Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Cream Sauce is a quick and flavorful recipe, perfect when you need an easy weeknight meal in less than 20 minutes. It has a wonderful creaminess to it but isn’t too heavy!
You can never have too many recipes for chicken, am I right?
It seems like despite the many variations of chicken I’ve done, I’m always looking for more. Chicken is such a great blank canvas for adding flavors, and I have so many more dishes to get to!
In today’s recipe, thinly cut chicken breasts, also known as chicken cutlets, are sautéed in a bacon mustard cream sauce flavored with rosemary. It’s a very easy chicken dish, but the flavor of the dijon cream sauce is fabulous.
Why I love this dish so much:
Quick – Since chicken cutlets are so thin, they cook lightning fast and are great for a quick dinner.
Simple Ingredients – Most of the ingredients here are staple ingredients. Much of the time I have them on hand, and if not, there are substitutes for many of them.
Delicious – It’s SO delicious! Arguably the most important reason, the creamy sauce has a richness to it but isn’t too heavy.
Step by Step Overview:
First, you can either buy chicken cutlets from the store (easier, but more expensive), or you can take a chicken breast and cut it in half yourself. This is what I usually do, as purchasing boneless chicken breasts is a little more economical.
It takes a little practice to cut the chicken yourself, but becomes simple pretty quickly.
To cut chicken cutlets yourself, place your palm firmly on top of the chicken breast as you cut the chicken breast through the middle. Make sure to keep the knife flat so you don’t cut upward to your hand.
Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper:
Next chop some bacon and crisp it up in a large skillet for a few minutes over medium heat:
I like using a heavy bottomed stainless steel skillet, but a cast-iron skillet is also great.
Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat and brown bits behind on the bottom of the pan. Note: if the bacon was a bit lean and there doesn’t seem to be 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the pan.
Next, add a couple sprigs of rosemary to the bacon fat. The fresh herbs will give great flavor!
I’ve also used sage and thyme in this recipe, and both are wonderful.
Now add a single layer of chicken cutlets to the skillet, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through to 165F, and lightly golden brown on the edges.
If the exterior is not browning quickly enough, increase the stove setting to medium-high heat.
Once the chicken cutlets are cooked, remove them from the pan and you’ll be left with brown goodness all over the bottom.
This is all flavor, and will make your sauce taste really good, so deglaze the pan with chicken stock and brandy:
And if you don’t want to use brandy, chicken stock alone is fine, or you can swap a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc. Reduce the liquid down until it’s almost gone.
Now add a grainy mustard and heavy cream, and stir to combine.
What kind of mustard?
I like to use a coarse dijon mustard where you can see the brown mustard seeds in it. My favorite brand to buy is Grey Poupon.
Whole-grain mustard adds a nice pop and texture. I do not recommend using plain yellow mustard that’s ordinarily used as a hot dog condiment. A spicy brown mustard would be an acceptable choice if it’s grainy and high quality.
You should now have a creamy pan sauce in your skillet, and you can add the cooked chicken cutlets and bacon back to the hot skillet:
Toss to coat, then you’re ready to eat!
Suggested Pairings
This chicken recipe goes well with an incredible number of different side dishes.
I recommend Potato Gratin if you want something hearty, Crispy Smashed Potatoes for something in the middle, or a salad like Brussels Sprout Salad or Zucchini Salad for something light.
The dijon mustard sauce in this also pairs really well with Green Beans or Roasted Cauliflower.
Recipe FAQ and Tips
Place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. However, know that the dairy may curdle. It will still taste fine though.
You may try this with skin-on chicken breast, but make sure the pieces are not too thick, and begin cooking skin side down. You may also use boneless chicken thighs, but the required cooking time will be longer. Instead of 3-4 minutes on each side, I would expect 5-6 minutes on each side. Check that the internal temperature is at least 175F (dark meat should be cooked to a higher temperature than white meat).
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1.5 lbs chicken cutlets (about 5)
- 4 strips bacon chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary*
- 2 tbsp Brandy optional
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp coarse ground mustard
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- salt
- pepper
Side Dish Ideas for this Chicken (optional)
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a large skillet, turn the heat to medium and add the chopped bacon. Let the fat render out until the bacon is crisp, then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain.
- Add the rosemary to the skillet and fry for 30 seconds to release the flavors.
- Add the chicken cutlets in a single layer directly in the bacon fat, and cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side (this time varies with thickness). The exterior of the chicken should develop a little bit of golden brown color as it cooks. If it's not browning, increase the stove setting to medium-high heat.
- Once the chicken has completely cooked to 165F, remove the cutlets to a plate, and deglaze the pan with the Brandy, if using, and the chicken stock.
- Cook for a few minutes until the liquid mostly evaporates, then add the mustard and cream.
- Turn the heat to high and whisk, incorporating the brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
- Cook the sauce for a couple minutes, until the cream has thickened slightly, then turn off the heat and add the chicken and bacon bits back to the pan.
- Turn the chicken over in the sauce a few times to coat, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
This post was updated with new photos and writing in June 2018. Originally published December 2012.
22 Comments on “Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce”
Where to start! This was a great recipe! I tweaked it a bit because I doubled and a halved the recipe…go big or go home right. 🙂 and was going for a bit thicker sauce. I did flour the cutlets (salt pepper and paprika in flour) it added that extra gluten to help thicken sauce later. I used thyme and rosemary…I’ll say 2 things you can be a bit generous with the herbs because thickening sauce later dilutes their potency. Because I had to take out finished cutlets and rotate in new, it added bout 15 to 20 mins to cook time. Watch your temp you dont want to have burned bacon grease and burnt herbs…I added a few tablespoons of butter 1 at a time through cooking them. Worked like a charm! This is where I added a few things…i added a cup more brothe to deglaze came to a boil and I added a package of large chopped button mushrooms. And cooked for about 5 minsish..added heavy cream and mustard (go easy on the whole mustard seed dijon..I added to much and wowsers to huge of a punch! I would add half and then cook down and check flavor…then I added bacon boiled sauce whisking til got a lil thicker and added just a 1/2 teas of red wine vinegar…cooked for a bit and still to powerful..added half cup water…let it do its magic and thicken and holy cats it was DELICIOUS…I love your recipes…you keep it great and simple and the variations are endless!! My mom (who’s picky) said you could put that sauce on anything and it would knock it outta the park! Sorry long winded 🙂
This looks amazing without a doubt making this recipe. And will make it with mustard sauce as you did. Thanks for sharing..
This looks delicious! I am wanting to try this and was just wondering if you think cilantro would work in place of the rosemary? I have cilantro growing but I’m not sure if it would go with the other flavors? Thanks!
Hi Trina, my opinion is that it wouldn’t go as well in this flavor set, but if you enjoy cilantro and have some growing, it might be worth a try.
Thanks! I did make it then and just left out the cilantro since I wasn’t sure it would really go right here. It was delicious even without any fresh herbs. It was also so easy. Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful, glad you enjoyed it, Trina!
A mustard cream sauce has been one of my “go-to” recipes for chicken or pork cutlets for years, but the sage and brandy (I was previously using a splash of white wine) really elevate the taste and have been added to my recipe–I have a pot of sage that has been going for a few years, so am pleased to find a new use for the fresh leaves. The boneless chicken breasts I get from my local store these days are pretty heavy, ranging from .8-1.2 lbs per breast. I find that these usually give me 4 cutlets per breast which I pound to make evenly thick. I also halve regular pork chops in the same way as shown, pound and use interchangeably with chicken. My other go to recipes include picatta (lemon juice, white wine, capers), white wine tarragon sauce, Marsala sauce. The key to any of these is to keep it light with enough sauce to cling, but not so much that the meat is drowned
We really enjoyed this recipe. The chicken cooks quickly but remains moist and tender. The blend of bacon, sage, mustard and cream is terrific. Another keeper.
Hi Craig, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! That’s the secret of chicken cutlets, even when cooked above target temperature, they retain a tenderness to them. Happy cooking and hope you enjoy this dish again and again!
We’re just starting winter here in Australia, and this looks like such a warm and comforting dish to have on a chilly night. We have loads of sage growing on our balcony, too – great way to use it up!
Wow, that sounds lovely! I need to grow my own herbs too.
This looks delicious! I’ve been wanting a mustard cream sauce ‘something’ lately, and this looks like it will fit perfectly! Yum!
I make something rather similar but I add a little wine to the pan juices and cook it off before adding the cream. This way of cooking chicken really is an easy but delicious method.
Made this last night…so delicious! Paired with sweet potatoes pressure cooked then browned in a little butter and covered in the mustard cream gravy. The sweet and salty was perfect!
YAY! Fantastic, Nancy. The sweet potatoes sound AWESOME, and I’m so impressed you do the whole pressure cooking thing. I have never tried, but am wondering if I should get into it.
I JUST made a similar recipe with just a plain mustard cream sauce. Now I have to make this.
I love this sauce idea!
You definitely cannot have too many chicken recipes! This is a keeper. That sauce, that crispy bacon, the sage leaves! Yowza. Great stuff Joanne.
Hi! So I made this tonight, and it was a huge hit with my fiancé! Didn’t have any brandy, so I used white wine. Came out fantastic. The sauce is to die for.
YAY! That’s awesome Mallory. White wine would be great here!
Sounds really good! I especially like how you cooked the chicken in the bacon drippings: I’m sure that it gives it a great flavor! I can’t wait to try to recipe!
A simple mustard sauce on chicken is always a good idea–I like the addition of the sage, sounds delish! Great recipe, thanks.