Chicken with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce

Erin S

Mar 09, 2015, Updated Nov 13, 2024

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Chicken with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce is a creamy, tangy sauce that comes together in minutes. Turn plain old chicken into something special even on a busy weeknight.

Getting dinner on the table every night can sometimes feel like a chore. But having a few basic recipes that you can make in just minutes, makes things a little easier. This mustard-tarragon sauce is tangy and delicious with just a couple minutes work. And you could mix up the herb with anything you like as well!

Chicken with Tarragon –Mustard Sauce is a creamy, tangy sauce that comes together in minutes. Turn plain old chicken into something special even on a busy weeknight. My kitchen has kind of turned into a disaster zone lately. It all started when our freezer started leaking water (inside the freezer), and coating the whole thing in ice. To replace it meant having to remodel a portion of our kitchen. The fridge that came with the house was a custom, built-in fridge. FYI – those are extra wide! You can’t just replace them with a normal size fridge, because you end up with a 6 inch gap between the fridge and the cabinet next to it. Not to mention the giant gap above it, because they are also extra tall. So yeah, fun times at my house! Considering the disaster zone that is my kitchen right now, I have to figure out how to cook dinner without an oven and in a small usable space. This chicken with tarragon-mustard sauce is perfect. Everything is made in just one pan, and ready in less than 20 minutes. I used chicken tenders because that is what I had on hand, but cutlets would be done even faster. The tarragon-mustard sauce is creamy and just a little tangy from the mustard. The tarragon gives a hint of licorice flavor, but definitely not over powering. Everyone at my house pretty much licked their plates clean, they loved the sauce so much. You could even serve over egg noodles to soak up all that goodness. I served mine with a giant salad but pan charred asparagus or cheesy garlic pull apart bread would be really good as well. My husband thought the leftovers were great the next day for lunch too. Definitely a great quick and easy weeknight meal that turns ordinary chicken into something special.

 

Chicken is super versatile, we all know this. So when you add a creamy sauce it brings it to a whole new level, that everyone goes crazy for. The mustard-tarragon sauce is fancy enough for entertaining, but fast enough you can make it any night of the week.

The best part is you can use whatever herb you like! Oregano, Dill, and Thyme are my personal favorites. So you really can just use what you have.

Table of Contents

What You’ll Need

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.

  • Chicken Breasts – you can use chicken tenders for a faster cook time.
  • Olive Oil
  • Shallot – or a sweet onion works great
  • Garlic
  • Flour
  • Chicken Broth
  • Heavy Cream
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Fresh Tarragon – really whatever your favorite herb or whatever you have on hand will work great in this sauce.
  • Salt and Pepper 
Chicken in Mustard-Tarragon Sauce {Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts}

How To Make Chicken in Mustard-Tarragon Sauce

  • Start by heating a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil so it gets nice and hot as well.
  • Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, add it to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from the pan, keep warm.
  • Add the chopped shallots and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 1 minute. Add flour, stirring constantly, until the flour is mixed in and not white streaks remain.
  • Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Once it is smooth, stir in heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a light boil, and cook for about 1 minute, until it starts to thicken.
  • Add the mustard and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine. Add the chicken back to the pan, tossing to coat in the sauce. Serve immediately.
Chicken with Tarragon –Mustard Sauce is a creamy, tangy sauce that comes together in minutes. Turn plain old chicken into something special even on a busy weeknight. My kitchen has kind of turned into a disaster zone lately. It all started when our freezer started leaking water (inside the freezer), and coating the whole thing in ice. To replace it meant having to remodel a portion of our kitchen. The fridge that came with the house was a custom, built-in fridge. FYI – those are extra wide! You can’t just replace them with a normal size fridge, because you end up with a 6 inch gap between the fridge and the cabinet next to it. Not to mention the giant gap above it, because they are also extra tall. So yeah, fun times at my house! Considering the disaster zone that is my kitchen right now, I have to figure out how to cook dinner without an oven and in a small usable space. This chicken with tarragon-mustard sauce is perfect. Everything is made in just one pan, and ready in less than 20 minutes. I used chicken tenders because that is what I had on hand, but cutlets would be done even faster. The tarragon-mustard sauce is creamy and just a little tangy from the mustard. The tarragon gives a hint of licorice flavor, but definitely not over powering. Everyone at my house pretty much licked their plates clean, they loved the sauce so much. You could even serve over egg noodles to soak up all that goodness. I served mine with a giant salad but pan charred asparagus or cheesy garlic pull apart bread would be really good as well. My husband thought the leftovers were great the next day for lunch too. Definitely a great quick and easy weeknight meal that turns ordinary chicken into something special.

Recipe Tips & Suggestions

  • Get creative. Tarragon is not a super common herb, so if you have something on hand that you like, use it instead!
  • How fast this cooks depends on how big and thick your chicken pieces are. I used chicken tenderloins here, so it cooked quickly. You want thinly sliced chicken so it doesn’t dry out.
  • Don’t have heavy cream? You can use a lower fat milk and a touch of butter for the richness this sauce has. Or you could use half-and-half for a slightly tinner sauce.
  • Leftovers of this are not quite as rich and creamy with the sauce, but they are still delicious. Store in an airtight container for a few days in the fridge and just microwave to heat through.

How To Serve

The sauce is definitely worth of soaking up all of it that you can. Serve over egg noodles or with Olive Garden Breadsticks so you have something to get all the sauce with.

A Side Salad or Roasted Asparagus are great vegetables to round out your meal. This dinner comes together in no to, so it is definitely a great quick and easy weeknight meal that turns ordinary chicken into something special.

More Easy Chicken Dinners

Chicken in Mustard-Tarragon Sauce {Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts}
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Chicken in Mustard Tarragon Sauce

By Erin
Chicken in Mustard Tarragon Sauce has a tangy sauce made from heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and fresh tarragon. Never did a quick weeknight dinner become so tasty!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil.
  • Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from the pan, keep warm.
  • Add shallots and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 1 minute. Add flour, stirring constantly, cooking for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Stir in heavy cream. Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  • Add mustard and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken back to the pan, tossing to coat in the sauce.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

Adapted from Cooking Light

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Erin
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Course: Dinner Recipes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 292
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About Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.

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3 Comments

  2. We tried this dish tonight – made it gluten free (I subbed out the flour and instead made a slurry from cornstarch). Delicious! When the 3 year old scarfs it down, you know its good 🙂

    Reply