This creamy honey mustard chicken is quick and perfect for 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!
Just like my Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken, this creamy honey mustard chicken is comforting, 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. It’s perfect with a side of lemon green beans!
The chicken is seared until juicy and perfectly golden brown, and 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’s really good!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- 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.
- So creamy. Anything creamy for those cozy vibes please!
- One pan meal. Makes clean-up is a breeze.
Ingredient Notes
Below are a few ingredient notes from recipe testing that I hope you find helpful!
- Chicken breasts: I use boneless skinless chicken cutlets. They need to be pounded down to an even ½ inch thin 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.
- 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, yellow mustard, and honey: To create that tangy and sweet level of depth and richness. The yellow mustard helps to add a deeper yellow color.
- Olive oil, salt pepper
As always, ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below.
How To Make Honey Mustard Chicken
This creamy honey mustard chicken comes together in just 3 simple steps. Let’s make it!
Step 1 | Season and cook chicken
Season the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. Over medium heat, heat olive oil in a large skillet and sear the chicken until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2 | Make the creamy honey mustard sauce
Using the same pan (do not wipe clean), melt the unsalted butter and sauté the garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard and honey. Stir until evenly combined and smooth, and season to taste.
Step 3 | Return chicken and finish
Return the seared chicken into 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 your finished honey mustard chicken dish with chopped parsley for garnish.
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 thin evenly. 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.
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.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you may need to adjust the cooking time. I’d recommend using boneless chicken thighs for quick prep.
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. Use heavy cream instead.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
This dish pairs beautifully with a variety of sides. Whether it’s spinach mashed potatoes, pasta or veggies 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
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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
Emily says
Our family loves making this recipe. It is such a perfect blend of sweet and savory. It is in our meal rotation.
Tania says
Thank you so much, Emily! So glad you all enjoy it!
Tania says
We love making this recipe on weeknights! It’s very easy and quick, and it’s very tasty. The whole family loves it.