Chicken Dijon

Starring tender, succulent chicken nestled in a luxuriously creamy Dijon mustard sauce, this chicken Dijon recipe marries effortless elegance with an undeniable comfort food factor. It’s one of our best quick one-pan dinners since the recipe that doesn’t call for loads of ingredients, technical skill or clean up. Hence, this Dijon chicken recipe has a regular appearance on our weekly meal rotation.

For being such a flavorful recipe, there’s not much to a chicken Dijon recipe. Saute the chicken breasts until they’re golden brown, then simmer them with onions in a mixture of half-and-half and mustard spiked with brown sugar. To finish the dish, we add fresh parsley. The unique herby flavor pairs seamlessly with the tangy, savory-sweet sauce.

Ingredients for Chicken Dijon

• Half-and-half: Half-and-half brings the perfect level of creaminess to chicken Dijon. Make the sauce more decadent and grab the heavy cream, or use whole milk for a lighter version.
• Dijon mustard: There’s no chicken Dijon recipe without the Dijon. Perfectly piquant with a satisfying tanginess, whip up Dijon mustard from scratch or use a jar of your favorite mustard.
• Brown sugar: Dark brown sugar balances the sauce’s tangy bite with its molasses-y sweetness.
• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts cook more quickly than bone-in and have great flavor. Pounding the chicken breasts with a meat mallet before browning them ensures even cooking—don’t skip this step!
• Seasonings: We keep seasonings simple with salt and pepper. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder for extra oomph.
• Oil and butter: Using a combo of butter and oil is a chef’s secret for boosting a recipe’s flavor. Butter adds richness to the extra virgin olive oil to make this Dijon chicken recipe pop.
• Onion: The humble onion brings texture and a subtly sweet flavor to the equation. We use a yellow onion, but red onions and shallots are equally lovely in a chicken Dijon recipe.
• Parsley: A pinch of parsley lifts the dish thanks to its bright herby flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the sauce and the chicken

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In a bowl, whisk the half-and-half, mustard and brown sugar to combine. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Cook the chicken

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In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides.

Step 3: Add the onions and the cream mixture

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Lower the heat to medium, then stir in the onions and half-and-half cream mixture.

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Allow the liquid to come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. When done cooking, sprinkle the chicken with parsley.

Editor’s Tip: Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Break out your instant-read meat thermometer to double-check when your chicken is ready for plating.

TASTE OF HOME

Chicken Dijon Variations

• Make honey mustard chicken: Pour 1/4 cup honey into the skillet when adding the cream mixture to put a sweet twist on this savory dish.
• Add greens: Wilt spinach, kale or collards into the sauce as an easy way to get a bit of green into the Dijon chicken recipe.
• Use white wine: Use a dry unoaked white wine like sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio or unoaked chardonnay to boost the flavor in your chicken Dijon recipe. If you polished off the last of the vino with yesterday’s dinner, 1/2 cup chicken broth makes a stellar base for a dairy-free chicken Dijon.
• Raid your herb garden: Fresh types of herbs like thyme, tarragon, rosemary and sage introduce a delicious herbaceousness to the dish.

How to Store Chicken Dijon

Let your leftovers cool down, then shift them to an airtight container. Store the Dijon chicken in the fridge. If you’re wondering whether you can freeze chicken Dijon, the answer is yes, but there’s an important caveat: Creamy sauces don’t often freeze very well. They typically separate, changing the texture of the sauce. If you need to freeze the leftovers, there are a couple of fixes. See the tips on reheating the Dijon chicken recipe below.

How long does chicken Dijon last?

When stored in the fridge, chicken Dijon will last between two and three days. Frozen Dijon chicken will keep for three months.

How do you reheat chicken Dijon?

Place the chicken and Dijon sauce in a skillet and reheat over medium-low heat. A slower, gentle heat is preferred—you’re less likely to scald the sauce and your chicken will heat evenly. For a quicker option, microwave the chicken until it’s heated through.

Let frozen chicken Dijon thaw in the fridge overnight. There are a few tricks for saving a broken sauce. Number one: Reheat low and slow. The second tip is to add a splash of half-and-half (or milk, cream or hot water) and stir, stir, stir constantly to help re-emulsify the sauce.

Chicken Dijon Tips

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Can you use other cuts of chicken for a chicken Dijon recipe?

The richly flavored, ultra-tender dark meat of chicken thighs and drumsticks is phenomenal in a Dijon chicken recipe. Wings are excellent as well, especially if you’re looking for crowd-friendly eats to serve as game day snacks.

How can you thicken the chicken Dijon sauce?

Stirring a simple cornstarch slurry into the skillet is my favorite way to thicken Dijon sauce. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water and mix until smooth. Whisk it into the sauce and watch as the sauce thickens before your eyes. Adding 1 tablespoon flour also works, or you can gently simmer the sauce a little longer.

What wine goes with chicken Dijon?

In the world of food and wine pairing, chicken goes with just about anything. When deciding what to drink with our Dijon chicken recipe, we want to focus on the flavors in the sauce. It’s creamy, with plenty of bite from the mustard. Try something bright and crisp with plenty of acid to cut through the sauce’s richness: sauvignon blanc, a dry riesling, chenin blanc or cool-climate chardonnay. Lighter reds like Beaujolais (made from the Gamay grape), pinot noir or Zweigelt work beautifully too.

What can you serve with chicken Dijon?

Keep the sides simple—think steamed rice or buttered noodles. Velvety mashed potatoes were meant for mixing with all that gorgeous rich sauce on the plate, or set down a basket of warm pull-apart garlic bread. Add a hearty Caesar, shaved Brussels sprout salad or summery peach burrata salad with a side of oven-roasted asparagus, steamed carrots or mustard potato salad to complete the meal.