A sophisticated meal that is suitable for weeknight cooking! Tender chicken cutlets are covered in a silky mushroom cream sauce that is bursting with flavor.
Happy Monday! Did you have a nice weekend? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones to have a 3-day weekend! It’s certainly a very cold Monday here in the northeast. It snowed yesterday and is frigid today.
If you need a comforting meal to warm up with, today’s recipe will definitely hit the spot! I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I would eat anything if it’s covered in a cream sauce or gravy. There’s just something so warm and comforting about a dish covered in a sauce.
This particular cream sauce combines a lot of my favorite things – cream, mascarpone cheese, and mushrooms. I think mushrooms are one of those things you either love or hate. Kyle? Hates ’em. Obviously I love them since I’m sharing this recipe.
I’ve been a longtime mushroom lover. I’ve mentioned a hundred times that I was a strange kid when it came to my food preferences. I hated candy and pizza, but loved things like cauliflower and mushrooms. I remember going out for pizza and wanting mushrooms on mine – I’d leave the pizza and just pick off all of the mushrooms to eat.
I love mushrooms just as much as I did back then. Heck, I love them even more when they are smothered in cream.
The flavor going on in this sauce is amazing. You start by browning the chicken and then using the same pan, cook the mushrooms with shallots and garlic. Deglaze the pan with dry vermouth and you’ve got the makings for one delicious sauce. You could totally use a dry white wine here, but highly recommend the vermouth. I love the flavor it gives.
Next comes the chicken broth. This adds even more depth of flavor. Once it cooks down by about half you’ll add in the cream and mascarpone cheese. Warm the chicken through in the sauce and then serve it over cooked rice for the perfect comforting meal!
You could serve this over pasta or mashed potatoes, too. I just really love it with rice. I also sautéed up some swiss chard in olive oil and garlic to have something green on the plate. This was one meal I was practically licking the plate!
If you’re like me and love mushrooms, I know you’ll love this one! However, if you have a mushroom hater in your household, you may be thinking you can’t make it. Wrong! All you have to do is remove the mushrooms before making the cream sauce, then just add them to your portion! That’s what I did so that Kyle could still eat the meal, but not have to eat mushrooms. Worked like a charm – and meant more mushrooms for me ?.
- Olive Oil
- 4 Chicken Cutlets, 2 breasts each cut into 2 pieces and pounded thin
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 2 Shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 lb. Mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 Teaspoons Fresh Thyme, stems removed and chopped
- ¼ Cup Dry Vermouth, or dry white wine
- ¾ Cup Chicken Stock
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Mascarpone Cheese
- Fresh Parsley, for garnish
- Hot Cooked Rice, for serving
- Heat a large pan over high heat and enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Season the chicken cutlets with salt & pepper. Cook the chicken until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to plate and set aside.
- With the heat on medium, add the butter to the same pan you cooked the chicken in. Once melted, add in the garlic and shallots and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add in the mushrooms and thyme and stir for a few minutes – the pan will seem dry at first, but then the mushrooms will start releasing a lot of water. Let them cook until the water evaporates. The mushrooms will have shrunk down considerably and will be dark brown.
- Season the mixture with salt and pepper and then deglaze the pan with the vermouth. Cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes or until the vermouth reduces down to almost nothing.
- Add in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook the mixture until the chicken stock reduces by half, and then lower the heat to low. Add in the heavy cream and mascarpone cheese and stir until the mascarpone melts.
- Add the chicken pieces back into the sauce and allow them to heat through for about 2 minutes.
- Serve the chicken over rice and cover it liberally with the sauce. Sprinkle the top with parsley and serve.
YUM!! This looks so delicious and comforting. I’m not a fan of mushrooms, but I’m constantly trying different mushroom dishes hoping that one day I’ll love them :). This will have to be my next tester recipe! I love that you would pick your mushrooms off your pizza and eat them as a kid…you were like every parents’ dream!!
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries recently posted…15 Minute Veggie Stir Fry
Mushrooms smothered in cream are pretty amazing – I think they taste SO SO good in this recipe. But, I’m a huge mushroom lover 😉 You’ll have to let me know if you try it! Thanks Annie!
We had a 3 day weekend! And it’s the best. Has made it an easier transition after having Shawn home for a week during Christmas. Missed him! I love creamy chicken dishes like this! And double love mushrooms. This is such a great dinner!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely recently posted…Vanilla Almond Overnight Oatmeal with Blueberries
Yay for 3 day weekends – we did too 🙂 Thanks Natalie – this has quickly become one of my favorite meals!
I LOVE mushrooms too. This recipe looks so tasty!!
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender recently posted…Pork Tenderloin in a Dijon Mustard Sauce
Thanks Natasha!
It is SO cold here, that I’m on the hunt for all of the comfort food that I can get! This chicken looks delicious! Mushrooms are my absolute favorite, so I know I would love this dish. Sounds just perfect for a cold winter night!
Same here! It went from unseasonably warm to COLD so fast. Thanks, Gayle 🙂
When do you add the thyme??
Hi Salena, the thyme is added with the mushrooms. The recipe has been updated to reflect that!