Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are great for the simple reason that there are hundreds of great recipes for them. This recipe for a Chicken Breast with a Mustard cream sauce is one of my favorites. The chicken breasts are easy to sear off in a pan, until they are just cooked through, with a nice flavorful crust on the outside. The sauce is made right in the same pan, and the cream provides just enough fat to offset the lean chicken. It’s one of the dishes that looks lot fancier than it really is, and tastes wonderful. Enjoy it!
Recipe Overview and Keys to Success
To make the best chicken breasts with mustard cream sauce, just make sure to do the following:
- I like to pound out the chicken so it’s a uniform thickness throughout to help ensure even cooking
- Sear the chicken off in a very hot pan with a bit of olive oil. Don’t fiddle with the chicken, only flipping once to ensure you get a good sear on both sides
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken – perhaps the biggest risk – as it will dry out quickly. Four minutes in a very hot pan on each side should do it, but if needed use a meat thermometer
- For the sauce, make sure you taste as you go. If you over reduce the sauce, just add a bit more water. To reduce further keep it simmering over the heat and it will thicken up quickly
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon mustard
Chicken Breasts with Mustard Cream Sauce
- Allow the chicken to come up to room temperature, and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper
- Heat a sauté pan over high heat until it just starts to smoke
- Coat the bottom with olive oil, and add the chicken breasts
- Turn the heat down slightly (so the pan no longer smokes) and allow the chicken to sear on one side without moving or flipping it
- Cook for about 4 minutes, and the sides of the chicken should start turing white, that means it time to turn the chicken over
- Sear the other side for another 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (if you are unsure, use a meat thermometer)
- Remove the chicken from the pan and keep in a warm place
- Add the wine to the pan and deglaze. Reduce by half
- Add the mustard, and stir it in
- Add the cream, stir together, and reduce the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency. If needed you can thin the sauce out with water or chicken stock
- At the last minute, stir in the chopped chives
- Plate up the chicken, with the sauce spooned over the top
If you’re a red wine lover, like I am, I think a pinot noir would work very well with this chicken recipe. The cream will help offset the tannin in the wine. However, a more traditional pairing might be a white burgundy, which is a chardonnay wine. Less oaky than California chardonnay, that wine should be a perfect match.
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