Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken

Published September 15, 2021. Updated September 18, 2021

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A super easy and incredibly flavorful Honey Mustard Chicken recipe! Chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) are pan seared until beautifully golden brown then they’re blanketed with sweet and savory, rich and creamy honey mustard pan sauce.

Honey mustard chicken shown with a serving suggestion of roasted vegetables on a serving plate.

The Best Honey Mustard Chicken

Our new favorite honey mustard chicken! The secret is the cream, doesn’t it just make everything better?

Here we use a blend of two types of bright mustard, a fair amount of sweet honey, plenty of heavy cream, a nice balance of fresh herbs, and just enough garlic to build up flavor.

It’s the perfect combination of sweet, savory, creamy, rich and tangy.

To finish the meal serve it with this delicious roasted vegetable blend (pictured above).

Or you could go the amazingly easy route and just serve it with baked red potatoes. Just pierce medium red potatoes with a fork (optionally wrap in foil) and bake at 400 until tender, usually about 40+ mins.

Then serve like a regular baked potato – top them with butter, cheese, sour cream, and/or chives. Its a go-to side at our house and we actually prefer them over baked russet potatoes.

Photo of ingredients used to make honey mustard chicken.

Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe Ingredients

  • 2 (12 oz) chicken breasts,* halved through the thickness, pounded even
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp low-sodium chicken broth, then more to thin if desired
  • 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (optional)

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Collage of four photos showing steps of thinning, dredging and cooking chicken breasts in a skillet. Four photos showing steps of making sauces.

How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken

  1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
  3. Add flour to a dish and dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides while gently shaking excess flour off.
  4. Cook chicken until golden brown on bottom, about 5 minutes, then cook on opposite side until cooked through (165 in center), about 5 minutes longer.
  5. While chicken is cooking in a small mixing bowl mix honey mustard sauce – including dijon mustard, yellow mustard, honey, and cayenne pepper.
  6. Separately make cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 Tbsp chicken broth with cornstarch.
  7. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate then return skillet to medium heat. Saute garlic with remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil for about 10 seconds.
  8. Carefully pour in chicken broth and thyme, then let simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
  9. Pour in honey mustard mixture, then whisk in cornstarch mixture.
  10. Let sauce cook until thickened, while stirring, about 30 seconds. Pour in heavy cream and let heat through, about 30 seconds.
  11. Thin sauce with more chicken broth if desired, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  12. Pour any accumulated juices from plate of chicken into sauce. Serve chicken with sauce spooned over and garnish with parsley.

Six photos showing steps of making honey mustard pan sauce and adding cooked chicken.

Variations

  • Make it with chicken thighs: Boneless skinless thighs can be used here as well. Just use boneless skinless thighs (5 thighs about 5 oz each). Cook to 165 in center.
  • Bolder mustard flavor: If you want a sharper more tangy mustard flavor you can use all dijon mustard (3 Tbsp total).
  • Use other herbs: Rosemary is a another great option here in place of thyme.
  • Lighten it up: Half and half can be used in place of cream, if doing so use 2 1/4 tsp cornstarch.
  • Add more flavor: Also add 2 tsp lemon juice to the pan sauce.
  • Make it spicier: If you love that bit of kick then increase the cayenne pepper to taste.

Four chicken breasts in honey mustard sauce in a large black skillet.

Helpful Tips

  • Don’t skip pounding the chicken breasts to help even it’s thickness. This will ensure each piece cooks more evenly and you don’t end with dry areas that are overcooked.
  • Use a moderately high heat to sear the chicken and don’t move it around while cooking so you get a nice browned exterior. This will equate to more flavor.
  • Careful not to over saute the garlic or it will give the sauce a bitter taste. You don’t want it to brown.

Close up photo of creamy honey mustard chicken.

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Honey mustard chicken shown with a serving suggestion of roasted vegetables on a serving plate.
5 from 5 votes

Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken

Chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) are pan seared until beautifully golden brown then they're blanketed with a bright, tangy, rich and creamy honey mustard pan sauce. Simply delicious!
Servings: 4
Prep15 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken

Honey Mustard Sauce

Instructions

  • Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Pour flour into a shallow dish then dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides while gently shaking excess flour off.
  • Add chicken to skillet and let cook until golden brown on bottom, about 5 minutes.
  • Turn chicken and let cook until browned on opposite side and cooked through (165 degrees in center), about 5 minutes longer.
  • While chicken is cooking in a small mixing bowl mix together dijon mustard, yellow mustard, honey, and cayenne pepper. In a separate small mixing bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp chicken broth with cornstarch. Set mixtures aside.
  • Transfer cooked chicken to a plate then return skillet to medium-heat. Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil. Add garlic and saute until just deepening in color (not browned or it will be bitter), about 10 seconds.
  • Carefully from the side pour in remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth (it will steam!) along with the thyme, then let simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
  • Pour in honey mustard mixture, then whisk cornstarch mixture once more and pour into skillet while whisking.
  • Let sauce cook until thickened, while stirring, about 30 seconds longer. Pour in heavy cream and let heat through, about 30 seconds. Thin sauce with more chicken broth if desired, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour any accumulated juices from plate of chicken into sauce. Serve chicken with sauce spooned over and garnish with parsley.

Notes

  • *Another option is to use 4 (6 oz) chicken breasts and just pound to about 1/2-inch thickness. Or use 6 (4 oz) chicken thighs, no halving or pounding necessary.
  • For more bright, fresh flavor you can also add 2 tsp lemon juice to the sauce during the last step.
  • Nutrition estimate based on 1 Tbsp of the flour actually sticking to the chicken.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 422 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 150mg50%
Sodium 354mg15%
Potassium 768mg22%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 39g78%
Vitamin A 922IU18%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Calcium 57mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.