Chicken in Mustard Sauce Recipe (2024)

Adding to suggestions by others I floured the chicken first, removed the breasts and cooked off the onion and some sliced mushrooms (and a few cloves of minced garlic near the end) before deglazing pan with white wine. Used chicken broth instead of water and added a sprinkling of herbes de Provence. A splash of lemon juice and parsley at the end. My husband, who saves praise for when due, declared it the best chicken he'd ever had.

It's not too surprising that many commentors are not too excited about this recipe. There are many ways to take this from 'meh' to gourmet. Water? Add broth, white wine, and/or lemon juice, a sprig or 2 of thyme. Use a whisk for the mustard. Don't pound? Don't be too upset that the skinny tip is tough as nails. Brown the 'public side' of the breast; lightly do the bottom. Remove while you make the sauce; return on bottom side to finish. 10-15 min? - Sacre bleu! Try 3-4. Add parsley to garnish.

Add honey to the mustard sauce, or apricot jam, or cardamom pods to cook. Skip flour step. Not necessary.

Great recipe - chicken was tender; I would also add broth, garlic, more herbs next time, maybe a tad more mustard. But it's a very velvety sauce. Reminds me of a mustard chicken I had at a country restaurant in France; have been looking for a similar recipe since. Also, chicken breasts aren't five ounces any more -- more like a pound. So I cut mine up a pounded them a bit.

Agree with all the commenters. Doubled the mustard (used Dijon and Stone Ground), used chicken stock instead of water, added juice of one lemon and came out delicious.

I incorporated a lot of the tips others suggested and they really improved the dish: chicken stock instead of water, some white wine, extra mustard, a few sprigs of thyme, the juice of one whole lemon. I also chopped up some mushrooms and added them to the sauce. It was very tasty served over rice and my husband loved it.

This might be a 'bastardized' version of a Senegalese dish called Chicken Yassa. The difference with that one is that you marinade the chicken overnight with juice of 4+ lemons, onions, and a tablespoon or two of dijon... THEN the next day you brown and stew for an hour. And it's delicious.

I have made this very successfully several times, each with only 1 lb. or so of chicken breasts (NOT thin cutlets). This probably was the result of a better, more concentrated sauce/chicken ratio, as I used most of the water despite having much less chicken in the pan. I also remove the chicken once browned in order to really brown and soften the chopped onion, then add the chicken back before flouring the whole pan and tossing to cook the flour. I then follow the rest of the recipe as written.

This is very good with a couple of changes. Bone in or boneless chicken thighs and trim excess fat. I use chicken stock and add thyme. Provides richness and gravy for a side of mashed potatoes.

I just made this dish! I made it for two people. I used white wine instead of water. I used 2 chicken breasts only but I made all the sauce and I wasn't sorry. It was delicious but next time I make it I may add some spices to give it more guts. In case you are wondering---- it doesn't taste like mustard.

Recipe was delicious as is. Cut thick chicken breasts in half lenght-wise so no need to pound. I suggest to anyone trying this recipe for the first time to follow Chef Pépin's instructions faithfully and then adjust. And please, why add cream to a too rare occurrence of a flavourful water-based sauce??

I'm a beginner-level cook, and I made this easily. Turned out very well. Made changes based on comments. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Substituted 1 cup white wine and 1 cup chicken broth for water, and made sure to scrap the pan to deglaze. Tripled the dijon and doubled the dried mustard. Floured chicken before cooking but added a tiny bit to the sauce while it simmered. Skipped the step of removing the meat to cook down the sauce- it was already cooked down sufficiently.

Chicken broth and white wineMore mustardTarragon or thymeDon’t cook as long;Flour chicken first

I've made this many times always tweaked a bit based on what's in the pantry. A few takeaways: I prefer thighs over breasts, a few tablespoons of Agave Syrup mellows the mustard sharpness nicely, a handful of chopped fresh herbs in season or a teaspoon or two of dried is nice. I like thyme, tarragon, and herbs de Provenance. A bit of Curry powder is tasty too and sliced mushrooms sauteed with the onion make for a rich earthiness. So many options keep this dish in heavy rotation in our house.

Followed along except for: Floured the chicken first, but added a touch more flour later to thicken. Deglazed with 2/3 cup white wine and then added the remaining water. Added 2 thyme stems with the onions. Served with lemon wedges. Quite nice.

This worked well. As others, we doubled both mustards and still felt it a bit under-flavored. Also sautéed 8 ounces mushrooms about halfway through cooking the onions. The sauce did not reduce as much as expected, but was fine.

I wish I had read the reviews prior to cooking! I always do and just forgot. I made this as written except I used corn starch. I added some wine and broth and more mustard at the end but didn't think it was a good recipe. My instincts were saying flouring the chicken in the pot doesn't make sense, but I followed it. Won't make this again

Didn’t taste the mustard at all. Will use a different recipe I have next time.

I was thrilled with this easy, flexible recipe. The first time. I had been given a jar of tarragon Dijon that I wanted to try for this and it was a wonderful choice! At the end, I finished the sauce with some fresh dill that I was trying to use up. I will definitely be using this recipe often and trying to vary it depending on my mood:)

This is great - based on comments, doubled mustard sauce, added a splash of white wine vinegar and replaced water with chicken broth. Flavor turned out really subtle in the best way - delicious and will make again!

I also floured the chicken first, seared then removed from the Dutch oven. Added in garlic with the onions and deglazed with a crisp wheat beer instead of water. Thickened it with a slurry made with cornstarch and the cooking liquid. Added the chicken back into the pot. Make again meal !

This was delicious! I followed the other commenters’ suggestions of flouring the chicken first, using chicken stock instead of water, adding a few cloves of minced garlic, and doubling the mustard. It was easy and tasty. I did taste the sauce before doubling the mustard at the end, and I think without the extra mustard this sauce would be a bit bland. I also added a bit of honey to the sauce at the very end because I like things on the sweeter side and it was delectable!

Echoing other comments: pound or slice breasts to even thickness, dredge with salt, pepper, flour and cook separately, then do the onions and with garlic if you prefer. Deglaze with a little white wine, use broth instead of water, add lemon and parsley at the end.

It's OK, could use garlic. Be careful not to overcook the chicken.

I found this recipe a bit bland. I was hoping for more of a mustard flavor. I will try it again and incorporate some of the suggestions from the other reviewers.

Used 1 cup white wine, and lemon juice and water to make two cups. 2 sliced garlic cloves and sprig of rosemary because we had rosemary and no thyme. Roughly doubled the mustard.

Disappointing, especially for Jacques Pepin. This is quite bland.

This is basic and not terrible, but is easily tatted up with the addition of chicken base, white wine, and parsley. I also stirred in a tablespoon of butter to make the sauce a wee bit glossy. Take the time to really brown the chicken first.

I floured the chicken, as suggested by others, removed it after browning lightly and placed in a heated oven (350 but turned off). Cooked the onion soft, added broth instead of water and cooked down, as required. Added the mustards, whisked, and added chicken near the end--minutes or so to heat in the sauce. It makes the chicken flavourful without over-cooking it or making it seem "crinkled" as my 12-year-old calls it.