Chicken mushroom gravy is a total crowd pleaser. Juicy chunks of chicken are drowned in a rich, mushroom gravy in this quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Have an instant pot? If you love this recipe, try your hand at making instant pot chicken with mushrooms. It’s so quick and even more hands-off!
What is Chicken Mushroom Gravy?
Chicken mushroom gravy is a quick and saucy one-skillet chicken and veggie meal. The gravy is full of chunks of sauteéd veggies and delicious bites of chicken breast, smothered in a comforting and creamy mushroom sauce.
How To Make Chicken Gravy
In only 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cooking, you’ll have a delicious dinner on the table. Slice, dice, and/or chop the ingredients ahead of time to make it even more simple.
- Cut the veggies: Cut the mushrooms and dice the onions. Preheat a skillet with olive oil, then brown the mushrooms followed by the onions. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, then remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Cook the chicken: In the same skillet, cook the chicken until it’s golden brown. Stir in the flour until well combined.
- Add in mushroom mixture: Add the mushrooms and onion back into the skillet. Pour in the heavy cream and chicken broth. Simmer on medium high heat until the mixture is creamy and chicken is fully cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or any other grain,
Hot tip: Don’t have any flour hanging around? No worries! Use a bit of cornstarch to thicken up the gravy in a pinch.
Tips from the Kitchen
For a chicken and mushroom gravy with the perfect texture and flavor, follow these tips.
- Avoid overcooking the chicken: Overcooked chicken tastes dry, so cook it only until it reaches 165°F when checked with a meat thermometer. Juicy chicken breast is the way to go!
- Leave space between chicken when sauteéing: For a crispy, golden crust on the chicken, leave ample space between each piece on the pan as you’re frying. Work in batches as needed.
- Use a good skillet: We love using a cast iron or stainless steel pan to achieve a good sear and crisp on the chicken. Avoid using a non-stick pan as it will not allow as good of a sear.
- Slice the ingredients evenly: Cut the onions, mushrooms, and chicken evenly. This ensures all the ingredients cook at the same rate.
- Cook off the flour: Flour is used to thicken the sauce, but it can give a raw floury taste when not cooked enough. Cook it for an extra minute to take the raw taste out.
Flavor Substitutions & Additions
If you find yourself wanting more layers of flavor in your gravy, add in an extra ingredient or two to elevate the dish.
- Garlic: Add more aromatic flavor with a few minced garlic cloves. Sauteé the garlic as the onions are just turning translucent.
- Wine: If you like wine flavor, add a splash of your favorite white wine to the onion, mushroom, and garlic mixture as it cooks. Allow a minute for the alcohol to cook off as the flavor saturates the veggies. Sauvignon Blanc is a popular white wine option.
- Chicken thighs: Don’t have boneless skinless chicken breasts? Substitute them with chicken thighs instead. Thighs tend to be more tender compared to chicken breast.
- Fresh herbs: Add in a tablespoon of fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, or fresh thyme. Mix them into the gravy or sprinkle the minced herbs as a garnish when ready to serve.
- Cheese: For a bit of cheesy flavor, add parmesan cheese and let it melt in the warm gravy.
- Lemon juice: Brighten up the sauce a bit with a small splash of lemon juice.
Making the Gravy in Advance
This chicken mushroom gravy is great when made in advance. We actually recommend this! The time the gravy spends marinating in itself overnight adds an extra layer of flavor. Simply cook it and store it in the fridge until ready to reheat and serve.
Ways to Serve
The sky’s the limit here, as this dish is so versatile. Check out a couple of our favorite dishes to pair with this rich gravy.
- Guilty Mashed Potatoes: Loaded with butter and heavy whipping cream, these mashed potatoes make the perfect bed for your chicken and gravy.
- Rice: Instead of mashed potatoes, put the chicken and mushroom gravy on a bed of basmati rice or cauliflower rice instead.
- Cabbage Salad: Trying to keep things light? This cabbage salad is a refreshing contrast to your decadent chicken gravy.
- Caesar Salad: Tangy, crisp, and chock-full of croutons, few dishes compare to a homemade caesar salad.
- Pickled Mushrooms: These mushrooms add such a wonderful contrast to any meat-based dish.
- Marinated Tomatoes: Add several piles of marinated tomatoes to your plate for a delicious serving of veggies.
- Parmesan Panko Roasted Veggies: Roast up your favorite veggies such as green beans, peppers, onions, broccoli, squash, and so much more.
Storage Tips + Reheating
If there’s any gravy left, keep it fresh by storing in the refrigerator. Or, freeze it if you often find yourself craving a quick gravy dish.
- Refrigerator: To store for up to three days, place chicken in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freezer: To store for up to three months, put cooled gravy into a freezer safe container. When ready to use, allow it to thaw in the fridge.
- Reheating: To reheat from the fridge, add the chicken gravy to a saucepan or skillet and warm on medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to evenly heat it through.
FAQ
How do I make mushroom cream sauce thicker?
The mushroom cream sauce thickens as a result of the flour and heavy whipping cream used to make it. For a thicker sauce, mix two tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup of water and whisk until smooth. Slowly add and whisk with the gravy until the desired consistency is reached.
Why did my gravy curdle?
Gravy can curdle when the cream used has too little fat. It is best to use heavy whipping cream to make the creamy gravy. Avoid using half and half or milk to add creaminess to the sauce
More Mushroom Recipes
- Chicken Mushroom Soup – This chicken soup is the traditional noodle soup but with even more flavor
- Chicken Mushroom Marsala – Marsala-flavored chicken and mushrooms, perfect on top of noodles
- Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo — Savory and cheesy — just like Olive Garden’s version
- Chicken and Mushrooms with Asparagus — One-pan stir fry that’s great with a side of rice or pasta
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – Velvety and delicious, you’ll say goodbye to the canned variety forever!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil for frying
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 1 tbsp garlic parsley salt
Instructions
- Cut mushrooms into bite size pieces and brown them on a preheated oiled skillet. Add diced onions to the cooking mushrooms. Remove from skillet and set aside in a pot.
- In the same skillet, cook the bite size chicken pieces until they turn golden brown. Stir in flour, until everything is combined well together.
- Add mushroom mixture to the chicken, followed by whipping cream, and chicken broth. Season with garlic parsley salt. Let the ingredients simmer until the mixture is all creamy and the chicken is completely cooked.
- Serve gravy with rice, any other grain or mashed potatoes.
I'm going to have my hubby pick up whipping cream on the way home because that's the only thing I'm missing to make this tonight for dinner. Looks delicious!!
Jen, I hope you love it! Thank you!
I had no idea you could make such delicious, hearty gravy in under 30 minutes. Yum!
Emily, yes, love it because the kids are keeping me busy 🙂
Love how creamy this comes out! So flavorful too!
Ashley, thank you!
my mama used to make something similar (kyriza v smetani) and serve it over mashed taters. Yummie...
With sour cream? I have heard of Russian people using it in a recipe.