it. I tend to make recipes as written the first time before making adjustments. What I do not understand at all is cooking chicken cutlets for 8 – 10 minutes. The chicken breasts I buy usually weigh around 6-7 oz split, boned and skinned per half breast and I wouldn’t fry them that long. Thinner cutlets fried or sauteed for 8 or 10 minutes are as tough and dry as leather. Maybe if you are unable to get decent chicken, I am fortunate in that there is a chicken butcher shop near my house that sells both wholesale to stores and restaurants around the Chicago. and retail out of the shop. They go through 4000 chickens a day just for breasts plus sell a ton whole chickens. Their chickens are now farm raised somewhere in the Carolinas where they are killed, cleaned and trucked in overnight, every night, and they are excellent. If you have access to fresh well raised chickens you want to eat them cooked just past pink but still juicy, otherwise it is a waste of good chicken. Try this recipe for yourself but if you have decent chicken don’t cook all the juice out of it.