Creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken

This chicken with creamy Dijon mustard sauce is an easy and fast weeknight meal. The chicken cutlets and sauce are all cooked in the same skillet, making clean-up a breeze.

creamy dijon chicken
Elise Bauer

On my first trip to France in my early twenties, I came back with a set of French blue-handled bistro flatware that I ended up using for years, and seven jars of various types of Dijon mustard.

The mustard! I couldn't get over how good the mustard was, and so many varieties.

There was Dijon with herbes de provence, Dijon with tarragon, smooth Dijon, whole grain Dijon. For a girl raised on the bright yellow hot dog mustard, I was in heaven. These days I always have at least a couple jars on hand in the fridge, perfect for this Dijon chicken recipe.

A Quick and Easy Weeknight Meal

This is a true weeknight meal, ready in just over a half an hour from start to finish. The key is using thinly-pounded chicken cutlets, which cook in just a few minutes on the stovetop.

The sauce also comes together quickly. Sauté a few shallots in butter until softened, and then simmer with a little white wine, dried thyme, and of course, dijon mustard. Stir in the heavy cream at the end to finish the creamy sauce.

creamy dijon mustard chicken
Elise Bauer

Best Chicken to Buy

Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, and then cut them into three roughly equal-sized pieces before pounding them into an even thickness. Don't forget to remove the tenderloin and pound that thin as well. (It's the bit on the underside of the chicken breast that looks like it's only semi-attached.)

Be Careful Not to Overcook the Chicken!

Because the chicken is so thin and cooks so quickly, it can be easy to overcook it and end up with rubbery chicken. A few minutes per side in the pan--just enough to brown each side--is really all you need.

If you're not sure they're cooked all the way, slice one of the cutlets open and check to make sure it's opaque all the way through.

Dijon chicken
Elise Bauer

What to Serve Alongside

Serve with buttered egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or puréed celery root or parsnips. For a low-carb meal, serve the chicken alone or with some roasted or steamed vegetables.

More Easy Skillet Chicken Recipes

Creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

  • Salt

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for lightly coating chicken

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 cup sliced shallots

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (can substitute chicken stock)

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, smooth, whole grain, or a mixture of both

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Method

  1. Cut chicken breasts and pound thin:

    Remove chicken breasts from package and sprinkle with salt. Remove the tenderloin from each breast and set aside. Cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces, approximately the same size. Coat with just a little olive oil.

    Place the breast pieces between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and use a mallet, empty wine bottle, or rolling pin to pound the chicken pieces to an even thinness of about 1/4 inch. Repeat with the tenderloin pieces.

    pounding chicken cutlets thin with mallet
    Elise Bauer
  2. Lightly brown the chicken cutlets:

    In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium high to high heat. Stir in the butter. When the butter is foamy, add the chicken pieces to the pan. Do not crowd the pan, if necessary work in batches.

    Lightly brown chicken on one side, turn over and brown the other side. Do not overcook the chicken. The pieces are thin and they will cook quickly. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside while you make the sauce.

    chicken in oil in pot
    Elise Bauer
    chicken breasts being cooked in pot for dijon chicken
    Elise Bauer
  3. Cook the shallots:

    Add sliced shallots to the pan. Lower the heat to medium. Stir to coat with the remaining fat in the pan. Cook until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes.

    shallots being sauteed
    Elise Bauer
    shallots being cooked
    Elise Bauer
  4. Make the sauce:

    Add white wine to the pan and increase the heat to high. When most of the wine has evaporated, add the water, the mustard, and the dried thyme. Simmer until reduced by half.

    dijon sauce being cooked in pan with shallots
    Elise Bauer
    dijon chicken sauce in pot
    Elise Bauer
  5. Add chicken back to pan, drizzle in cream:

    Reduce the heat to low. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce. Remove the pan from heat and drizzle in the cream. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if necessary.

    chicken being cooked in dijon sauce
    Elise Bauer
    dijon chicken being cooked in pot
    Elise Bauer
  6. Serve:

    Serve with egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, puréed celery root or parsnips, or serve alone or with vegetables for low carb version.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
448 Calories
22g Fat
9g Carbs
46g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 448
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 29%
Saturated Fat 8g 39%
Cholesterol 145mg 48%
Sodium 690mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 3mg 17%
Calcium 66mg 5%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 559mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.