Mustard Chicken

This creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken recipe is an easy stovetop dinner the whole family will love. Learn how to sear chicken breasts perfectly and how to make the most luscious mustard sauce for them. All you need are a few ingredients and 45 minutes! Makes 4 servings.

Pair this Mustard Chicken recipe with Homemade Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic to complete the meal!

Real talk: This is another dish I’ve been holding off from sharing with y’all. However, it’s not because this is a super secret family recipe.

In fact, this is a family recipe that Winston’s mom shared with us years ago that we’ve tinkered with because, uh, we like the sauce. A LOT.

I haven’t shared this one out of sheer laziness.

Why I love this recipe:

This Dijon Mustard Chicken is one of my all-time favorite things to make on a weeknight. And everyone we’ve served it to loves it, as well.

And the sauce that comes with this chicken? Yeaaaaaaah… you’re gonna want to dunk a chunk of bread in that because it’s so darn tasty. It’s luscious and savory and perfectly mustardy.

Not only is the mustard sauce for the chicken that special, but this entire dish is ready in 45 minutes or less if you really hustle to get it together!

It’s the perfect kind of meal to make while your child is enjoying her own dinner (even though you know she’d be perfectly happy to have a piece of this chicken) and you only have a few minutes to prep your dinner while she isn’t running around the house like a Tasmanian devil, slamming doors in her wake and dunking her hands and sometimes face in the dog’s water bowl because THAT’S FUN.

Other easy weeknight dinner recipes: Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin | Chicken Pesto Pasta | Ground Beef Tacos | Sweet Potato Bisque | Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice | Turkey Scaloppini

What you need to make this recipe:

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• A high-sided skillet or saute pan that’s 3 qts. or larger
• Tongs
• Liquid measuring cup
• Splatter screen

Here’s what you need to get at the grocery store:

• Salted butter — salted butter adds such a nice uumph to this already delicious recipe! You can use unsalted butter if that’s all you have, though, and it will work. Just be prepared to season your sauce a bit more.
• Chicken breasts — this recipe calls for 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, or about 1 ½ lbs. Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, the poundage will change. If you have 2 large chicken breasts that equal that same weight, consider cutting them in half to make this four servings or slice them before serving.
• Kosher salt and pepper — We’re going to use these to season the chicken.
• All-purpose flour — we keep unbleached all-purpose flour at our house, but the regular kind works, too!
• Chicken stock — unsalted, if possible. You can also use chicken broth if that’s what you’ve got.
• Whole milk — we’ve made this dish using whole milk, 2% and skim… and whole milk leads to a creamier, more decadent mustard sauce for chicken. You could also use heavy cream or half-and-half if you want the sauce even creamier, though I do not think it is necessary.
• Dijon mustard — there are lots of different types of mustard. We want Dijon, which adds the most perfect tangy flavor to the sauce. You can use grainy dijon or the smooth kind. If you use grainy dijon, you’ll see some more texture in your mustard sauce.
• Chopped parsley — in my recipe below, we’re using fresh parsley. However, you can use dried if you don’t have fresh. Since dried herbs are so much more potent than fresh, only use half of what the recipe calls for.
• Chopped rosemary — in my recipe below, we’re using fresh rosemary. However, you can use dried if you don’t have fresh. Since dried herbs are so much more potent than fresh, only use half of what the recipe calls for.
• Dried thyme — you probably have this in your spice cabinet already, but if you don’t and have fresh thyme instead, use double the amount called for in the recipe since dried herbs are more potent than fresh.
• Paprika — this gives a little pop of smokiness and color to our final chicken dish!

Substitutions and variations:

• Swap the protein: Instead of the chicken breasts, use boneless chicken thighs instead!
• Make it dairy free: Substitute olive oil for butter, and swap the whole milk for your favorite unsweetened non-dairy milk. I suggest using something creamier, like a cashew milk or a coconut milk.

How to make Dijon Mustard Chicken

Mise en place for the chicken. Melt the butter over high heat in a skillet or saute pan. Season the chicken liberally with salt and black pepper on both sides.

Sear the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the hot skillet and butter using a pair of tongs. Sear until golden brown on both sides, then remove from the pan and set on a plate.

We aren’t looking to cook it through, so as long as the chicken browns beautifully on both sides, it’s good to go. The chicken breasts will cook in the sauce later.

Melt the rest of the butter to form the sauce base. Add the remaining butter to the pan and melt. There will still be dripping and pieces leftover from the chicken, and that’s OK. This is going to add extra flavor — so long as it’s not burned on the bottom of your pan.

Make the roux for the sauce. Measure in the flour and mix with the butter to create a roux. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or a whisk, moving the roux around the pan for a few minutes until the flour turns a golden brown. It should pull up some of the browned bits in the bottom of the pan, too.

Make the Dijon mustard sauce. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, whisking constantly, then add the milk and Dijon mustard. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and let thicken. This should take 5-10 minutes tops.

Finish the chicken. Add the chicken and the juices on the plate back into the creamy mustard sauce. Season with parsley, thyme, rosemary and paprika.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through. You can take their temperature with an instant read meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature has reached 165°F before slicing and serving.

Serve warm with a grain and your favorite vegetables, and enjoy!

Here’s how you can make this recipe for any occasion…

Mustard Chicken

Servings: 4 servings

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

5 from 5 votes

This creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken recipe is an easy stovetop dinner the whole family will love. Learn how to sear chicken breasts perfectly and how to make the most luscious mustard sauce for them. All you need are a few ingredients and 45 minutes!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

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EQUIPMENT

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• Tongs
• Iron handle skillet
• Liquid measuring cup

Ingredients

 

• 4 tablespoons salted butter divided
• 4 chicken breasts (about 1 ½ lbs.)
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• ½ cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon paprika

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Instructions

 

Sear the chicken

• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the chicken to the pan, and sear until browned on both sides. (We aren’t looking to cook it through, so as long as the chicken browns beautifully on both sides, we’re good. This will cook in the sauce later.)
• Remove the chicken from the pan. Place on a plate, and set aside.

Make the sauce

• Add the remaining of the butter to the pan and melt.
• Measure in the flour, mixing with the butter to create a roux. Stir constantly, moving the roux around the pan for a few minutes until the flour turns a golden brown. There will still be browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the roux pull this up.
• Pour in the chicken stock, whisking constantly, then add the milk.
• Measure in the Dijon mustard.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer, and let thicken. This should take 5-10 minutes tops.

Finish the chicken and the sauce

• Add the chicken and whatever drippings are on the plate back into the sauce.
• Season with parsley, thyme, rosemary and paprika.
• Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
• Serve warm, and enjoy!

Notes

If you don’t have fresh herbs, use 2 teaspoons parsley flakes and ½ teaspoon dried rosemary.

This recipe can be made dairy free! To do this, swap the butter with olive oil, and use your favorite unsweetened non-dairy milk.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 460kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 57gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 475mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!