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.
Dee says
I made these last night, and my husband asked (while still eating them) if I could make them again. A sure sign of a 5+ star hit!!! They were so good. We had fried white hominy as a side, and he put the sauce on that, too! Absolutely delicious!
JB says
This is a delicious recipe. I swapped out 1/2 cup of chicken broth with white wine. My husband loved it. This would be great for company. Came together quickly. This will be in my favorite recipe folder!!
Robyn says
Wow! This sauce is unreal – this is my new go to chicken recipe! Only modification was adding mushrooms and I wish I would have made double the sauce. I just wanted to keep eating it with a spoon 😉 Saving this one forever!
Michele Townes says
Can I use coconut milk instead of heavy cream? Or evaporated milk?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Laura says
This is a delicious weeknight meal! I took the suggestions to dredge it in flour, added white wine, kale and a can of sliced mushrooms and it turned out so good!! I served it over thin spaghetti and with the added veggies it was a great full meal. Highly recommend!
Nicole says
Amazing! So yummy and decadent! I was looking for a different chicken recipe and your recipe hit the bullseye! Wow! Is there a five-letter word to go with the stars? It doesn’t taste like mustard on top of chicken! This is a very sophisticated sauce. I had skin on/bone in thighs, so I seasoned them per your instructions, seared them skin side down, flipped them and put them into a 350 oven (covered) for 35 min. I removed them to a platter, skimmed off the fat and resumed as per your recipe to make the sauce. I used the fat (grab your pearls, people, that’s how I roll) to saute my veggies. What a scrumptious din-din! Thank you~! <3
Sue Llamas says
Definitely a winner, tasty and not too difficult, I used bone in chicken thighs
KGW says
1st timer for this dish but we will definitely make this again. This was our first time using sage, and since I didn’t measure it to the t, there was a bitter taste to the sauce. Thinking that may be it. Thankfully it’s not too bitter where the sauce is a bust. Next time, will be measuring all spices.
Everyone liked it so it’s a 5/5
Sue Llamas says
Definitely a winner, tasty and not too difficult
Bonnie says
Easy and so delicious, will make extra sauce next time to put over rice or noodles.