Simple and easy, these Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mustard Sauce are made in one pan, and ready in about 30-40 minutes! Packed with bold and rich flavors, this is a great weeknight dinner idea. The mustard sauce is perfect over veggies, potatoes and more!
This is one of my Main Dish recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Well I’m back with another great one pan meal! You guys love those recipes that are made entirely in one pot/pan, and so do I. Skimpy on the dishes, but not on the flavor!
We eat chicken a lot around here, because it’s so versatile, as well as relatively inexpensive. I generally buy chicken when I know it’s on a good sale, and freeze it.
Around here, boneless skinless chicken thighs generally go on sale frequently, since most people tend to go more for the chicken breasts.
Thighs are juicier and have more flavor, but it really all comes down to personal preference!
This sauce is velvety and full of great mustard flavor. We love to have it drizzled on top of roasted veggies, mashed potatoes… well, just about anything lol.
How to make chicken with creamy mustard sauce?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Season chicken. Even though the sauce will have seasoning, it’s important to season each layer of the dish.
- Cook chicken. Cooking the chicken in the skillet, just a few at a time, will ensure the chicken thighs have space in between them, which lets them truly get golden brown. If they’re all crowded in the pan together, they’ll sort of steam.
- Cook onions and garlic. An important step in any pan sauce, these add tons to flavor, and the onions will give off moisture, which helps loosen browned bits leftover in the pan from the chicken.
- Make sauce. Stir until the sauce ingredients are well combined. Then stir in the cream and bring it to a simmer.
- Thicken sauce. Simmering the sauce for a few minutes should reduce the cream sauce until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or thick enough for you liking.
- Finish sauce. If using honey, add the honey, and add the fresh parsley. Adding a fresh herb here brightens up the flavors.
- Return chicken to pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken thighs and serve.
Helpful Tip!
If you notice the sauce isn’t thickening enough to coat the back of a spoon, you can easily thicken it up. To a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tbsp cold water until smooth, then stir that mixture into the sauce as it simmers.
What to serve alongside:
Variations of this recipe
- Different Protein – this sauce would be fabulous with boneless skinless chicken breasts, pork chops, shrimp, or even tofu.
- Kale – adding spinach or kale would be a great way to add in some extra nutrients and color!
- Wine – adding a splash of dry white wine (like a chardonnay) to the skillet after cooking the onion and garlic, about 1/3 cup, and letting it simmer down for a few minutes will add another great dimension to the sauce.
- Onion size – we don’t mind the small little pieces of onion, but if you really want a super smooth sauce, either grate the onion on the fine side of a box grater (include the liquid that comes out), or use dried onion powder, about 1 tsp.
- Flour Dredge – it’s an extra step, but one that makes a big difference! This creates a light crust on the chicken, as well as encouraging the sauce to really stick to the chicken.
FAQ’s
This recipe utilizes two different kinds of mustard; regular Dijon and grainy mustard. Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard is my personal favorite for a grainy mustard. These flavors combine well together and the little bit of grainy mustard adds a fun texture.
Yes, absolutely! You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken cutlets (or thin sliced chicken breasts), or even bone in skin on chicken thighs. The cook time will vary on those, just make sure they’re golden brown and cooked to at least 160°F (internal temperature).
Nope. You want all those browned bits left in the pan. Those are pure flavor! In fact, they’re the secret of making a great pan sauce, which is what we do in this recipe.
Making chicken thighs with creamy mustard sauce ahead of time
I think this recipe tastes best when made fresh and served right away.
However, you can pre-dice your onion, pre-mince your garlic, and get all your spices pre-measured. This cuts down on prep time!
Storage
Leftover chicken thighs should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4-5 days.
Reheat gently in a skillet, stirring the sauce so it doesn’t separate.
Other One Pan Chicken Recipes:
My Big Skillet!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is at 165 degrees! Easy for beginners & totally worth the $10 cost!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 Tbsp olive oil divided
Creamy Mustard Sauce
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 medium yellow onion very finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp grainy or stone ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp honey optional
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Cook Chicken
- Pat chicken dry and trim any excess fat. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and onion powder. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the chicken, on both sides.
- Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat and cook chicken thighs, 3 at a time, for approximately 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining 3 chicken thighs, adding the other 1 Tbsp of oil. Transfer all chicken to plate.
Make Sauce
- To the same skillet, add butter and heat over MED heat. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes, until softened, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.
- Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more.
- Add chicken broth, both mustards, thyme, rosemary, and sage and stir to combine. Stir in heavy cream and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, reduce heat slightly and continue cooking 3-4 minutes, until sauce has thickened slightly.
- Stir in honey and parsley, then return chicken thighs to the skillet. Spoon a bit of sauce over the chicken and serve garnished with additional minced fresh parsley if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- If you notice the sauce isn’t thickening enough to coat the back of a spoon, you can easily thicken it up. To a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tbsp cold water until smooth, then stir that mixture into the sauce as it simmers.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Karen says
Really lovely and easy dish. The whole family loved it!
rochelle garb says
can i use bone in chicken thighs instead
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, but the cooking time will likely be a little longer. Just make sure to cook the chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
Yazmina says
Absolutely delicious!! My very finicky daughter ran downstairs and asked what I was making for dinner. They loved it!
Bianca says
This was sooooo good. Made this for me and my boyfriend’s quarantined Christmas dinner and it came out so well!! Super simple ingredients and very easy to make.
About to make it again for dinner tonight!
Kristin says
This was easy and delicious! Thank you!
Josiah says
Holy cow this was insanely good! It was very simple to follow and easy to make! I’m a 19 YO dude so if I can make it anyone can lol I made it with the insta pot Mac and it was soooooo good together!!!!! Fantastic recipe, definitely try it if you get a chance it’s totally worth it!
Gina says
This was so delicious, will make again!!
Kim says
This was awesome and everyone in the family loved it!
maggie says
Could I use milk instead of cream?
Amanda says
You could, although the sauce likely won’t have the same creamy texture.
Dawn Howey says
Absolutely Delicious!!! Thanks so much the entire family wanted more!
Linda says
This is absolutely delicious. The sauce is perfect. Appreciate you sharing this recipe with us, Amanda. I came back to make a copy for a friend after I told her how good it was. 🙂
Kim lemon says
Delicious and easy
Lynn Drenth says
Glad you are back. Missed you. I’ll be trying this soon.
Amanda says
I’ve been here, just took a hiatus from the newsletters, as I was revamping my strategy and redesigning the site 🙂 Hope you love this one!
Cathy says
YUM! This sauce is everything!
Beth says
This looks amazing and so yummy! I’m so excited to make this recipe! I can’t wait!
Toni says
The creamy mustard sauce make this recipe so amazing!! I love it!
Barb says
Easy and delicious! I unfortunately only had Dijon mustard, but turned out great with just that. I used chicken breasts and did not add the honey. Will make again with both mustards. I’ll need to do that soon – my son claimed the leftovers and took them home!
Catalina says
Love how creamy this chicken is. This is definitely my kind of dish!
Vikki says
So bold and creamy, excellent dinner!
Jacque Hastert says
I loved the rich and bold flavors that packed this dish! I can’t wait to make this simple, quick, and delicious dinner again. I couldn’t believe how simple it was and how much flavor wash bursting out of the chicken.