Julia Child’s Creamy Chicken and Mushroom (Lightened Up)

There is a reason Julia Child is the queen of French cooking. Her ability to transform simple ingredients into something rich, velvety, and soul-warming is legendary. However, traditional French cooking often relies heavily on sticks of butter and cups of heavy whipping cream. While delicious, it’s not exactly something we can eat every Tuesday night.

That is exactly why I developed this Lightened Up Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Recipe. I wanted to capture the essence of Julia’s famous Suprêmes de Volaille aux Champignons—that deep, earthy mushroom flavor and the silky, luxurious sauce—but without the heavy calorie count.

After weeks of testing (and a lot of tasting), I found the perfect balance. By swapping heavy cream for a “magic” combination of evaporated milk and cream cheese, we create a sauce that is just as thick and creamy as the original, but significantly lighter. This is a gourmet meal you can feel good about serving to your family, ready in under 30 minutes. For more under 30 min favs try my Crispy Parmesan Baked Chicken Milanese & Veggies

Why You Need This Recipe in Your Rotation

• A “Lightened Up” Classic: I am keeping all the flavor of Julia Child’s recipe but ditching the heavy cream. It’s comfort food without the food coma.
• One Pan, Less Mess: Everything happens in one skillet. From searing the chicken to building that luscious sauce, you save time on washing up just like my Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta
• Pantry Friendly: No hunting for obscure French ingredients. You likely have most of this in your kitchen right now.
• Juicy Chicken Guarantee: My method ensures your chicken breast stays tender and juicy, never dry or rubbery.

The Secret to the Sauce: Ingredients

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Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced horizontally into cutlets. Why cutlets? Because a full breast is often uneven—thick at one end and thin at the other—leading to dry, overcooked meat. Thin cutlets cook quickly and evenly, keeping them juicy.

Mushrooms: Julia loved mushrooms, and so do I. Crimini mushrooms (also known as Baby Bellas) are my top choice here because they have a deeper, earthier flavor than white button mushrooms and hold their shape better in the sauce.

Lightened-Up Cream Sauce: This is where I have deviated from the classic. To achieve that signature creamy texture without the heavy whipping cream, I use a combination of reduced-fat cream cheese and evaporated milk. It provides richness at a fraction of the calories.

• Evaporated Milk use the regular evaporated milk, it’s approximately 8% fat and it’s a massive difference in calories compared to regular heavy cream. Unlike regular milk, which can curdle or split when you boil it in a skillet, evaporated milk is heat-stable. It stays silky smooth even when simmering.
• Reduced fat cream cheese Always buy the block style cream cheese (often in a silver foil wrapper inside a box). Avoid the “spreadable” tubs as it has air whipped into it and higher water content. It can make your sauce watery or grainy. The block melts down into a velvety consistency. In traditional french cooking you often use flour or a roux to thin a sauce, I will be using the cream cheese to do this. It also adds a slight tanginess that mimics the flavor of Crème Fraîche, which is what Julia Child would have used, but it’s much easier to find and lower in fat.

Follow these steps to build layers of flavor right in the pan.

1. Prepare and prep your ingredients. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). This high heat is crucial for the oven-finish method.Pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. This ensures the seasoning sticks. Rub them all over with the fresh lemon juice (The acid tenderizes the meat slightly and cuts through the richness of the sauce we are about to make), then season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Sauté the Aromatics Heat the butter in a heavy, oven-proof casserole dish or a cast-iron skillet (about 10 inches in diameter) over medium heat until it is foaming. You want the butter hot and bubbly, but not burning. Stir in the minced shallots (or green onions) and sauté for about a minute. We are looking to “sweat” them, not brown them. Stir in the mushrooms. Sauté them lightly for 1-2 minutes. Julia’s Tip: For this specific “Suprêmes” recipe, Julia Child prefers not to brown the mushrooms deeply. She keeps them pale to maintain a bright, white sauce. However, if you prefer a deeper, nuttier flavor, feel free to let them get a little golden color. Season the veggie mixture with a pinch of salt.

3. Cook The Chicken (Two Ways)
   Option A: The Authentic “Julia” Way (Steaming)
   Quickly roll the seasoned chicken breasts in the butter and mushroom mixture in the pan so they are coated. Lay a piece of buttered wax paper directly over the chicken (buttered side down) Cover the casserole/skillet with a lid and place it in the hot oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes. This method “steams” the chicken in butter, keeping it incredibly white and tender.

3. Cook The Chicken (Two Ways)
   Option B: The “Cafe Delites” Way (Searing for Flavor)
   My Preference: I prefer to brown the chicken fillets on the stove first. Push the mushrooms to the side, increase the heat slightly, and sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side until golden. Cover the skillet and transfer to the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, or until cooked through. This gives you that appetizing golden crust!

4. The Reduction (Concentrating Flavor)
   Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Transfer the cooked chicken to a warm plate and cover loosely with foil to rest. Leave the mushrooms and all those delicious juices in the pot!
   Deglaze: Place the skillet back on the stove over high heat. Pour in the chicken stock and white wine. Boil this liquid down quickly. We want it to reduce by half. Watch it closely—this concentrates the flavors of the wine and stock, creating a potent base for our creamy sauce.

5. Create the “Lightened Up” Cream Sauce.
   Reduce the heat to low. This is critical—if the heat is too high, the dairy might separate. Add the cream cheese to the bubbling liquid. Use a wooden spoon or a whisk to mash it and break it down. Stir constantly until it melts completely and turns into a thick, smooth cream. Gradually pour in the evaporated milk while stirring. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the sauce heats through and thickens to your desired consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon luxuriously.

6. Final Seasoning
   Take the pan off the heat. Taste your sauce! Does it need more salt? A crack of black pepper? Squeeze over a little extra fresh lemon juice. This “wakes up” the heavy flavors. If you are adding broccoli, toss it in now. Return the chicken (and any resting juices from the plate) back into the sauce to warm through.

7. Serving
   Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately while hot and bubbly. Keep it low carb and serve this over Zoodles or Cauliflower Rice OR carb load it with pasta and normal rice! The choice is yours.

Why the wax paper method?

If you are wondering about the wax paper step in the instructions above, here is the history behind it.

Julia Child used a technique called cooking en papillote (in paper). By placing a buttered sheet of paper over the chicken inside the casserole dish, it traps the moisture directly against the meat. It essentially self-bastes the chicken as it bakes.

Does it make a difference? Yes! It produces the whitest, most incredibly moist chicken breast you will ever eat. However, it doesn’t look as pretty as a golden-seared breast. I included both methods in step 3 so you can choose: Traditional tenderness (Option A) or Golden flavor (Option B).

Tips for Success

1. The “Room Temperature” Rule

Take your cream cheese out of the fridge 15–20 minutes before cooking. Cold cream cheese “shocks” when hitting hot liquid, creating stubborn lumps that are impossible to whisk out. Soft, room-temperature cheese melts effortlessly into the evaporated milk for a velvety texture.

2. Watch Your Heat: The “Low and Slow” Secret

Turn the heat down to low when adding the dairy. Unlike heavy cream, lower-fat dairy (like evaporated milk) can split or curdle if boiled vigorously. A gentle simmer is all you need to thicken the sauce. If you see it separating, pull it off the heat immediately and whisk vigorously.

3. Don’t Crowd the Mushrooms

Give them space! If your pan is small, cook them in two batches. Crowding causes mushrooms to steam in their own juices, turning them gray and rubbery. Spreading them out allows moisture to evaporate quickly so they brown properly. Flavor lives in the browning—that’s the same secret to my garlic mushroom chicken bites! That’s the same secret to my garlic mushroom chicken bites.

4. The Wine Reduction

Don’t skip boiling down the wine and stock! This step concentrates the savory flavors and burns off the sharp alcohol bite, creating a potent foundation for the sauce. No wine? Substitute with more chicken stock, but add a splash of apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) to replace the acidity.

Recipe FAQ’s

What to Serve with Mushroom Chicken

This creamy chicken dish is incredibly versatile. Serve it over:

• For a classic pairing: Mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or garlic butter rice.
• For a low-carb option: Zucchini noodles, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, or Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli And Green Beans.
• Don’t forget the bread! A piece of crusty bread is perfect for sopping up every last bit of the delicious sauce.”