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Home Quick and Easy

Chicken in Creamy Mustard Sauce

By:Nagi
Published:14 Nov '22Updated:19 Nov '22
81 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Everybody will love this Chicken in Creamy Mustard Sauce. It’s just 4 base ingredients – chicken breast or thighs, cream, Dijon mustard and wholegrain mustard. Optionally bump the dish up another rung with the addition of fresh tarragon and parsley too!

Freshly made Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce in a skillet ready to be served

Chicken with creamy mustard sauce

This is one of those recipes that will save you on those nights you’re staring at chicken breast or thighs and wondering, “What the heck am I going to make for dinner, fast?”

Here, chicken is seared until golden and served with a creamy mustard sauce that takes barely a minute to come together. The trick to making such a simple cream sauce delectable is to mix the cream with 2 types of mustard. Dijon is there for its smooth and mild mustard flavour as well thickening power, while wholegrain mustard adds visual interest and lovely pops of mustard seeds.

If you want a truly guest-worthy version, there’s the option to add fresh tarragon. This soft herb is commonly used in French cuisine, and has a delicate but distinct flavour that goes wonderfully with anything creamy. It really gives this sauce a restaurant-like vibe. Try it once and you’ll understand exactly what I mean!

Close up of Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce

Creamy mustard sauce
The creamy mustard sauce. All you need is cream and mustard, with optional fresh tarragon and parsley!

What you need for this dish

Here’s all you need to make this simple-yet-fabulous chicken dinner:

Ingredients in Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce
  • Chicken – While I prefer to make this with thighs because they’re juicier and require no prep, it will work just as well with chicken breast. 

    Other proteins – This sauce and same cook method will work perfectly with thin pork chops, turkey steaks or white fish fillets.

  • Cream – The creamy base for the sauce. It’s best to use thickened / heavy cream as you get a head start on thickening the sauce. However, it will also work with ordinary pouring cream.

    Low fat cream – It will work but the sauce will not have the same luscious mouthfeel due to the lower fat content. The sauce will also be thinner for the same reason.

  • Dijon mustard – This plus the cream are the two key ingredients for the sauce. Dijon is a smooth, mildly-flavoured mustard that adds flavour as well as thickening the sauce. While not all Dijon mustards are created equal, there’s no need to use a pricey gourmet Dijon here. Just your everyday brands are fine.

  • Wholegrain mustard – The mustard seeds add visual interest as well as little pops of faint pungency in this sauce. Because this sauce is so simple as it is, I really urge you to use this mustard, but it’s handy to know that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have it either. Just dial up the Dijon by an extra teaspoon or so to compensate.

Make it dinner party-worthy with fresh herbs

The mustard cream sauce is delicious as-is but the addition of fresh herbs really gives the sauce a bit more finesse. Here are the herbs that I like to use:

  • Tarragon – This herb has a mild aniseed flavour with subtle vanilla undertones. It’s commonly paired with both chicken and cream in French cuisine, which means I automatically think it gives this sauce a “fine dining” pedigree of sorts! 😂

  • Fresh parsley – For a hint of freshness but more for colour than flavour.

Golden pan seared chicken thighs
Golden pan seared chicken thighs seasoned with just salt and pepper. Don’t need anything else with a sauce this good!

How to make Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce

If you’re using boneless chicken thighs as I’ve done, there’s no prep required. However, if you’re using chicken breast, you’ll need to split each breast in half to form 2 thin steaks. For the best results, I’d also recommend pounding them to an even thickness to both tenderise and cook through evenly.

How to make Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce
  1. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: If using breast, cut in half to form 2 thin steaks, and pound into 1 cm / 1/3-inch even thickness).

  2. Cook chicken – Sear the chicken until golden and cooked through.

    – Thighs: Use medium-high heat; 4 minutes on the first side and 3 to 4 minutes on the second side.
    – Breast: It will only take around 2 minutes on each side over high heat.

    Pro tip: Don’t use a non-stick pan. The secret to a great pan sauce is the residual golden bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pan after searing the meat (called fond in French). They’re packed with meaty, umami-laden flavours and dissolve into the sauce once you add liquid to the pan.

    However, if you use a non-stick pan, you will not get fond. So it is best to use a cast-iron skillet or other heavy-based pan that does not have a non-stick coating to encourage fond development – we want a little sticking!

  3. Remove chicken to a plate. The chicken will rest while we make the sauce. Resting meat is a key step with any cooked protein. Resting time allows the juices to re-settle within the meat so when you cut into the chicken to eat it, the juices stay in the meat instead of bleeding on to the plate. Wasted meat juices are the tears of weeping food angels …

  4. Scrape out and discard any loose burnt bits so you don’t end up with black bits littered in your sauce.

How to make Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce
  1. Sauce – To make the sauce, simply put the cream and both mustards into the pan and stir until the mustard has dissolved. Scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir if you can feel the fond still stuck, to get all that good stuff into the sauce. Keep heating the sauce until it’s hot and that’s all you need to do. You don’t even need to bring it to a simmer, nor do you need to reduce to thicken the sauce as the dijon mustard thickens it for us.

    Stir in the herbs right at the end, which preserves their fresh vibrancy. Adjust the sauce consistency if needed with a tablespoon of water.

  2. Serve – To serve, simply place a piece of chicken on the plate and spoon over the sauce. The recipe makes about 2/3 cups of sauce which is plenty for the chicken with some leftover to also sauce up your mash or vegetable sides!

Plate with Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce

What I serve with this

For a speedy dinner option, I served this today with a Rocket Salad (though I skipped the parmesan) and a bread roll for mopping my plate clean.

Other starchy options for sauce-mopping include mash, rice, everybody’s favourite no-knead Crusty Artisan Bread or pasta. Try it with a Mega Italian Salad on the side, a fresh Garden Salad or a big pan of roasted vegetables.

I’d love to know if you try this! Let me know what you think. 🙂 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Freshly made Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce in a skillet ready to be served

Chicken in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Mains
Western
5 from 26 votes
Servings4 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Here's a really quick way to cook chicken thighs or breast in a simple yet elegant creamy mustard sauce. Mustard adds flavour as well as thickening the sauce while tarragon infuses the sauce with elegant aniseed notes, giving it a very restaurant-y flavour.
But even if you don't have fresh tarragon or don't like it, this is absolutely still worth making. In fact, I've probably made it as often without tarragon as I have with!

Ingredients

  • 700g / 1.4 lb chicken thigh fillets , skinless boneless (4 – 6 pieces, Note 1)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Creamy mustard sauce:

  • 1/2 cup thickened/heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp water , as needed

Optional herbs:

  • 2 tsp fresh tarragon , finely chopped (Note 2)
  • 2 tsp parsley , finely chopped

Instructions

  • Season chicken with the salt and pepper.
  • Sear chicken thighs – Heat oil in a large pan that is not non-stick over medium-high heat. (Note 3) Place chicken in pan smooth side-down and cook for 4 minutes or until deep golden. Turn and cook the other side for 3 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature 72°C/162°F, Note 4). Remove to a plate.
  • Breast – If using breast (prepared per Note 1), sear on high for 2 minutes on each side, target temp 67°C/153°F.)
  • Clean pan – Scrape any loose black bits out of the pan and discard.
  • Make sauce – Return the pan to medium heat. Add cream and both mustards. Mix with a wooden spoon until mustard dissolves, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the pan. Once sauce is hot but not simmering, stir in salt, pepper and herbs (if using). If getting too thick loosen with a touch of water.
  • Serve – Place chicken on serving plates. Spoon over sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

1. Chicken – Thighs are juicier but this recipe will work just as well with breast. Use 2 breasts, cut in half horizontally to form 2 steaks (4 in total), pound to 1 cm / 0.5″ even thickness. Proceed with recipe but only cook for 2 minutes on each side.
2. Fresh herbs – Tarragon has a mild aniseed flavour with subtle vanilla notes, and is a herb commonly used in French cuisine. It gives this simple sauce a little extra finesse and freshness.
If you don’t have it or don’t like it, just leave it out. There is no other herb quite like it (including dried). This sauce is still wonderful without the fresh herbs and I’ve probably made it as often without as I have with the fresh herbs.
3. Pan – Best to use a pan that does not have a non-stick coating so you get brown bits left on the pan from searing the chicken (called “fond”) which adds valuable flavour into this otherwise simple sauce. See post for more info. Well-seasoned cast iron skillet works well, otherwise any other pan that’s not non-stick.
4. Internal temperatures:
  • Thighs – pull off stove at 72°C/ 162°F, rises to 76°C/169°F after resting
  • Breast – pull off stove at 67°C/153°F, rises to 71°C/160°F after resting
5. Storage – Cooked chicken and sauce will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing (the sauce isn’t great if frozen).
6. Nutrition per serving (chicken and sauce only), assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 364cal (18%)Carbohydrates: 2g (1%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fat: 24g (37%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 200mg (67%)Sodium: 683mg (30%)Potassium: 502mg (14%)Fiber: 0.5g (2%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 532IU (11%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 53mg (5%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Keywords: chicken breast recipe, chicken thigh recipe, creamy mustard sauce
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

That time Dozer couldn’t attend an event with me so the organisers made a giant cut out of him to sit by my side on the stage. 😂 I’ll be doing a book tour update post soon where I’ll share more details about this event. I even did a cooking demo on stage!

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81 Comments

  1. KSJ says

    March 22, 2023 at 2:52 pm

    A quick and easy to make dish that doesn’t sacrifice on flavour. Do use the fresh tarragon! Added a half cup of sautéed mushrooms to the sauce. Delish!

    Reply
  2. Joanna says

    March 20, 2023 at 9:28 pm

    5 stars
    Well that was a winner. Plates were being licked clean in our house tonight, quite literally. Another one to add to the list.

    Reply
  3. Robyn says

    March 17, 2023 at 8:50 pm

    5 stars
    Quick and easy and delicious, no tarragon here as not a fan.

    Reply
  4. Sue says

    February 11, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight, and yes the tarragon made ALL the difference. Not feeling very healthy tonight so I forewent the salad and stuffed it into a crusty bread roll with heaps of sauce. Finger lickin’ good!!

    Reply
  5. Stephanie says

    December 7, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    Made this tonight with chicken breasts and substituted the cream for evaporated milk (I had no cream and it’s -27C here in Saskatoon)
    Ah-May-Zing!!! Wonderful recipe Nagi.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      December 7, 2022 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      Forgot to rate the 5 Stars!!!!

      Reply
  6. Amy says

    December 3, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    5 stars
    Whoa! How can a handful of simple ingredients create this much flavor?!? I will forever be making this. The tarragon is a must 💕

    Reply
  7. Amaris says

    December 1, 2022 at 11:04 am

    5 stars
    Perfection again! So delicious, thanks for another amazing meal!

    Reply
  8. AE says

    November 29, 2022 at 5:40 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent, very high reward to effort ratio. Give us more recipes like this one!

    Reply
  9. cheryl says

    November 28, 2022 at 5:32 am

    5 stars
    Loved this – so tasty. Paired with wild rice – ummm!

    Reply
  10. Brittany says

    November 27, 2022 at 6:10 am

    Would adding herbes de Provence in place of tarragon work, or would that botch it?

    Reply
  11. Janet says

    November 25, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I’ve made this twice so far and I’m sure there will be many more. It was a hit with me for being so easy and economical, as well as being a hit with all the family for being so tasty. Thank you and congrats to you and Dozer on the cookbook. I am slowly working my way through it!

    Reply
  12. Amaris says

    November 22, 2022 at 12:52 pm

    Delicious!!!!!! Highly recommended, would make it again and again. I only had fresh parsley, loved every bite. Served with sautéed broccoli and wild rice. You’ve done it again Nagi! Xo

    Reply
  13. Cathy says

    November 21, 2022 at 10:39 pm

    OH MY!!! My husband and I loved this, 🤗 So easy and tasty, this will be on our table again soon and on repeat!!

    Hugs to you and Dozer!

    Reply
  14. Hugh says

    November 21, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    5 stars
    Trivially easy, took only 20 mins from start to finish, and delicious.
    Heating sauce in the chicken pan picks up all the seasoning from the meat, so no need for extra salt or pepper.

    Was happily eaten by 9 & 12 y.o’s, though the herbs were a bit outside their comfort zone.

    Reply
  15. Sonja says

    November 20, 2022 at 11:09 pm

    This is for me a perfect recipe!

    Reply
  16. Liz says

    November 20, 2022 at 3:54 pm

    5 stars
    Wow ! So yummy, thanks! I’ll be making this one again because ill be craving it.

    Reply
  17. Jamie D St Mark says

    November 20, 2022 at 4:29 am

    5 stars
    Didn’t have any Dijon, soooo
    used honey dijon salad dressing and it was a perfect substitute in a pinch….also used equal amounts of cream and half&half-a slightly “lighter” version

    Reply
  18. Surly Dave says

    November 18, 2022 at 10:45 pm

    Hi Nagi, glad to read the book launch has gone well. Just wanted to coment on this recipe:
    I got to tthe taste tehe sauce before plating up, and wasn’t super pleased with sauce, felt it needed “something”, but trueted in your recipe ‘cos havent been disappointed yet. Served up with baby peas and hasselback potatoes.
    Was perfect – the sauce just needed the chicken! very pleased, thanks!

    Reply
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