Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet
Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet is a super easy dinner recipe for busy school nights. It features pan seared chicken tenderloins, zucchini and sliced mushrooms in garlicky herbed tomato sauce. Such an easy Chicken Skillet Recipe!
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Why I love this Chicken Skillet Recipe
I love skillet dinners because they don’t require a lot of pots and pans to get dinner on the table. This meal comes together quickly and is full of lots of hearty vegetables.
We are slowing down with summer produce for sure and starting to fill our grocery cards with all the delicious Fall Produce popping up in stores.
But, there is still some zucchini always hanging around this time of year, and what better way to use it up than in this Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Easy Chicken Skillet Recipe!
This recipe is a heartier zucchini recipe thanks to the rich garlicky herb tomato sauce and a side of pasta, so it is perfect for those summer/fall transition meals when the weather hasn’t quite decided what season it wants to be.
This Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet has definitely popped up on our meal plan recently when I was in need of something quick and easy to prepare.
Italian is often my go-to cuisine when I want something easy. There are so many things you can do with tomatoes, olive oil, and your favorite Italian herbs.
★★★★★
Darlene says –
“This was SO GOOD!! My husband and I added a yellow bell pepper and left out the mushrooms. We WILL fix this again. Thanks for the delicious recipe!”
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Ingredients to Make Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are easy to keep on hand in your freezer and your pantry, making it the perfect easy chicken skillet dinner for busy days! You’ll need:
- chicken breasts or tenderloins
- olive oil
- butter
- onion
- garlic
- mushrooms
- zucchini
- sundried tomatoes
- fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- balsamic vinegar
Optional if I have it on hand, I like to garnish with fresh chopped basil and parsley for an extra bit of green and flavor.
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make this Easy Chicken Skillet Recipe
Start by patting the chicken dry – this helps it brown well – and season with salt and pepper according to your taste preferences.
You’ll then brown the chicken on either side in butter and olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. After the chicken is browned, set it aside and use the same pan for cooking the veggies!
Using the same skillet makes clean up so much easier, and the flavor of the vegetables will get an extra boost from all the browned bits and juices left behind in the pan from the chicken..
Then, saute the onion, followed by the mushrooms, then garlic and zucchini (adding each to the pan one at a time). After the veggies are cooked, add the tomatoes and seasonings. Stir in the vinegar. Then, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
Put the chicken (and any juices – again FLAVOR!) back in the pan. Spoon the sauce over, and bake covered at 350 degrees in the oven until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F on a meat thermometer) and the saute is bubbling.
Also, don’t forget to check out my tips for Caring for Cast Iron Cookware!
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What Vegetables Can I substitute in this Italian Chicken Skillet Recipe?
You can always swap out other vegetables depending on your preferences or just to use up what you have on hand. Don’t like mushrooms? No problem! Leave them out and pick something else
For substitutes I recommend the following as the best choices:
- bell peppers – red, yellow, or orange,
- yellow summer squash
- patty pan squash
- cubed eggplant
- green beans
I don’t really recommend leaving out the diced or sundried tomatoes, however because they comprise the sauce in this recipe and it would be dry if they were eliminated. In a pinch, you can use jarred marinara sauce (or the best homemade marinara sauce if you have it in the freezer).
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What to serve with Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet
Looking for some side dish ideas to make this a meal? Check out some of these favorite recipes, or browse the recipe index archives for even more great recipe ideas:
If you’re looking for side suggestions to go with this recipe, I recommend a big green salad.
It doesn’t have to be fancy at all. We often use mixed greens, lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot, and tomato for a basic side salad. Check out these 3 Simple Salad Dressing Recipes to go along with your salad.
If salad isn’t your thing, try this easy recipe for Roasted Broccoli for a vegetable side dish.
Other side salads we like are Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Prosciutto and Lemon Dijion Vinaigrette or the Classic Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe to serve with this Italian Chicken Skillet Dinner.
You can serve this dish with a lot of different sides, the simplest being some al dente pasta in whatever shape you prefer. For some extra pop of flavor, you can drizzle some Chili Garlic Oil and a sprinkling of fresh parmesan over the pasta!
For a lower carb option, try substituting Spaghetti Squash in place of pasta. There are 3 Ways to Cook Spaghetti Squash for when you’re in a time crunch.
It would also go well with a pile of mashed potatoes. Try this recipe for Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes for a hearty, home-cooked type meal.
Roasted potatoes would pair well, too, if you prefer. Another potato recipe we love is Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata.
A loaf of homemade or store-bought Italian bread is also a great side and is perfect for mopping up all the tasty sauce from the dish. For homemade bread, I love this Rustic Rosemary Garlic Bread.
Can I make this Recipe Gluten-Free?
Yes! There are many great gluten-free pastas on the market these days!
I happen to really like Trader Joes Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa Pasta. Jovial Gluten-Free Pasta also gets really good reviews.
You can also always leave the pasta out and substitute another side from the list above. As mentioned, spaghetti squash is a great low carb, gluten-free substitute for pasta!
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More Chicken Skillet Recipes
Looking for more great one dish chicken skillet recipes? Here are a few favorites! Or, browse the Recipe Index to view all of my Chicken Recipes.
Easy Chili Marmalade Baked Chicken Skillet is a sweet and spicy simple Asian inspired chicken recipe for dinner. Serve it with rice or quinoa and a side of your favorite veggies.
In this Creamy Orange Almond Chicken Skillet, golden brown chicken breasts are smothered in a creamy orange almond sauce. It’s served alongside an almond rice pilaf for a simple and comforting recipe during the colder days just prior to gorgeous, warm spring days.
This Baked Honey Mustard Chicken is one of our favorite recipes. Chicken Tenderloins are baked in a sweet and savory honey mustard sauce with sprigs of fresh rosemary. This bakes in one skillet!
This Greek Lemon Oregano Chicken Skillet Dinner is the perfect recipe to illustrate the benefits of cooking in cast iron skillets. You can brown things to your liking on the stovetop and then put that same pan into the oven to finish cooking.
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Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet
Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet is a super easy dinner recipe for busy school nights. It features pan seared chicken tenderloins, zucchini and sliced mushrooms in garlicky herbed tomato sauce. Such an easy Chicken Skillet Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. chicken breasts (cut in half) or tenderloins
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 zucchini, cut in bite-size chunks
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional Garnishes: Fresh Basil and Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet, melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until it begins to bubble.
- Pat the chicken dry on both sides. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add the chicken and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, or until golden browned. Turn and cook the other side for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- While cooking, brush some of the the olive oil and butter from the pan on the side of the chicken facing up.
- Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Continue cooking on medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes.
- Then, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt to taste, and continue to sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, zucchini and sundried tomatoes and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
- Then, stir in the the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the chicken back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce and vegetables over top of the chicken.
- Cook, covered, over the stovetop or in the oven at 350 degrees F until the chicken is heated through and the sauce is bubbling.
- Serve garnished with chopped fresh basil and parsley if desired!
Notes
For substitutes I recommend the following as the best choices:
- bell peppers – red, yellow, or orange,
- yellow summer squash
- patty pan squash
- cubed eggplant
- green beans
I don’t recommend leaving out the diced or sundried tomatoes, however because they comprise the sauce in this recipe and it would be dry if they were eliminated. In a pinch, you can use jarred marinara sauce (or the best homemade marinara sauce if you have it in the freezer).
You can serve this dish with a lot of different sides, the simplest being some al dente pasta in whatever shape you prefer. For some extra pop of flavor, you can drizzle some Chili Garlic Oil and a sprinkling of fresh parmesan over the pasta!
For a lower carb option, try substituting Spaghetti Squash in place of pasta. There are 3 Ways to Cook Spaghetti Squash for when you’re in a time crunch.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 333Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Updated from the archives, originally published April 16, 2013.
Lindsay Smith says
My favorite one pan meal is beef stefado. Now that I’m thinking about it, I may have to make it tonight!
Amanda L says
My favorite one pan meal is a broccoli, spicy turkey sausage pasta dish. It never disappoints.
Natalie S says
My favorite one pan wonder is chicken with spinach and pasta skillet!
Bethany Henderson says
I love to make frittatas! I use what ever is in my fridge!
Pamela S says
I’d love to try some sort of Mediterranean chicken dish with feta cheese sprinkled on top at the end. YUM! Thanks.
Karen Lynch says
Company beef stew, just throw all the ingredients in the casserole dish, cook on a very low temp in the oven for 5 hours.
Tieghan says
This dish looks amazing! You can never go wrong with italian!
Maribeth M says
My favorite one pan meal is my own chicken cacciatore. Yum!
Amy L says
My favorite One Pan Meal is penne with Italian turkey sausage, tomatoes, and zucchini. Topped with grated parmesan, of course 🙂
Jackie says
My favorite one pan meal is sloppy joes, plus it’s one of the easiest 🙂
Lynda says
baked spaghetti! lyndagp at gmail dot com
Katie says
homemade mac & cheese! I love to experiment with different cheeses and spices to give it different flavor
Amy Tong says
My favorite one pan recipe is wild mushroom stir fry with flank steaks. Love this giveaway prize packa nd I can’t wait to try your Italian Chicken Skillet.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Christina says
My favorite one pan recipe is chicken santorini. It includes some of my favorite ingredients: chicken, tomato sauce,feta cheese, garlic, and white vinegar.
Jeffrey says
My favorite one pan recipe is homemade Mac and Cheese, cooked in cast iron on the cooktop and moved to the oven to finish.
Caryn E says
Italian chicken
mushroom
Joann says
Where do u find Sauté Express? I have looked at one of our bigger grocery store and they didn’t have any:(. My name is Joann and email is
Joannmstarr@msn.com
Thanks
Allanna says
It’s by the butter