Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mushroom Tarragon Sauce
This easy dinner is cooked in one skillet, a wonderful addition to your weeknight meal rotation. Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mushroom Tarragon Sauce are ready in under 45 minutes from start to finish and are so amazing they’re great enough to serve to guests.
I’m reluctant to believe that this time of year is any busier than any other time of the year. In fact, I feel like when the summer ends and we school starts things are more predictable…more routine…and less stressful. During the summer, I’m so free-spirited that I end up frazzled and may come off…dare I say…flakey. I barely knew what day it was…and I was always scrambling to throw dinner on the table. I felt like we had plans non stop and visitors dropping in (or we were dropping out…of town.) I welcome the routine that has been so rapidly thrust upon me…whether I like it or not. Sure, I’ll miss the warm weather but my black down puffer coat is looking mighty cozy right now. (Let’s talk in three months….you know I’ll be whistling another tune by then.)
So…as part of my new routine, dinners are made at home pretty regularly. And my hatred for doing dishes always brings me back to the skillet dinners…things that can be whipped up in one pot (minus the sides, of course.) We tend to eat a lot of chicken thighs in our house because the meat stays tender and juicy…even in an almost forgiving way if you accidentally over cook it a bit. They’re very inexpensive and my kids will eat all the chicken. It’s one of the things I can put on the table and know that everyone will eat it without rolling around on the kitchen floor in protest. Chicken thighs always guarantee we end the night on a good note.
These Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mushroom Tarragon Sauce are so easy to make and leave you with just ONE pot to clean. Yes…one…one pot. Isn’t that just awesome because I totally hate doing dishes. And sometimes I’ll leave them in the sink overnight in the hopes the dish washing fairy will come. She never does. But you have to believe. Right? Back to the chicken….the thighs are cooked in the skillet on the stove top until crispy and golden brown….THEN you cook the shallots and mushrooms until they are ALSO golden brown. Add a little butter (Plugra was used here….try it, you’ll love it.), some salt, pepper, chopped tarragon, corn starch, chicken broth, half and half…..you’re almost done. Nestle the chicken in it’s steaming bath of creamy goodness and transfer to the oven…bake for a bit, then dig in. After you’ve removed it from the oven, of course.
I like to serve my Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with THESE fabulouso green beans and a pile of THESE AMAZING mashed potatoes. The potatoes sop up some of that sauce to give you the most epically amazing bite you could ever imagine. They are so good you could serve them to dinner guests who will think you slaved away in the kitchen all day…but you didn’t, you were probably running your kids around in the family taxi because that’s what happens this time of year. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. 🙂
Get the Recipe: Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mushroom Tarragon Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 3 large shallots, peeled and sliced thin
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cup half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Season the chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken thighs skin side down in batches, if necessary, so you don't crowd the pan. Cook the chicken until the skin is crispy and golden brown (the chicken will lift away from the pan easily at that point...if it sticks, let it cook a little longer.) Turn the chicken over, cook until crispy and golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate, drain the fat and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
- Drain the fat and add the shallots to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until softened and add the mushrooms. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the tarragon and butter cooking until melted then sprinkle with the cornstarch. Cook for 30 seconds and stir in the chicken brown. Bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Once the mixture begins to thicken, turn off the heat and stir in the half and half. Arrange the chicken in the pan on top of the sauce and transfer to the oven. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve immediately.
3 Comments on “Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mushroom Tarragon Sauce”
I made this tonight, but I don’t see in the instructions when to use the chicken stock. I added it after the butter and tarragon.
Thank you for your comment! I’ll update the instructions for the typo.
What a great weeknight meal! Love the flavors!