Skillet Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce with Bacon
Servings 2 -4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts sliced horizontally or 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream, optional*
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 4-6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
Garnish
- fresh parsley
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Rinse and pat chicken dry then season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add chicken and cook 2-3 minutes or until golden, flip, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook 4-7 minutes (depending on thickness) or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and melt 1 tablespoon butter in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes then add shallots, pesto, oregano and thyme and cook another 3 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds.
- Stir in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, cream or half and half (optional), Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. Whisk cornstarch with remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and add to skillet. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened. Add chicken back to skillet, stir in half the bacon and leave the rest to garnish.
- Garnish with remaining bacon. freshly grated Parmesan (highly recommended) and fresh parsley. Serve with/over noodles, potatoes or rice.
Notes
*This sauce is still wonderfully flavorful without the half and half/heavy cream so if you want to save calories you can definitely skip it – but if you want to add some extra creaminess, its divine!