This recipe for smothered chicken and mushrooms is a delicious one-pan dinner that’s both easy to make and filled with good, wholesome ingredients.
Prep begins by dredging quick-cooking chicken tenderloins in flour, browning them lightly and setting them aside while you start a simple sauce by sautéing onion and garlic for flavor.
Next comes a quick deglazing of the pan with white wine, then the mushrooms are added, the chicken and spinach are layered on top, and the whole mixture is simmered in chicken broth for a few minutes.
The flour coating on the chicken thickens the sauce as it simmers and the finishing touch is a layer of creamy, melted cheese that pulls all the yummy flavors together.
You can serve this dish with a side like mashed potatoes, but truthfully, we find it plenty satisfying on its own and like to keep the meal low-carb by serving it with just a small salad on the side.
PrintOne-Pan Smothered Chicken and Mushrooms
This smothered chicken recipe is an easy, one-pan dinner that combines quick-cooking chicken tenders with mushrooms, fresh spinach and a topping of creamy, melted cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins (12 pieces)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
- 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth (plus more if needed)
- 3 to 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped (about 3 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 slices Muenster or Havarti cheese
Instructions
- Trim any white tendons from the tenderloins and discard.
- Combine the flour with 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a zip-top bag. Add the chicken and shake until coated.
- Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with vegetable oil and heat on medium-high. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until barely golden, 1 minute per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pan, sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic.
- Continue cooking for another minute, then deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have accumulated on the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and arrange the chicken tenderloins on top.
- Pour the broth over the chicken and as soon as it begins to bubble, scatter the spinach on top and cover the pan.
- Continue cooking until the tenderloins are cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Using a spatula, turn the chicken and incorporate the spinach into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Top with chopped parsley and arrange the cheese slices on top. Cover and cook just long enough to melt the cheese, 1 minute more.
Recipe Keywords: skillet chicken, one-pan dinner
Dave says
Is it possible to replace the spinach with broccoli instead? My kid loves broccoli but picks out spinach. Would the cook time change?
Lynne Webb says
Hi Dave,
I think broccoli would be a fine substitution, but it would need to be partially pre-cooked so that you don’t overcook the chicken trying to make the broccoli tender. Frozen, microwave steam-in-bag broccoli (unseasoned) might be a good choice for this. I would undercook it by a minute or so, drain it well and then follow the rest of the recipe as written.