Creamy Mushroom Chicken made dairy-free and gluten-free with 11 basic ingredients. Ready in 30 minutes, this nourishing dish is amazing served with rice, noodles or vegetables!
If youโve seen my Creamy Pesto Chicken and my 30-Minute Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken, you know Iโve been on a bit of a creamy chicken bender.
Thereโs just something about tender chicken in a flavorful creamy sauce that does me well each and every time.
Just like the above mentioned recipes, this Creamy Mushroom Chicken is dairy-free, grain-free, and both paleo and keto.
A combination of broth and full-fat canned coconut milk thickened with some gluten-free flour is what gives us that thick, flavorful sauce.
In case youโre worried whether or not you can taste the coconut milk, no worries – you cannot! There is so much flavor from the onion, garlic, mushrooms and chicken that there is no detection of coconut. Plus, we donโt need very much in order to make the sauce nice and creamy.
This creamy chicken recipe results in super saucy tender chicken, which is so lovely for those of us who take advantage of that sauce with rice. Thereโs just nothing like saucy rice in my book!
Dishes like this typically go on a hefty pile of brown rice and sautรฉed veggies for me. I mix everything together in a hodgepodge of color and joy and savor every bite!
Ingredients for Creamy Mushroom Chicken:
Avocado Oil: Used for sautรฉing the onion, garlic, and mushrooms, I like using avocado oil due to its high smoke point and neutral flavor. If you arenโt dairy-free, you might as well use butter! Itโll lend that creamy amazing flavor that nothing but butter can achieve ๐
Onion, Garlic, Mushrooms: Those all-star ingredients that make this dish incredibly tasty with the creamy, earthy, tangy flavors. We sautรฉ the onion long enough to where it is almost caramelized, which emboldens the flavor even more.
Boneless Chicken Breasts: The star of this mushroom fiesta! I use boneless chicken tenders, which are already cut thinly. You can also buy thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets/fillets. If you pick up standard boneless chicken breasts, simply slice them in half lengthwise such that they are thinner fillets. This ensures the chicken cooks quickly, evenly, and remains tender.
Chicken Broth & Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: The liquids for that ultra amazing sauce! A combination of chicken broth and full-fat canned coconut milk yields a rich and creamy sauce that still tastes light and isnโt overly heavy.
Be sure to use canned coconut milk, not the coconut milk in a carton as we want the fat (coconut milk from the carton is very low in fat and contains mostly water and other preservatives and emulsifiers).
If you arenโt dairy-free, feel free to swap the canned coconut milk for heavy cream or half & half. Just be sure to add it at the very end so that it doesnโt boil and separate.
Tapioca Flour: A touch of tapioca flour is what thickens the sauce into that creamy bliss. You can swap it out for regular gluten-free all-purpose flour, cornstarch or arrowroot flour if youโd like.
Liquid Aminos, Mustard, Dried Parsley, Sea Salt & Pepper: Each of these ingredients enhances the flavor of the dish. You can increase or decrease the amounts according to your personal taste. If you donโt do soy, omit the liquid aminos or replace it with coconut aminos, cider vinegar, or lemon juice.
Letโs make it, shall we?
How to Make Creamy Mushroom Chicken:
Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet or thick-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sea salt and place on the hot surface. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate and continue browning the rest of the chicken.
Once all of the chicken is browned (note: it shouldnโt be cooked through yet), set it aside on a plate while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Keeping the skillet on medium-high heat, add the yellow onion to the skillet and sautรฉ, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion has caramelized and the mushrooms have browned and reduced in size, about another 5 to 8 minutes.
Note: if the vegetables begin sticking to the pan at any point, add a little water or chicken broth to deglaze the pan.
Note: you can brown the chicken and sautรฉ the onion and mushrooms in two separate skillets or pots simultaneously to save time. This will increase the amount of cleanup but cut down on prep time.
While the vegetables are cooking, add the ingredients for the sauce (chicken broth, coconut milk, flour, coconut aminos, lemon juice, mustard, dried parsley, sea salt and black pepper) to a large measuring cup or mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined.
Once the mushrooms and onions have caramelized, add the chicken back into the skillet and pour in the sauce.
Bring everything to a full boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick and the chicken has cooked through.
Serve Mushroom Chicken with a choice of side dishes and enjoy!
My Lemon Garlic Rosemary Rice, Pesto Smashed Potatoes or my Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower (for a low carb option) are excellent pairings!
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs instead of breasts if you prefer thighs! You will likely need to cook the chicken for an additional 10 or so minutes – be sure to use a meat thermometer!
- Swap the coconut milk for heavy cream if you do dairy. Simply add it at the end of the cooking process so that it doesnโt boil. You can also use butter instead of avocado oil for that rich buttery flavor.
- If you cook with wine, add โ cup of dry white wine. It will result in show-stopping intoxicating flavor!
- Replace the tapioca flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour, regular all-purpose flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot flour.
And thatโs it! Your ticket to a meal that feels remarkably fancy yet is downright simple and easy to prepare!
More Insanely Delicious Chicken Recipes:
- Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Baked Garlic Lemon Rosemary Chicken
- Easy Greek Chicken
- Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Pesto Chicken and Broccoli
Mushrooms + chicken + sauce LETโS GO!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @The.Roasted.Root!
30-Minute Creamy Mushroom Chicken (Paleo, Keto)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 ยฝ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders*
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice to taste
- 1 Tbsp stone ground mustard
- ยฝ tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp sea salt to taste
- ยฝ tsp black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet or thick-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sea salt and place on the hot surface. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate and continue browning the rest of the chicken. Once all of the chicken is browned (note: it shouldnโt be cooked through yet), set it aside on a plate while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Keeping the skillet on medium-high heat, add the yellow onion to the skillet and sautรฉ, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion has caramelized and the mushrooms have browned and reduced in size, about another 5 to 8 minutes. Note: if the vegetables begin sticking to the pan at any point, add a little water or chicken broth to deglaze the pan.
- Note: you can brown the chicken and sautรฉ the onion and mushrooms in two separate skillets or pots simultaneously to save time. This will increase the amount of cleanup but cut down on prep time.
- While the vegetables are cooking, add the ingredients for the sauce (chicken broth, coconut milk, flour, coconut aminos, lemon juice, mustard, dried parsley, sea salt and black pepper) to a large measuring cup or mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- Once the mushrooms and onions have caramelized, add the chicken back into the skillet and pour in the sauce. Bring everything to a full boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick and the chicken has cooked through.
- Serve Mushroom Chicken with a choice of side dishes and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This dish was delicious! I was worried about the coconut being too strong but the other seasonings made it taste so good.
Thanks so much for reporting back, Anne Marie! xo
Loved this! Would recommend more mushrooms and parsley and maybe some greens of some kind in there to make it a complete meal. Will be making this one again.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth! xo
Lemon juice is mentioned in step 4, but itโs not in the ingredients list? Is that a typo in step 4?
Same issue, but I squirted some in there anyway ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Thanks for catching this! I added the lemon juice to the recipe ๐ xo
This sounds delicious! Would this freeze well?
Hi Darla! Absolutely! Because the chicken is nice and saucy, it will freeze and reheat very well ๐ Hope you enjoy! xoxo
This was absolutely delicious and pretty easy to make. Followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
Woohoo! So happy to hear it, Lisa! Thanks so much for letting me know! xo
If I use almond milk, will I need more thickening stuff? I can definitely taste canned coconut milk.
Hi Angela,
I wouldn’t recommend using almond milk or any non-dairy milk that comes in a carton. The consistency and flavor of the sauce just won’t be right. I don’t know if almond milk has changed since I tried it, but years ago I tried making sauces using almond milk and it would separate as soon as it came to a boil. I could be entirely wrong so you’re welcome to try it, but I personally wouldn’t use anything other than full-fat canned coconut milk or regular cow’s milk cream. Hope this helps!! xoxoxo ๐
If you add wine, should you decrease the amount of chicken broth?
You can if you’d like but it won’t make a huge difference either way. I would use 1/3 cup less chicken broth if I were adding 1/3 cup of wine, but the additional liquid won’t make a substantial difference if you didn’t reduce the broth ๐ Hope you enjoy!