Creamy Mushroom Chicken

This recipe is one of our favorites and seriously so full of flavor! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also low carb and can easily be carnivore as well.

This recipe can be dressed up with fresh herbs and will definitely impress friends or family.

Yes it’s Keto!!

This recipe contains all keto-friendly and simple ingredients with no added sugars or starches. Also, being it is made from scratch you don’t have to worry about processed ingredients if that’s important to you.

What about Carnivore?

So, depending on how strict you are with the carnivore diet this could fit with some easy changes. If nothing else it could be considered Ketovore. To make this fit into standard carnivore you would have to remove the onions and mushrooms. Now, SO much of the flavor did come from the onion and mushroom combination but I think the meal would still be AMAZING by cutting out those ingredients.

This is a one pan wonder!

Making this recipe can look daunting but it’s really all done in the same pan. No multitasking required and more importantly there is no extra clean up!

So, how is this made? Is it difficult?

This recipe could be considered medium difficulty. Not too hard as long as you follow the steps one by one.

One word of caution though, this recipe is salty with the bacon and the salt/pepper that you put on the chicken so please do not add any extra salt until you try the sauce at the end. I love salt, this is actually my favorite kind, but this was just salty enough for my tastes without adding any extra.

Step 1: Prepare your meal by mincing garlic, chopping your onion into small pieces, and slicing mushrooms. Set aside for later use.

Step 2: This one is technically optional but totally worth the extra effort. You’ll want to grate a block of parmesean cheese. You’ll need a cup or so, once it is finally shredded you’ll want to put that to the side as well.

Note: You can use pre-shredded or shaker-style parmesean cheese instead of grating your own but it adds extra carbs and also isn’t quite as creamy. But totally an option if you’re in a pinch.

Step 3: Cut your bacon into quarters and throw them in the pan. Personally I made a whole pound of bacon because we can’t help but snack as we’re cooking. Plus we have five kids who constantly ask for a piece. None of us can resist the smell of bacon cooking. YUM!

Step 4: Once the bacon has finished cooking you’ll want to put it on a plate with a paper towel to collect some grease and keep it crispy. Once the bacon has cooled crumble it up with your hands or chop it with a knife. Either way works. Reserve some of the bacon fat, maybe 3 tbsp in the pan and dispose of the rest.

Note: We actually save our bacon fat in a mason jar for future use. I highly recommend doing this too! Not only is bacon fat good for you but it also makes food super tasty when cooking with it.

Step 5: Now that you have the bacon cooked and crumbled it’s time to cook the chicken thighs. First you’ll want to heat your pan back up again, medium-medium high heat. You may need to adjust this temp later if your chicken is getting close to burning. Put salt and pepper over your chicken thighs on all sides.

Step 6: When your pan has come to temp and starts sizzling you will want to lay your chicken thighs skin side down. This is where you’ll have to use some judgement. My chicken thighs were incredibly thick so I decided to put the lid on the pan so it could cook a little more evenly. This is also where you might have to reduce the temp of your burner. Once they’ve crisped up on the skin side you’ll want to flip them over and repeat the same process. About five minutes on each side. We cooked our chicken to the temp of 170 degrees so it was fully cooked. This digital thermometer helps a ton!

Step 7: Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate or baking sheet. Again, you can fully cook it like we did, or you can cook it almost completely and then let it finish cooking on the last step.

Step 8: Place onions in the hot skillet. This is a very important part and needs to be done right after the chicken so they can soak up all the yummy goodness left behind from the chicken. Cook onions until translucent.

Step 9: Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan with the onions. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft. Make sure not to burn the onions or garlic or it will change the flavor of the whole dish.

Step 10: Add your freshly grated parmesean cheese, thyme, and heavy whipping cream to the pan with your onions, mushrooms, and garlic. I like to save a little parmesean to top with chicken at the end when plating. This isn’t necessary but gives a little extra pizazz and flavor. Mix gently and let simmer until all ingredients are combined.

Step 11: Return chicken to the pan skin-side up and let simmer. Top the chicken with another sprig or two of fresh thyme for color and decoration. Cook chicken until it’s fully cooked to 170 degrees. If it was already cooked completely you will want it to simmer until the sauce thickens completely.

Step 12: Once the sauce is creamy and thick you can plate it. Once it’s plated we topped it with the crumbled bacon and a little freshly grated parmesean. It was SO good!

What sides can you serve with this?

This would be AMAZING with some mashed potatoes, green beans, or even pasta.

We’re currently practicing carnivore with a few small veggies so we didn’t make sides with this. We were able to eat 2 each and saved the rest as leftovers. Let me just say, the leftovers were even better the next day if that’s even possible.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Well, yes and no. Some things can be made ahead of time but I definitely recommend waiting to make the sauce right before serving.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken Thighs – Low Carb, Carnivore Options, Family Friendly

This recipe is one of our family's favorites! It's quick, easy, and DELICIOUS!

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Carnivore, Low Carb

Servings: 0

Equipment

• Large Skillet
• Cheese Grater optional
• Knife
• Veggie Chopper

Ingredients

• 4 lbs chicken thighs
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 yellow onion Any onion variety works, we used yellow
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme Or substitute with 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese You can sub already grated parm but it's so much creamier if you do this extra step.
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 5 cloves garlic Feel free to use less, we love garlic so added extra

Notes

• Prepare ingredients by chopping onions, mincing the garlic, and slicing mushrooms. Save aside until after the chicken is cooked.
• This is when you will also want to grate the parmesean cheese and set aside.
• Thoroughly sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken thighs.
• Preheat the stove top to medium heat.
• Cut the bacon into thirds and saute in a large pan until crispy. Remove and set aside on a paper towel. Once the bacon has cooled you’ll want to crumble it by using a knife or your hands.
• Drain most of the bacon grease (we like to store ours in a mason jar for future use) and reserve about 3 tbsp in the pan to cook your chicken in.
• In the same pan, add the chicken thighs and cook until browned on both sides. Remove and set aside. We started with the skin down and placed the lid on top to help them cook fully. Ours chicken thighs were really thick so they needed a little extra steaming with the lid on.
• Once chicken is almost fully cooked and browned nicely you will want to pull them out and place them on a tray so they don’t overcook.
• To the skillet you will add the onions and saute until translucent. Then add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft. Make sure you don’t overcook the onions or garlic because it will change the taste of the whole dish.
• Stir in the fresh thyme, most of the parmesean cheese (saving some to garnish afterwards), and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a simmer stirring occasionally.
• Return the chicken to the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Chicken should be at least 170 degrees.
• Salt and pepper to taste. I personally love extra salt and we didn’t need any so please try it before adding any.
• That’s it! Place the chicken and lots of yummy sauce on the plate, top with remaining parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon.

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