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This one-skillet Chicken Dijon includes a zesty, creamy sauce with sweet sliced onions, fresh herbs, and a touch of honey. Best of all, the easy dinner recipe is ready in one pan from start to finish in less than 45 minutes. Serve the creamy Dijon chicken breast with rice, pasta, or bread and a side of vegetables for a restaurant-quality dinner any night of the week!
Dijon Chicken
You can’t beat quick, easy, and flavorful chicken recipes, and this meal is a true winner! Chicken Dijon is a classic dinner that consists of pan-fried chicken cutlets smothered in a rich, creamy, zesty Dijon sauce. The sauce includes sweet, tender onions, garlic, and fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary and thyme. Heavy cream gives the dish a rich, smooth mouthfeel, while its namesake — Dijon mustard — adds sharp, tangy spice that’s balanced by just a touch of honey. Bring it all together with rice, pasta or bread and you have a decadent, fancy-tasting meal that only requires one skillet!
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for my Chicken Dijon recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken breast: purchase thinly-sliced chicken breast or pound regular chicken breast into thin cutlets.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: to season the chicken and to enhance the other flavors in the sauce.
- Olive oil and butter: for browning the chicken.
- Onion and garlic: add flavor to the sauce.
- Parsley, thyme and rosemary: fresh herbs are best, but you can also substitute with dried herbs when necessary.
- Chicken broth: to thin the sauce. You can also use a dry white wine, if you like.
- Heavy cream: adds a rich, creamy texture and flavor to the sauce.
- Dijon mustard: zesty, sharp and tangy — this mustard gives the dish its name!
- Honey: substitute with maple syrup or brown sugar, if desired. This subtle touch of sweetness balances the acidic mustard in the sauce and gives the dish a more complex flavor.
How to Make Chicken Dijon
This simple one-skillet dinner comes together quickly, so prep all of your ingredients in advance and have them ready to go!
- Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Working in batches, brown the chicken in the olive oil and butter until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
- Make the sauce in the same pan.
- Return the chicken to the skillet with the sauce.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with fresh herbs, and serve!
What to Serve with Creamy Chicken Dijon
Planning your Chicken Dijon menu? Here are some easy sides that go well with the meat and sauce:
- Rice Pilaf, Parmesan Risotto, or No-Stir Easy Mushroom Risotto
- Homemade Egg Noodles
- Buttermilk Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
- French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or a crusty loaf of No-Knead Bread
- Mashed Potatoes or Garlic and Parmesan Cauliflower Mash
- Potato Pancakes or Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Zucchini Fritters or Sauteed Zucchini
- Roasted Cabbage or Braised Red Cabbage
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter, Southern-Style Green Beans, or Roasted Green Beans with Bacon, Garlic and Herbs
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Wedge Salad, Caesar Salad, Green Salad or House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Vinegar Coleslaw or Fennel Salad with Apples and Creamy Cider Dressing
- Sauteed Spinach
- Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
Storage
Store leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish, as the cream sauce may separate and have an undesirable texture when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- Cooking just for two? Brown two chicken cutlets instead of four. I recommend making the same amount of sauce, because a little bit of extra sauce is always a good thing!
- For an even richer flavor, replace the chicken broth with a dry white wine.
- Substitute maple syrup or brown sugar for the honey.
- Swap out the chicken cutlets and use chicken thighs instead. You’ll probably need to cook the chicken thighs a little bit longer in the skillet. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.
- Add other vegetables to the sauce, such as sliced fresh mushrooms or frozen peas. Cook the mushrooms with the onions so that they become nice and tender. Add frozen peas to the sauce at the very end, since they thaw and heat through in just minutes.
Tips for the Best Dijon Chicken Breast Recipe
- For a shortcut, I like to purchase thinly-sliced chicken breast (or “chicken cutlets”) at the store. Alternatively, you can make chicken cutlets at home by slicing two large chicken breasts in half horizontally and then pounding flat to an even thickness.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning the chicken. Instead, work in batches (cooking two cutlets at a time) so that the chicken can develop a nice sear on the outside. Otherwise you risk steaming the chicken, missing out on that great color, flavor and texture.
- Chicken cutlets cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them and remove the chicken from the pan before it’s dry and overdone.
- Use fresh herbs (rather than dried herbs) for the best flavor.
More Easy Chicken Recipes to Try
- Fried Chicken Cutlets and Country Gravy
- One Pot Chicken and Rice with Garlic and Herbs
- Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Whole Roasted Chicken
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Chicken Dijon
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken cutlets (about 6 ounces each)
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh parsley, thyme and rosemary, plus extra for garnish (or substitute with ½ teaspoon each dried herbs)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry and season on all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in butter.
- When the butter is foamy, add the chicken cutlets to the pan. Cook until the chicken is browned on both sides and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165° F, about 3-4 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd the pan, so brown the chicken in batches if necessary.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Add the sliced onion to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet; use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, so that the liquid reduces by about half.
- Reduce heat to low, whisk in the cream, Dijon and honey. Cook for a few more minutes to let the sauce thicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Return chicken to the skillet; garnish with additional fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cooking just for two? Brown just two chicken cutlets instead of 4. I recommend making the same amount of sauce, because a little bit of extra sauce is always a good thing!
- For an even richer flavor, replace the chicken broth with a dry white wine.
- Substitute maple syrup or brown sugar for the honey.
- Swap out the chicken cutlets and use chicken thighs instead. You’ll probably need to cook the chicken thighs a little bit longer in the skillet. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.
- Add other vegetables to the sauce, such as sliced fresh mushrooms or frozen peas. You’ll want to cook the mushrooms with the onions so that they become nice and tender. Add frozen peas to the sauce at the very end, since they thaw and heat through in just minutes.
- For a shortcut, I like to purchase thinly-sliced chicken breast (or “chicken cutlets”) at the store. Alternatively, you can make chicken cutlets at home by slicing two large chicken breasts in half horizontally and then pounding flat to an even thickness.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning the chicken. Instead, work in batches (cooking two cutlets at a time) so that the chicken can develop a nice sear on the outside. Otherwise you risk steaming the chicken, missing out on that great color, flavor and texture.
- Chicken cutlets cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them and remove the chicken from the pan before it’s dry and overdone.
- Use fresh herbs (rather than dried herbs) for the best flavor.
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