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Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

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Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms and Thyme is ready 25 minutes, tastes like a restaurant dish, and is healthy and low carb.

215 CAL 4g CARBS 5g FAT 34g PROTEIN
12 Comments
Balsamic chicken and mushrooms with fresh thyme and parsley in a bowl with a white napkin.
Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms Recipe

This Balsamic Chicken recipe with mushrooms and thyme is one of those meals that you will make over and over again. It has so much flavor, couldn't be easier to make, and tastes like a dish you would get in a restaurant or at a fancy dinner party! This chicken dinner is ready in just 25 minutes. Not to mention, it's healthy and low-carb friendly.

This balsamic chicken dish is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Golden brown chicken breasts, earthy mushrooms, slightly sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar, and thyme sauce, with a sprinkling of fresh parsley... Yum!

Plus, we usually grate some fresh Parmesan cheese on top or finish it with a good sprinkling of goat cheese. Nothing better than that!

With only 214 calories and 5 grams of fat, it's good for you and also low carb, gluten-free, Paleo, and Whole30-friendly!

Chicken with balsamic vinegar sauce and mushrooms in a blue bowl with fresh parsley.

Key Ingredients For Balsamic Chicken And Mushrooms

These are the ingredients you'll need to make the chicken recipe:

  • Chicken Breasts: For this recipe, I used boneless skinless chicken tenderloins so it was quick and easy to cook. Plus, I am able to serve more portions of it if I have multiple guests over.
  • Mushrooms: I sliced up some baby portabella mushrooms but you can easily swap those out for white button or crimini mushrooms instead.
  • Garlic Cloves: Can't forget the minced garlic!
  • Chicken Broth: When adding chicken broth to this balsamic chicken recipe, make sure to pick up some low sodium broth. Between all of the seasoning and herbs, you don't want the salt to overpower the dish.
  • Balsamic Vinegar: Reducing the balsamic down to a sauce will allow the mushrooms to soak up the vinegar for a much more intense flavor.
  • Thyme: Adding thyme gives this chicken recipe its sharp earthy flavor that complements the sweet/tart flavor of the balsamic vinegar.
  • Parsley: I like to add some chopped parsley when I serve the chicken to give it a nice bite of freshness against the balsamic sauce.

Note: For a full list of ingredients and detailed instructions on how to make this balsamic chicken recipe, take a look at the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

Recipe Tips And Ideas For Healthy Chicken And Mushrooms

Here are some tips and tricks for making this balsamic chicken with mushrooms and thyme:

  • Personally, I couldn't love mushrooms more but, if they aren't your favorite, you could use zucchini, summer squash, or green beans instead.
  • If you can't find chicken breast tenderloins for the recipe, just use a whole chicken breast and slice it down into smaller strips so that they cook more quickly and evenly.
  • Thyme is my favorite spice to use in this recipe but you could substitute in some Italian seasoning, oregano, rosemary, or marjoram.
  • You could also use fresh herbs instead of dried ones if you have some on hand.
  • Although parsley is a great way to add freshness to the dish, you could also add fresh basil or chives to finish the dish.
  • One of our readers had a great idea to add cherry tomatoes during the last five minutes of cooking! Love it!

What To Serve With This Balsamic Chicken Recipe

Looking for a side dish to try to serve with this yummy dish? I usually like to serve it with some sort of grain and vegetables. Those typically are brown rice, quinoa, or baked potato. If I'm feeling fancy and have some extra time on my hands, I will sometimes make some of my delicious zucchini couscous or lemon quinoa to serve.

When it comes to the vegetables, I try to choose ones that will complement the mushrooms in this balsamic chicken recipe like asparagus, roasted garlic broccoli, or Brussels sprouts!

Planning to meal prep a few lunches? I'll make a batch of garlic zucchini noodles and make a few chicken bowls to last me all week!

Frequently Asked Questions About Healthy Balsamic Chicken Mushroom Recipe

Here are some questions I frequently get asked about by some readers…

What kind of balsamic vinegar should I buy to make this dish?

Since balsamic vinegar is one of the main flavors in this recipe, it's really important to choose a high-quality one that will pack in the flavor and bring the right amount of sweetness and tartness. This doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune though.

Personally, I usually buy the Whole Foods 365 Aged Balsamic Vinegar and it's delicious!

Can I use other parts of the chicken instead of chicken breasts?

Yes! Instead of using boneless chicken breasts, I'll sometimes swap it out for boneless chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks for some added variety. You can also make this with chicken wings!

How can I thicken the sauce to make a balsamic glaze?

After the chicken has finished cooking, add a tsp of cornstarch to thicken up the leftover sauce and drizzle the balsamic glaze over the chicken!

Balsamic chicken breasts with mushrooms and thyme in a blue bowl with a hand holding it.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:

The Recipe
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Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

215 CAL 4g CARBS 5g FAT 34g PROTEIN
PREP TIME: 5 Min
COOK TIME: 20 Min
TOTAL TIME: 25 Min
Dinner
12 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 1.33 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 2.5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. thyme
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

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Instructions

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1

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Chicken breast tenderloins being seared in a skillet.
2

Add the garlic and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes until mushrooms begin to soften. Add the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and thyme to the skillet. Stir and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

Mushrooms and garlic cooking in a skillet.
3

Add the chicken and let simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Balsamic chicken and mushrooms simmering in a garlic balsamic sauce in a a pan.
Diets:
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 6 oz. chicken and 1/2 cup mushrooms
Amount Per Serving
Calories 215
Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g
6%
Saturated Fat 0g
2%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 74mg
24%
Sodium 69mg
3%
Total Carbohydrate 4g
1%
Dietary Fiber 1g
3%
Sugars 3g
Protein 34g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

Notes

I used chicken tenderloins but any chicken breast will work. For large chicken breasts, cut into smaller tenders or cutlets to ensure they fully cook.
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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
12 Comments
On Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms
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Chris Robertson
November 14, 2022 - 20:33
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5
Quick, easy and really tasty. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!
  • reply
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Trish
June 2, 2022 - 10:50
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5
Really simple to make & very tasty….I fried some onions before adding the mushrooms to the pan & added some overripe (almost ready to dump) cherry tomatoes. Didn’t have thyme so used tarragon & this worked fine. Served with brown basmati rice…
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Kellie
April 24, 2022 - 05:43
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5
Made this last night. I had some shallots on hand I needed to use, so added them. Great recipe and will make again!
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Nicole
January 14, 2022 - 17:52
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5
I found this recipe last week and have already made it twice. I added onions with the mushrooms, and tossed in the cherry tomatoes at the end. Served it with oven roasted garlic zucchini sprinkled with Parmesan. My BF loves it so much he’s already asking me to make it again. The leftovers are really good the next day too.
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Cindy Waldman
August 23, 2021 - 15:33
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5
My Family loved the chicken, that I had to cook it twice.
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Sharon
October 22, 2022 - 02:05
This recipe was excellent for a multitude of reasons! Top 2 reasons are the taste and the ease of preparation! This will definitely be added to our favorites rotation, many thanks!
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Niki
January 26, 2021 - 17:21
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5
I cut chicken breasts in halves for this recipe. I used a bit more balsamic because I love a vinegar taste. I also seasoned the chicken with onion powder. Who said eating healthy has to be gross? This was DELICIOUS!
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Jessica Seigel
May 5, 2020 - 15:00
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5
This dish was surprisingly fabulous and with little fuss -- and ingredients I had (under lockdown April 2020). I doubled the mushrooms, which worked well for us -- we like more vegetables, or in this case fungus? I may have cooked it too long so the juice largely evaporated and was not juicy enough, so next time I will increase by 1/3 the sauce part and perhaps add some corn starch to thicken. We'll see. Will definitely make again. Superior and I've made huge flubs now cooking at home for first time really on quarantine. Love that this is low cal. I'm now failing at WW, but trying and this superior dish is helping with its low cal ingredients!
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Miriel
February 14, 2020 - 13:29
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5
Planning to make this tonight and serve over spaghetti squash! Thank you!
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Patricia Campbell
April 8, 2019 - 18:44
Absolutely delicious ! Thank you !
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Jessica Young
April 6, 2018 - 09:44
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5
Made this recipe with the garlic parm zoodles and it was delicious! Your site is my new go to for recipes.

  • reply
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Lynn Charron
January 7, 2016 - 17:28
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4
This was very tasty and so easy to make! I added cherry tomatoes in the last 5 minutes of simmering and served it over spaghetti squash, so yummy!
  • reply
Kristen McCaffrey Founder of Slender Kitchen

I’m Kristen, I blog about food.

I believe you can make great food that's also good for you. Here you will find healthy, easy to make, delicious recipes and meal plans.

Kristen

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