Mustard Chicken
This creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken recipe is an easy stovetop dinner the whole family will love. Chicken breasts are seared, then cooked in a creamy mustard sauce. Serve with rice or potatoes and your favorite veggie to make an excellent dinner in 45 minutes or less. 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 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.
Not only is the mustard sauce for the chicken that special, but this chicken recipe 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 ideas: Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin | Chicken Pesto Pasta | Ground Beef Tacos | Sweet Potato Bisque | Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Need some meal inspiration? Head on over to my Dinner Recipe Index for recipe ideas.
What you need to make Mustard Chicken
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- A high-sided skillet or saute pan that’s 3 qts. or larger
- Tongs
- Liquid measuring cup
- Splatter screen
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you need:
- 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 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
- 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.
- Dijon mustard — 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!
A note on substitutions for this recipe and making this Mustard Chicken recipe dairy free:
- Dairy Free substitutions: Use olive oil instead of the salted 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
Sear the chicken
In the Saute Pan, melt half of the butter over high-heat.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
Transfer the chicken to the pan using a pair of tongs, 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, it’s good to go. The chicken breasts will cook in the sauce later.
Once browned, remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a plate. Set aside for later.
Make the mustard sauce for chicken
Add the rest of the butter to the pan and melt. Yes, 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.
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. This will just take a few minutes, so keep stirring as it happens.
Pour in the chicken stock, 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 and the sauce
Add the chicken and its drippings on the plate back into the sauce, and 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* (affiliate link) to confirm they’ve reached 165°F before slicing and serving.
Serve warm, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Seasoning the chicken well makes it more flavorful, and a recipe like this one, with the mustard sauce for the chicken itself, really packs some delicious flavors.
You can use Dijon mustard in so many things and applications. It’s perfect in a sauce like this Mustard Chicken recipe, but it’s also excellent in a salad dressing, like the one I made for Salmon Niçoise Salad.
Dijon mustard is a traditional French mustard, named after the town of Dijon in Burgundy, which was integral to mustard production and making in the Middle Ages and the 17th century.
The main ingredients include mustard seeds, wine or vinegar with water and salt.
Mustard Chicken
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 parsley fresh
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary fresh
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Equipment
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Instructions
Make 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 rest 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.
- 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
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
This looks amazing! And I love how quickly you can put it together, and who doesn’t love a good roux? Flour and butter together are a dream combo and make any recipe divine.
This sounds really good! A new chicken recipe that we must try!
This looks amazing – and I love how it’s all fancy but minimal effort!
That sauce looks so amazing!! I wouldn’t have a problem cleaning my plate.
Well this is happening this week.
Sounds like a nice and easy weeknight dish!
Glad you shared 🙂 This looks and sounds great! I love mustard, and the sauce looks scrumptious!
Thank goodness your mother came and did some toddler chasing for you so you could take pictures! This looks delicious. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and we loved it!! The mustard gravy is soooo good! Will definitely make it again soon and keep it in the rotation! Thanks, Erin!
Kate Taylor,
HOORAY! You have no idea how happy it makes me hear to know that other people have made my recipes and loved them just as much as we do. That mustard gravy is something else, huh? Glad y’all loved it, and I hope it makes everyone’s tastebuds happy for dinner when y’all make it in the future!
That looks delicious! I feel you on the toddler chasing… you just never know what they are going to do!
The perfect weeknight dish – love how easy it looks!
I made this for dinner tonight and we loved it!! The mustard gravy is soooo good! Will definitely make it again soon and keep it in the rotation! Thanks, Erin!