Crispy Chicken Thighs With Mushroom Sauce

This Crispy Chicken Thigh with Mushroom Sauce recipe is a simple one-pot meal that can be made gluten-free and is a healthy meal to add to your weekly rotation.

Ever since I discovered that you can put a skillet in the oven to finish cooking a meal, it opened me up to a whole new world of flavors and textures and only one dirty dish. Ha!

I have a few one-pan meals that I have in my rotation. I love making sourdough starter pizza, focaccia, and quiche in my cast-iron skillet for breakfast. While the quiche is in the oven, I set the table and cut up a fruit salad to go with it. And my family absolutely loves when I make pork tenderloin for dinner paired with panzanella.

When my family ate these crispy chicken thighs with a mushroom sauce, they were a huge hit and were asking for more! I can’t wait to play around with what vegetables I use in the sauce the next time we eat it. The possibilities are endless and pretty guilt-free.

Ingredients

FOR CHICKEN:

• 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper

FOR SAUCE:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 oz. sliced mushrooms of your choice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon flour (or gluten free option of choice)
• 1 ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 sprig rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dry)
• 2 sprigs thyme (or ½ teaspoon dry)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

FOR CHICKEN THIGHS:

Preheat the oven to 425º. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12″ cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Place the chicken thighs in the skillet skin sidedown and cook for 5 minutes until fat begins to render. Turn the heat up to medium-high and rearrange the chicken pieces so that the fat gets under each piece. Continue to cook skin side down for another 10 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over being careful not to tear the skin. Place skillet in oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until chicken reaches 165º. Set chicken pieces aside and keep warm.

FOR MAKING SAUCE:

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet. (Be careful. The handle is hot!) Add onions and sauté over medium-high heat until soft and translucent. Add sliced mushrooms and garlic, cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over and stir in. Cook and continue stirring for another minute. Slowly pour in broth, stirring to avoid lumps. Add rosemary and thyme to the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Whisk in butter, salt, and pepper. Return chicken to pan for 5 minutes to warm. Remove herb sprigs and serve.

*You could serve this with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or it would go great with Cheesy Soft Polenta.