After the disappointing pumpkin cornbread muffins, I really wanted the new recipe that I had planned for Thursday’s dinner to be a success. I needn’t have worried. As I was cleaning up after dinner, Ken said to me, “that recipe’s a winner.”
One of my cookbooks has a section of pan sauces to serve with sautéed chicken breasts. This recipe isn’t from that source, but it’s the same idea: a sauce to dress up simple chicken breasts. Creamy mustard chicken is from the Skinnytaste High Protein cookbook, and restored in Gina Homolka’s recipes after the muffin mess.
The delicious sauce benefits from a signature Skinnytaste technique: incorporating reduced-fat cream cheese to create a creamy sauce. The dish is quick and easy. This would have been a great weeknight dinner when I was still working. Even in retirement, I appreciate recipes that don’t take all afternoon to prepare.
My adjustments to the recipe were minor. The dish includes haricots verts or green beans that are sautéed until crisp-tender. That may be fine if you have haricots verts, but the beans I had, while young and thin, weren’t that tender. I microwaved them for 2 minutes before putting them into the skillet and proceeding according to the directions. I eliminated the shallot (Ken still hasn’t resumed eating onions), and I substituted fresh thyme for tarragon. I had the thyme in the fridge, and, as I’ve said before, tarragon isn’t my favorite herb.
Creamy Mustard Chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces haricots verts or green beans, cleaned
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon or thyme
In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Cover the pan and cook until crisp-tender, 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve the skillet.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
In the reserved skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping halfway, until cooked through and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the minced shallot and garlic and sauté until the shallot is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has been reduced by half, add the chicken broth, cream cheese, and half-and-half. Use a whisk to mix until cream cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
Whisk in the Dijon mustard and fresh herbs, then increase the heat slightly to bring to a simmer. Nestle the cooked chicken and green beans into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes to heat through.
Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
All we needed to add for a complete meal was a starch. I sliced some cheese bread that I’d bought that morning. You definitely need something to sop up the delicious sauce.
We really enjoyed this dish, and I don’t think Ken would mind if I made it again next week. I might reduce the amount of broth next time, as the sauce was thinner than I expected. There was plenty of sauce; maybe that’s why we liked it so much.
Happy eating!
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