This creamy garlic mushroom chicken is a full one-pan dinner with juicy bone-in chicken thighs, golden roasted baby potatoes, smoky bacon, and a parmesan cream sauce that actually coats the meat. It’s the kind of weeknight recipe people search for as “creamy garlic chicken thighs,” “chicken with mushrooms and potatoes,” or “baked chicken in creamy sauce,” and it works perfectly for Canadian and U.S. kitchens because it uses simple supermarket ingredients, oven finishing at high heat, and a stabilized cream sauce so it doesn’t split.

Why you’ll love this creamy chicken

Chicken thighs stay juicy in the oven.
Bacon + garlic + mushrooms + parmesan = very high umami.
Proper deglazing (white wine or broth) so the sauce doesn’t taste flat.
Potatoes roast in the same pan so it becomes a full meal.
Same family as other hits like creamy Tuscan chicken.

Ingredients

For 4 people

Chicken & potatoes

700g / 1.5 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 pieces)
100g / 3.5 oz smoked bacon, diced
500g / 1.1 lb baby potatoes, halved
15g / 1 tbsp duck fat or olive oil
6g / 1 tsp fine salt (to season chicken and potatoes)
3g / ½ tsp black pepper

Creamy garlic mushroom sauce

20g / 4–5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300g / 10.5 oz cremini or Paris mushrooms, sliced
120g / 4 oz fresh spinach
60ml / ¼ cup dry white wine or 60ml / ¼ cup chicken broth
120ml / ½ cup chicken broth (for body and flavor)
250ml / 1 cup 35% whipping cream (heavy cream)
50g / 1.8 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
2g / ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
Squeeze of lemon to finish

Step-by-step instructions

Preheat and prepare the tray
Preheat the oven to 215°C / 420°F. Line a large oven-safe pan or braiser. This high heat will brown the chicken skin and finish the potatoes.

Season and brown the chicken
Pat the 700g / 1.5 lb chicken thighs dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a large oven-safe skillet, render the 100g / 3.5 oz bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp. Remove bacon and keep the fat. Add 1 tbsp duck fat if the pan is dry. Brown the chicken skin-side down 4–5 minutes until golden. Flip and cook 2 minutes on the other side. Remove and reserve.
Roast the potatoes
Toss the 500g / 1.1 lb baby potatoes in the same pan fat with a pinch of salt and pepper. Push them to the sides. Set the browned chicken thighs on top/among the potatoes, skin facing up.
Oven cooking
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast 20–25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temp ~74°C / 165°F) and the potatoes are tender.

Make the sauce while the chicken roasts
In another pan (or the same pan after removing chicken/potatoes if you prefer to finish there):
- Add a spoon of the bacon fat.
- Add the 20g garlic and cook 20–30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the 300g sliced mushrooms, season lightly and sauté until they release their water and start to color.
- Deglaze with 60ml / ¼ cup white wine or broth and scrape the bottom. Reduce by half.
- Add 120ml / ½ cup broth and let simmer 2 minutes.
- Add 250ml / 1 cup heavy cream, bring to a soft simmer.
- Add 50g grated parmesan and whisk in — this is your liaison, it thickens the sauce.
- Add 120g spinach and let it wilt.
- Return the cooked bacon to the sauce.
- Taste and adjust salt/pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon. Sauce should coat the spoon.

Combine
When the chicken and potatoes are done, pour the hot creamy mushroom-garlic sauce over or around them and serve immediately.

Substitutions

Chicken: boneless thighs (reduce oven time), or chicken breasts cut in half like in your chicken Milanese with tomato sauce but don’t overcook.
Cream: you can use 15% but you must reduce longer or add 1 tsp cornstarch slurry.
Mushrooms: mixed forest mushrooms for a more “bistro” note like your creamy mushroom sauce for steak.
Potatoes: swap for rice and serve with fluffy rice pilaf.

What to serve with it

Serve with a simple green like homemade Caesar salad.
Or with a gratin like traditional gratin dauphinois.
For a garlic-forward menu, link to your 40-clove garlic chicken and homemade garlic croutons.
For readers who liked creamy chicken, send them to creamy mustard chicken with mushrooms and creamy Tuscan chicken.
For fries lovers: authentic Belgian fries.

FAQ

Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Keep chicken/potatoes separate, reheat in the oven and reheat sauce gently so the cream doesn’t split.

Can I use milk?
Not ideal. Use at least half-and-half, or stabilize with a little cornstarch.

My sauce is too thin, what now?
Let it simmer 2–3 minutes more, or whisk in 1 tsp beurre manié — you already have a post on that: beurre manié recipe.

Can I make it without wine?
Yes, just use broth and lemon.