French Mustard Chicken is our take on a bistro-style chicken dinner. It is comforting yet so fancy that you will crave it more often! This recipe has delicious chicken cooked in a mustard sauce that is tangy, savory, and super creamy. And when served with mashed potatoes, it is blissfully delicious.
Scroll down if you prefer to watch the full step by step video…
French cooking is all about the rich, bold flavors and complicated techniques. But we were inspired to make this recipe as simple as possible. Therefore, this recipe is pretty straightforward without any hard techniques. All you need is chicken, a few basic spices, grainy mustard, and Dijon Mustard, the start of the dish!
The dish has a perfect balance of tender chicken, drowning in this incredible Dijon mustard sauce infused with garlic and herbs . The sauce is super savory and good, so well with mashed potatoes or even with plain rice. This restaurant-quality dish is perfect for your weekend or date-night dinners and even for special occasions.
Ingredients Breakdown
For the Mustard Chicken
- Chicken thighs: We are using the chicken thighs since they are extra tender. You can also use chicken breasts, but we recommend cutting them in butterfly style for even cooking.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard is the main base of the dish. It makes the sauce tangy with a little hint of spice.
- Whole grain mustard: Whole grain mustard adds spiciness with texture in the creamy sauce.
- Garlic: It adds a garlicky kick to French Mustard Chicken
- Onion: Onion helps in balancing out the spice and tanginess of the dish with subtle sweetness.
- Olive oil: It helps with cooking while adding a mellow flavor. It also prevents the butter from burning.
- Butter: Butter adds richness to the chicken and the sauce.
- Heavy cream: It makes the sauce super creamy and helps in balancing the flavors, too.
- Chicken stock: It adds a unique chicken flavor to the sauce and helps with the consistency of the sauce. We recommend using the low-sodium stock to avoid the sauce getting salty.
- Fresh thyme: Thyme adds a great herb aroma and flavor.
- Salt: You donโt want your food to taste bland; add salt to taste.
- Black pepper: It gives the dish a peppery kick.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice balances the dish and adds a hint of freshness. It is optional but highly recommended.
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes: We are using Russet potatoes but you can use any potatoes you like for mash. We are peeling the potatoes but if you like potato skins in your mash then you can leave them as it is.
- Butter: Butter makes the mash super rich and buttery.
- Heavy cream or Milk: It adds richness to the mash and gives it smooth creamy consistency.
- Salt: It is important to add salt to your mashed potatoes otherwise it will be bland.
- Black pepper: It adds a perfect kick of spice to the mash.
- Garlic powder: it adds garlicky flavor to the mash. It is optional but highly recommended.
Instructions
French Mustard Chicken is very easy to make but we highly recommend reading the recipeโs instructions thoroughly before starting. It is better to have all ingredients measured out for every step in advance for ease.
See the full preparation in the recipe card below with the complete instructions on how to prepare your kitchen and the ingredients, and then make this recipe.
French Mustard Chicken
Description
French Mustard Chicken is our take on a bistro-style chicken dinner. It is comforting yet so fancy that you will crave it more often! This recipe has delicious chicken cooked in a mustard sauce that is tangy, savory, and super creamy. And when served with mashed potatoes, it is blissfully delicious.
Ingredients
For the Mustard Chicken
For the Mashed Potatoes
For Garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
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Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
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Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
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Sear chicken 3โ4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
Make the Mustard Sauce
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In the same pan, add chopped onion and garlic; sautรฉ until soft and fragrant.
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Stir in Dijon and whole-grain mustard.
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Pour in chicken stock and stir well, scraping up brown bits from the bottom.
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Lower heat and add heavy cream and thyme.
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Simmer for 3โ5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
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Return chicken to the pan and coat well with sauce.
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Cover and cook on low for 10โ15 minutes until chicken is tender and fully cooked.
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Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice for extra freshness.
Make the Mashed Potatoes
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Boil potatoes in salted water until soft (about 15โ20 minutes).
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Drain and mash while hot.
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Add butter, cream or milk, salt, and pepper.
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Whisk until smooth and creamy.
Assemble and Serve
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Spread mashed potatoes on a serving plate.
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Place chicken pieces on top and pour mustard sauce generously over them.
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Garnish with parsley and lemon zest.
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Serve hot with extra sauce on the side.
Equipment
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Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 450kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 22g34%
- Trans Fat 10g
- Sodium 400mg17%
- Total Carbohydrate 30g10%
- Dietary Fiber 3g12%
- Protein 35g70%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Substitutions & Variations
- Dairy-Free Option: Use coconut cream or plant-based butter instead of heavy cream and butter.
- Low-Fat Version: Reduce butter and use light cream or milk.
- Herbs: Substitute thyme with rosemary or tarragon for different flavor profiles.
- Chicken Cut: Use drumsticks or boneless chicken breasts as preferred.
