Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice

Ingredients needed to prepare this recipe

• Mushrooms: Any kind you like. I usually use cremini mushrooms (often called baby bellas) but white button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms work great as well.
• This recipe calls for cooking the mushrooms in both olive oil and butter. I wanted the creamy flavor of butter and using some oil prevented the butter from burning.
• I prefer the mild, even flavor of a yellow onion for this dish, but white or red onions will also work well.
• Garlic: Use as much or as little as you like.
• Dried thyme leaves: You can also use ground thyme or fresh thyme. If using ground time, use half as much as dried thyme leaves. If using fresh thyme, throw a handful of sprigs into the pan after adding the broth. The leaves will fall off into the sauce as the chicken and rice cook, and you can just remove the stems before serving.
• Dry onion soup mix: See the Additions and Substitutions section below for a great alternative to dry onion soup mix.
• Chicken broth: I almost always use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base mixed with water.
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, OR pre-cooked chicken. This dish is a great way to use up leftover chicken!
• Rice: Use any variety of rice you like but be aware that brown rice and wild rice take much longer to cook than white rice. If you opt for brown or wild rice, remove the chicken when it's cooked through and let the rice continue to cook until done. Keep an eye on it and add more broth if the pan looks dry. This dish is also a great way to use up leftover rice!
• Salt and ground black pepper, of course
• 2 egg yolks + some heavy cream or half and half is what makes this dish rich and creamy. See the additions and substitutions section below for instructions if you want to make it dairy free.
• Some fresh lemon juice cuts through the cream and brightens up all the flavors.
• Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley: This is optional, but it adds some nice color to all that brown and a bit of fresh flavor.

Additions and substitutions

• Instead of onions and garlic: If you, or someone you are cooking for, is sensitive to the allium family, leave out the garlic and onions and use some chopped fennel instead.
• To make a good substitution for dry onion soup mix, combine 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon paprika, and 2 teaspoons crushed beef bouillon cubes OR 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.
• This dish is a great way to use up leftover french onion soup! Omit the raw onions and add the leftover soup to the pan along with enough broth to measure 4 cups total.
• To make this recipe dairy free: Instead of dairy based cream or half and half, use extra creamy oat milk or mix silken tofu with soy milk at a 1:1 ratio.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Clean and slice the mushrooms, and cook them in butter and oil until the mushrooms are a rich golden brown. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate or a bowl. 

Add the chopped onions and cook until the onions are beginning to brown.  

Add the garlic, thyme, and dry onion soup mix then pour in the chicken broth. If using raw rice and raw chicken, add both to the pan. Turn the heat up to high, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cover the pan.

Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Lift the lid about halfway through cooking and add more broth if the pan looks dry.

If using pre-cooked rice and chicken: Bring the broth to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the cooked rice and the cooked chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once cooked, remove the chicken to a plate, use two forks to shred it into bite size pieces, then stir back into the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cream or half and half.

Slowly pour this mixture into the chicken and rice, stirring constantly as you pour.

Squeeze some lemon juice into the pan and add the mushrooms.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper or lemon juice if you like. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh parsley, and dig in.

Serving suggestions

This is the kind of meal that needs nothing more than a few slices of crusty bread or toast, or maybe some fresh from the oven dinner rolls or flaky buttermilk biscuits.

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If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate it!