Chicken with Crème Fraîche Sauce

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Tangy, rich sauce makes Chicken with Crème Fraîche Sauce an irresistible meal that feels worthy of guests. Luckily it all comes in a one pan, weeknight-friendly package!

chicken thighs in creme fraiche sauce with lemon slices, all in a cast iron skillet
stirring creme fraiche sauce in a cast iron skillet

Last week I told you about my latest favorite creamy sauce-making tool – crème fraîche. I loved this creamy, French, similar-to-sour-cream-but-more-rich, product so much in Creamy Shells with Peas and Bacon that I couldn’t resist using it to make another one pan weeknight meal. This time around, it’s seared skillet chicken in a tangy, Dijon mustard sauce. All in one pan, in barely any time at all. 

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This chicken dish is the kind of single item that is so versatile it can be transformed into an endless variety of meals. Just in the past couple weeks we served it over rice one night and noodles another. All it needs is roasted broccoli or asparagus and dinner is served. And it’s worth giving crème fraîche a shout-out as the weeknight shortcut star here. No extra steps needed to simmer or thicken the rich Dijon sauce – just whisk crème fraîche in and your creamy sauce is done.

cooking chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet

Ingredients for Creamy Dijon Chicken

  • Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – Slicing the chicken into thin pieces helps them to cook evenly and more quickly than leaving the chicken breasts whole. 
  • Unsalted Butter – This recipe was tested with unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt used to season the chicken.
  • Low-Sodium Chicken Stock – As with the butter, we tested this using low-sodium stock, but if you have regular (not low-sodium) stock, that’s just fine too. Just reduce the salt you use to season the chicken by half. You can always add more salt to the sauce after cooking. (Vegetable stock will also work fine here, and you can even use water in a pinch, but the sauce won’t have quite as much depth of flavor.)
  • White Wine – This is a French-inspired sauce and the flavor of white wine adds a tangy acidity to the sauce that we really loved in testing. If you want to skip the wine, you can absolutely just use more chicken stock here. 
  • Stone Ground Mustard and Dijon Mustard – In testing, the sauce had the best flavor and texture when it was made with a combination of two types of mustard. Stone Ground Mustard has a coarse texture and Dijon mustard is smooth with a sharp, slightly spicy flavor. This is a mustard-lovers sauce for sure! If you want a more mild mustard flavor, reduce the amount of mustard by half when first making the dish. You can always stir in more mustard after tasting the sauce. If you only have one type of mustard, that’s totally fine! Start by making the sauce with just 1 Tbsp of that type of mustard and again, feel free to add more after tasting the sauce. 
  • Crème Fraîche – Crème fraîche is a creamy, sour dairy product that is similar to sour cream but has a much thicker texture and a richer flavor. Look for it in the dairy section, often near other soft, specialty cheeses (like ricotta, mascarpone, or perhaps near the goat cheese and fresh mozzarella). Many grocery stores carry it, and I’ve been picking up the Trader Joe’s version any time I make a TJ’s run. 
  • Lemon Juice – Don’t skip the fresh lemon juice here. It gives the dish a bright, fresh flavor.
  • Chopped Parsley – Feel free to skip this in a pinch, but a bit of chopped fresh herbs add a lot of freshness to this creamy dish. If you don’t have parsley, almost any fresh herb would be great – try chopped green onions or fresh basil.
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Dried Thyme, Cooking Oil – Pantry and fridge basics you’ll need to finish the dish.

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dijon mustard, creme fraiche, lemon on a white table
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What to Serve with Creamy Dijon Chicken

This saucy dish is great served with something that can soak up the creamy sauce. Here are a few favorites.

  • White or Brown Rice
  • Roasted Potatoes
  • Cauliflower Rice
  • Pasta or Noodles
  • Sliced Bread or Baguette
  • Roasted Potatoes
  • Quinoa
  • Couscous
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More Skillet Chicken Recipes

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creamy dijon chicken in a cast iron skillet
4.30 from 30 votes

Chicken with Crème Fraîche Sauce

The tangy, rich sauce of Chicken with Crème Fraîche Sauce makes this feel like a restaurant meal, but it comes in a one pan, weeknight-friendly package. Serve the tender chicken and sauce over rice, spaghetti, or roasted potatoes.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • Sharp Knife
  • Skillet

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, sliced into thin cutlets
  • 3/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
  • 2 Tablespoon Butter (preferably unsalted, but if you use salted, reduce the salt amount above by half)
  • 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1/4 cup White Wine (use a dry white wine; sub chicken stock)
  • 1/2 cup Chicken Stock, low-sodium
  • 2 teaspoon Stone Ground Mustard (see note)
  • 2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 3/4 cup Creme Fraiche (see note)
  • 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley (curly or flat-leaf)

Instructions 

  • Slice chicken breasts into thin cutlets that are an even thickness. (I like to do this at a slight angle so that the cutlets are about 3 to 4 inches across but fairly thin.)
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
  • Transfer chicken to the hot pan (if it won't all fit in a single layer, cook the chicken in batches, adding some more oil between batches).
  • Cook chicken on both sides until deep golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total. Set chicken aside. Return pan to heat.
  • Add butter, garlic, and dried thyme to the heated pan and saute until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add wine to pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 1 minute.
  • Add stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until liquid reduces by about half, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Whisk in mustard, creme fraiche, lemon juice, and a pinch of additional salt. If you’d like a thicker sauce, continue cooking it down, stirring constantly, until it reaches your desired thickness (this should just take an additional minute or two).
  • Return chicken to the skillet and spoon sauce over top.
  • Remove pan from heat and sprinkle with parsley. Top with some fresh cracked black pepper.
  • Serve over spaghetti, rice, or roasted potatoes.

Notes

Mustard – A combination of stone ground mustard (which contains whole seeds) and smoother Dijon mustard gives this dish great flavor and texture. If you only have one type of mustard, you can absolutely still make the recipe, but start with just 1 Tbsp total (instead of 4 tsp of two types as listed in the recipe) of mustard. You can always stir in more mustard to the sauce after you taste it. Dijon mustard has a sharp, slightly spicy flavor, so feel free to reduce the amount of Dijon if you’d like a more mild mustard flavor.
Creme Fraiche – Creme Fraiche is a creamy, sour dairy product that is similar to sour cream but has a much thicker texture. Look for it in the dairy section, often near other soft, specialty cheeses (like ricotta, mascarpone, or perhaps near the goat cheese and fresh mozzarella). If you can’t find creme fraiche, you can make this recipe with sour cream, but do not cook the sour cream over direct heat (it may separate). After whisking in the wine, stock, mustard, and lemon juice and cooking the sauce down to your desired consistency, take the pan off the heat and whisk in sour cream. Then add chicken and parsley to finish.

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 873mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

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

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $10.00
Calories: 307
Keyword: chicken dinner, Chicken Recipe, easy chicken recipe, easy, weeknight-friendly, family friendly, one pan meal, one skillet meal
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About Jess Smith

Jess is the recipe creator and photographer at InquiringChef.com. She spent nearly a decade as the Chief Recipe Developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Her colorful, healthyish recipes have been featured in popular online publications including Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost.

4.30 from 30 votes (29 ratings without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. Omg!!!! This was sooo good! The mix of mustard with the lemon… honestly felt like a gourmet meal! As a side I ended up stir frying some mushrooms and bell peppers with the mustards in along with a little seasoning and it went perfectly with the chicken and sauce! Thanks for posting!!

  2. We really like mustard chicken but most recipes add honey or sugar. So glad I found your recipe! We loved it and will be adding to my dinner rotations.

    1. Yes! I really set out to make a version that wasn’t sweetened – I totally don’t think it needs the sweetness at all! So glad you enjoyed this.

  3. I have made a variation of this fro 40 years. After i remove the chicken I saute fresh sliced mushrooms with the garlic. My first recipe called for cream. I have made it with Evaporated milk, skim milk and whole milk. I think the mustard just thickens the sauce no matter what milk you use.

    1. I agree! The mustard really seems to do all the magic in this recipe. I love the addition of mushrooms – will try that next time!