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This single serving creamy mustard chicken has tender chicken simmered in a rich, silky sauce made with just 3 ingredients: cream, tangy Dijon, and fragrant tarragon. Ready in just 20 minutes.
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Equipment: 10-inch skillet
- Cook Method: Stovetop
- Servings: 1
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Savory and tangy, creamy and rich, with tender chicken and a light herby note from the tarragon.
Made for one, this creamy mustard chicken cooks in a single skillet and tastes just as good on its own as it does spooned over rice or buttered noodles.
Why I Love This Creamy Mustard Chicken Recipe
This creamy mustard chicken tastes like something you’d order at an elegant French restaurant, and I can have it on my plate in about twenty minutes.
The sauce is what makes it. It’s rich and creamy with a bright, mustardy tang, a French-style pan sauce that turns a plain chicken breast into a real dinner. The Dijon is the backbone, tarragon adds a soft, herby note, and heavy cream smooths it into a velvety sauce that pools around the chicken and clings to every piece. You’ll want a piece of bread to soak up every last bit.
There’s no flour or roux to fuss with. The sauce thickens on its own after about five minutes of simmering, and it picks up real depth from the pan the chicken browned in. Skipping the flour also keeps the dish naturally low carb and gluten free.
Classic French mustard chicken is a slow braise with wine. I built this one to serve one, so it’s the quick version, with a full plate of chicken and sauce and nothing going to waste.
If you like easy chicken dinners for one, try my chicken marsala for one, Tuscan chicken for one, chicken fricassee for one (another creamy French dish that uses tarragon), or coq au vin for one.
Ingredients And Substitutions
You only need a handful of everyday ingredients to make this creamy mustard chicken breast. If you have any left over, our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder will show you exactly what to make with them.
Chicken: Use one 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces so it browns quickly and cooks evenly. Boneless thighs work just as well and stay a little juicier, so use whichever you have. Extra chicken? Use it in chicken tetrazzini for one or chicken tortellini soup for one.
Heavy cream: This is what makes the sauce rich and lets it thicken on its own as it simmers, so it’s worth using the real thing. Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream both work. I don’t recommend milk or half-and-half here, since they’re lower in fat and won’t thicken the same way. Use the rest of your cream in chicken Alfredo for one or broccoli cheddar soup for one.
Dijon mustard: Dijon is the heart of the sauce. It gives it a sharp, tangy flavor that plain yellow mustard can’t match. Stone-ground mustard is a good swap if you like a little texture and a milder bite. Leftover Dijon is great in chicken cordon bleu for one or a lentil salad.
Dried tarragon: Tarragon gives the sauce its soft, herby flavor and pairs naturally with Dijon. A little goes a long way here. If you only have fresh tarragon, use 1½ to 2 teaspoons in place of the ½ teaspoon dried, since dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh. If you don’t have tarragon at all, use thyme or parsley. Stir any leftover tarragon into a crustless coronation quiche for one.
Salted butter: One tablespoon browns the chicken and adds a little richness to the base of the sauce. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch more salt.
Recipe Variations
I make this mustard tarragon chicken a few different ways depending on what I’m in the mood for. Here are the swaps I go back to most.
Honey Mustard Chicken
For a sweeter, tangier sauce, leave out the tarragon and whisk 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey into the cream along with the Dijon. It rounds off the sharpness of the mustard and gives you a creamy honey mustard chicken with no extra steps.
Mustard Chicken with Mushrooms
Sauté 2 to 3 ounces of sliced mushrooms in the skillet after you brown the chicken and before you pour in the cream. They pick up the flavor left in the pan and add a meaty bite to the sauce.
Creamy Mustard Chicken Casserole
Stir the cooked chicken and sauce together with about ½ cup of cooked rice, spoon it into a small baking dish, and warm it through in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.
A couple more easy swaps: add 1 minced garlic clove to the pan with the cream if you love garlic, or stir in a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes for a little heat.
How To Make Creamy Mustard Chicken
Here’s how to make this single serve chicken with mustard sauce, step by step. The photos show you what to look for at each stage, and you’ll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Season the chicken cubes all over with the salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 6 minutes, turning the pieces every couple of minutes, until they’re browned on all sides and cooked through to 165°F.
- Move the chicken to a plate and cover it to keep warm. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Pour the heavy cream into the skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift the browned bits into the cream, since they carry a lot of flavor.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard and tarragon. Let the sauce simmer, stirring often, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over the pieces until each one is well coated.
- Serve it on its own, or over rice or buttered noodles to catch the extra sauce.
Expert Tips
Give the chicken room to brown. Pat the chicken dry, then cook it in a single layer in your 10-inch skillet. Chicken with space around it browns instead of steaming, and that browning is what gives the sauce its depth.
Keep the heat gentle once the cream goes in. After you take the chicken out, lower the heat to medium-low before you add the cream. A slow simmer keeps the sauce smooth, since cream can separate over high heat.
Season the sauce to taste before serving. Taste it at the end and adjust. Add a little more Dijon if you want more tang, or a pinch more tarragon for a stronger herby note.
Don’t overcook the chicken. The pieces are small and cook fast, so pull them at 165°F. Left in the pan too long, they’ll dry out.
Troubleshooting
If your creamy mustard chicken isn’t turning out quite right, here’s how to fix the most common issues.
Why won’t my mustard sauce thicken?
It hasn’t reduced long enough. Let it simmer a few more minutes over medium-low heat, stirring often, and it will thicken as the cream cooks down to coat the back of a spoon.
Why did my cream sauce curdle or break?
The heat was too high. Take the pan off the burner and whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream to smooth it back out, then keep the heat at medium-low so it holds together.
Why does my mustard chicken taste bland?
It needs more Dijon and salt. Stir in a little more mustard, a pinch of salt, and a bit more tarragon, then taste again. Dijon carries most of the flavor here, so under-seasoning is the usual cause.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy mustard chicken is easy to round out with a simple single serving side. A few that go well with it:
Frequently Asked Questions
Stone-ground mustard is the best substitute. It has the same sharp, tangy flavor with a little more texture. Skip yellow mustard here, since it’s milder and won’t give the sauce as much depth.
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well and stay a little juicier. Cut them into 1-inch pieces like the breast, and cook until they’re no longer pink in the center.
165°F is the safe internal temperature. Check the largest piece with an instant-read thermometer, and look for meat that’s white all the way through.
Yes, it’s naturally both. There’s no flour or roux in the sauce, and the dish has about 4 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Yes, double all the ingredients and use a larger skillet so the chicken browns instead of steaming. It’s an easy way to make creamy mustard chicken for two.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of cream or broth to loosen the sauce.
RELATED: Easy Dinner Ideas For One
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve made this creamy mustard chicken for one, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a rating and a comment below to let me know, and if you snap a photo, tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) so we can see it.
Creamy Mustard Chicken For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast – cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- Optional: cooked rice or pasta
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Season the chicken cubes all over with the salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, turning every couple of minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through to 165°F, about 6 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Pour the heavy cream into the skillet and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard and tarragon. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the pieces until well coated.
- Serve on its own, or over rice or buttered noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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