This creamy honey mustard chicken is quick and perfect for busy weeknights. In just 30 minutes, you’ll have juicy and tender chicken, served with a sweet and tangy honey mustard cream sauce. It is delicious!
This quick and easy one pan dinner is also prep ahead friendly. It’s comforting, satisfying, and packed with flavor, sure to please even the pickiest eaters!
This creamy honey mustard chicken has become my favorite quick and easy weeknight dinners!
Just like my Chicken Florentine and Creamy Lemon Chicken, this 30-minute one pan meal is perfect for busy evenings, but also elegant enough to serve when having guests over.
The juicy pan seared chicken cutlets are dredged in flour to give them that golden brown finish. The creamy honey mustard sauce is infused with aromatics like garlic and fresh thyme, and finished with sweet honey to balance the tangy notes of the mustard. It truly tastes amazing!
Since we are using just one skillet for this creamy honey mustard chicken, clean-up is really easy. I like serving with a side of my Spinach Mashed Potatoes and these vibrant Lemon Green Beans.
Looking for more skillet chicken dinners? Try my Chicken Margherita or Chicken Pomodoro. For something extra comforting, make my one pan Lemon Chicken Orzo.
Why I love making creamy honey mustard chicken:
- Quick and easy weeknight meal. In just 30 minutes, you can have a delicious meal. It can be served with pasta, mashed potatoes, a salad, or your favorite veggies.
- So flavorful! Juicy chicken smothered in an equally balanced sweet and tangy honey mustard cream sauce.
- One pan meal. Makes clean-up is a breeze!
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Ingredient Notes
Below are a few ingredient notes from recipe testing. As always, ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below.
- Chicken breasts: I use boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets. They need to be pounded down to an even ½ inch thickness so they cook evenly.
- Italian herb seasoning: Fragrant blend to season the chicken.
- All purpose flour: Gives the chicken a nice sear and color, and also helps to thicken the sauce.
- Olive oil or cooking oil: For searing the chicken.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the sauce.
- Minced garlic and fresh thyme: The aromatics! Adds depth and flavor. You can also use dried Italian seasoning instead of thyme.
- Chicken broth: The savory liquid base for the sauce.
- Heavy cream: Makes the cream sauce so smooth. Don’t substitute with milk or half and half (too thin and sauce may break).
- Dijon mustard and yellow mustard: Dijon mustard provides depth, richness and a sharp tangy taste, while the yellow mustard adds color.
- Honey: The sweetness will help balance out the tangy mustard.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley, freshly chopped to garnish
Step-by-Step Tutorial
This creamy honey mustard chicken comes together in just 3 simple steps. Let me show you how, along with a few helpful tips!
Step 1 | Season and cook chicken
Season the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper generously, and then dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess. Over medium heat, drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, sear the chicken until cooked through on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2 | Make the creamy honey mustard sauce
Using the same pan (do not wipe), melt the unsalted butter and sauté the garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes.
Add in the chicken broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard and honey. Stir until evenly combined and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 | Return chicken and simmer
Return the cooked chicken back in the pan, nestling it with the sauce. Bring to a simmer until the sauce is thickened, and spoon over some of the sauce. The sauce will continue to thicken as it simmers. Serve with chopped parsley for garnish.
Make Ahead Tips
You can prep ahead the ingredients for this creamy honey mustard chicken 1-2 days in advance. Here are my tips to simplify this process.
- Pound the cutlets to ½ inch thickness with a meat mallet. Season them generously then refrigerate in a sealed container or bag.
- Mince the garlic and fresh thyme. Place each in an individual airtight container then store on the countertop.
Make ahead: In addition to being prepped ahead, this recipe can also be made ahead of time then reheated up to 2-3 days later. To reheat, you might need to add a splash of broth or cream to loosen the sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing. Dairy, in general, doesn’t freeze very well.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
This dish pairs beautifully with a variety of sides. Whether it’s mashed potatoes, pasta, veggies, or even salads, the options are plenty! Here are our family’s favorites:
- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes or Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Buttered Egg Noodles
- Garlic Butter Rice
- Orange Honey Glazed Carrots
- Lemon Parmesan Broccoli
- Lemon Green Beans
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you may need to adjust the cooking time. I’d recommend using boneless chicken thighs for quick prep.
If too thick, add more broth. If too thin, simply add more cream, although it will continue to thicken as it cooks, so let it simmer for a minute or two longer before adjusting.
Yes, that’s totally fine. It may not have that much of a yellow color, but it will still have the right amount of mustard tang from the dijon mustard.
I don’t recommend using those because they won’t be thick enough for the sauce. It will turn out too thin and watery, and the sauce may break.
Tips for Success
- We use both dijon mustard and yellow mustard here. The dijon mustard adds that sharpness, flavor, and depth, while the yellow mustard adds color.
- Pound the chicken to ½ inch thickness. This will ensure it cooks evenly and you don’t end up with areas that are over or undercooked.
- Use medium heat when pan searing the chicken to prevent burning. The chicken will get a nice, golden brown finish from the flour coating.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme, use about half the amount of dried Italian seasoning.
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Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts - pounded to ½ inch thin
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Olive oil - for the pan
- Chopped fresh parsley - for garnish
Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves fresh garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves - or ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ cup chicken broth - plus more as needed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard - plus more as needed, mainly for color
- 1 tablespoon honey - plus more to taste
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Sear chicken
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with Italian seasoning (¼ teaspoon per breast), salt (½ teaspoon per chicken breast), and ground black pepper. Then dredge with flour, shaking off any excess.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat a few generous drizzles of olive oil. Cook the chicken until fully cooked through and golden brown, about 6 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Make the honey mustard sauce
- In the same skillet (do not wipe clean), melt butter and sauté minced garlic with thyme for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the broth, heavy cream, dijon mustard, yellow mustard, and honey. Stir until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If it’s too thick, add more broth to taste.
- Adjust to taste. For example, if you want more tang, add more dijon mustard. If you want more sweetness, add more honey. For extra yellow color, add a bit more yellow mustard as needed.
Bring everything together
- Return the cooked chicken to the pan, nestling it in the sauce. Bring to a low simmer and cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly, spooning some of the sauce over the chicken. Serve topped with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- We use primarily dijon mustard and just a little bit of yellow mustard. The dijon mustard adds tons of tangy and sharp flavor, while the yellow mustard gives the sauce a nice yellow color.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Add a splash or broth or cream to loosen up then sauce. Microwave until warmed through or on the stovetop using medium-high heat.
- Freezing: I would not recommend freezing as the cream sauce will change texture.
- Add-ins: Bacon bits, mushrooms, spinach, sundried tomatoes, caper, olives, shredded parmesan.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth.
- Chicken breast: Boneless chicken thighs
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