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Easy Chicken Legs with Creamy Mushroom Sauce - delicious, easy recipe that uses just a few simple ingredients. A perfect weeknight dinner!
The sauce I made for these easy chicken legs is so good - you will have a hard time keeping yourself away from it. I made the sauce by simmering everything in one skillet: mushrooms, garlic, chicken legs, chicken stock, and then adding heavy cream at the very end. And, of course, make sure to add just the right amount of salt and pepper.
It's been a long time since I cooked whole chicken legs last time. In fact, I think it's been years. I am so glad I finally made something with them - this easy chicken legs recipe is one of the best ways I ever cooked chicken. So juicy! And, you'll love creamy mushrooms, too!
What is chicken legs, by the way?
Chicken legs are often confused with chicken drumsticks, while in fact whole chicken legs are the combination of BOTH drumstick and thigh. Chicken legs are pretty large. For example, these 3 chicken legs in the photo are total 2 lb in weight:
This recipe is perfect for those days when you are busy and want something quick, yet delicious and nice looking - try these easy chicken legs with creamy mushroom sauce and you'll love it!
I used regular white mushrooms, sliced in half and cooked with minced garlic in olive oil:
Here are a few photos showing you how to cook chicken legs in a skillet on stove top. First, coat the chicken in flour mixture (flour, salt and pepper):
Next, brown chicken legs on high-medium heat in olive oil:
Then, remove chicken legs from the skillet, add mushrooms and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes:
Next, add chicken stock, add chicken legs back, add extra salt, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes until chicken legs are completely cooked through.
Finally, remove the chicken from the skillet, make the cream sauce by adding heavy cream, add the chicken back, and your easy chicken legs are ready!
If you love chicken and mushroom combination, you might enjoy these 2 recipes:
Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Rice
Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce
Easy Chicken Legs with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup flour (you can use gluten free flour)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 lb chicken legs (about 3-4 large chicken legs)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 oz mushrooms (each sliced in half)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (if needed)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. On a large plate, dredge chicken legs in this seasoned flour mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken legs skin side down and brown for about 4 minutes until the skin turn nice golden color. Flip chicken legs over to the other side and brown the other side for about 3 minutes. Remove browned chicken legs and set aside. Also remove those parts of olive oil that got too dark from browning the chicken with flour mixture.
- To the same, now empty skillet, add mushrooms (sliced in half) and minced garlic, add extra tablespoon of olive oil (if needed) and saute them together on medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken stock to the skillet, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and stir.
- Place chicken legs back in the pan.
- Bring the chicken stock to boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer on low-medium. Simmer chicken legs for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked through and the juices run clear when chicken is cut in the middle.
- Remove the cooked chicken legs to a plate and keep warm.
- Turn heat under skillet to medium-high, and simmer the mushroom sauce for about 4 minutes until it is reduced by about a third. Stir in the ½ cup heavy cream into the mushroom sauce and simmer for another 2 minutes on low-medium heat, constantly stirring and scraping from the bottom of the skillet, until the sauce gets thicker.
- Add chicken legs back to the skillet to warm them up. Serve
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Easy budget friendly meal that feeds a lot of people.
CL, I am glad you found this recipe useful and practical!
I wanna do this with thin pork chops, should I cook for less time?
If you use thin, skinless, and boneless pork chops, you should cook them for A MUCH SHORTER time if following this recipe.
Would it be a bad idea to add white wine?
Adding white wine would be delicious! I would add white wine after cooking mushrooms with garlic to deglaze the skillet (with mushrooms still in it!). Then, add chicken broth and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
I forgot to rate it! Definitely 5 STARS!
Thank you so much - I appreciate it! 🙂
I made this tonight for my family and they all loved it. I added some parmesan cheese to the sauce before adding the chicken back to the pan. So easy and so delicious! Thank you!
Mary, I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed! 🙂
Easy, quick and flavourful. I used less flour after my first attempt, to keep the skin from going too 'gloopy'. A final quick pass under the grill helps restore a bit of crispness prior to serving.
Bren, I am glad the recipe was enjoyed! Thank you for the 4-star review - I really appreciate it!
Absolutely great!
Rob South Africa
Thank you, Rob! Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
My husband LOVED this. I didn't have enough mushrooms, so I added thyme and 1 strip of chopped bacon to add more savory to the sauce. I topped it with more bacon bits and he asked me to make it for our next gathering!
Bacon is a great addition! I am glad you gave this recipe a try and that it was enjoyed! Thank you for taking the time to share this wonderful feedback! 🙂
This recipe looks outstanding! But I work as a chef and can never totally leave any recipe alone. I will likely make this with boneless skinless thighs (I don’t like to eat chicken skin or dean with chicken bones later). I will use a gluten free flour, some fresh diced garlic I can buy in the produce dept at my grocery (not the nasty stuff in the jar with all the preservatives). Also I will likely add a little fresh spinach to the mushroom sauce after the chicken is done and before I add the cream (or possibly half and half) because I like more veggies. And I probably will use low sodium chicken stock so I can better control the sodium. And lastly, your pic shows your recipe sprinkled with parsley but I didn’t see this ingredient listed. I’d but a ore-packaged fresh chopped & washed parsley from my produce dept to add. When I buy just fresh I never get it all cleaned and chopped before it goes bad.
You have provided a great recipe here for me to work with, THANKS!
Is there a way for me to ‘follow’ your posts, maybe on fb or by email?
You are obviously a fabulous cook who knows how to teach others ways to make a simple recipe.
Please let me know by email. Thanks!
Love the changes you're planning to implement with this recipe, especially the addition of fresh spinach to the sauce to add more veggies. Yes, freshly minced garlic is always the best - I always mince or chop my own garlic. And, yes, that's chopped fresh parsley on top of the chicken. You can follow me on Facebook here: Julia's Album on Facebook.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment - I really appreciate it!
Very tasty! Thank you for sharing such an easy and flavorful recipe!
Why does my chicken always come out raw? 25-30 minutes is no where near enough time for a chicken leg. Same thing happens to me with recipes with thighs. I can't cook them on the stovetop, it doesn't work. What am I doing wrong?
Here’s a thought .... cause you suck at cooking .
Just because you don’t like her recipe doesn’t mean she sucks st cooking. I think her recipe sounds AWESOME!
If you can’t say something nice or at the very least something constructive ie why you don’t agree with her recipe then don’t comment. Your just plain negative remark serves no purpose except to show your lack of character.
Your comment just shows your lack of intelligence and class.
Cover the pan while cooking the chicken. And cook it till its done thru. Use a meat thermometer to determine when it’s done. And when you cook the chicken cook it on med-low, so the outside doesn’t get over done while waiting for the inside to get done. Google what temp chicken should be cooked to. I don’t remember off hand. Maybe 165° or perhaps 155°. Google it for the answer. I always look up temps when I cook. Going by internal temps eliminates the guessing game of ‘is it done inside’.
Such great tips, Susan. Thank you!
Cook at a higher temperature. If your stove is electric I have to turn it higher than recommended.
Tiffany, that's a great tip too!
I forgot to rate!
Can you use can mushroom soup?
Samara, yes, this should be delicious with the canned mushroom soup!
I tried this tonight and I am culinary challenged. It is really good! I took a picture but don't know how to post it. Great instructions
can you use almond flour ?
You could use Creme Fraiche which is a great substitute for heavy cream and a lot less fat. I use it for Alfredo.
Simple and amazing flavours.
Didn't have many mushrooms so used canned champignon. Canned champignon is not always loved by people, I thought they were perfect in this recipe. So if you were going to try them for the first time, thiis recipe is perfect to try them in.
Put a cornflower slurry in to thicken sauce. (1 tablespoon of cornflower and 1 tablespoon of water stired and added).
This recipe has made it in our rotation of yummy recipes. Thanks Julia
Hi it looks like it has parley... should I add it to the recipe???