This Tarragon Mustard Sauce for Chicken Without Cream is creamy, tangy, savory, and so addictive. It takes only 30-35 minutes! Serve this over pasta and it’s a perfect fast and easy family dinner for busy weeknights!

Tarragon Mustard Sauce for Chicken Without Cream with red peppers in a pan on towel on counter. It gets so much flavor from dijon mustard, tarragon, garlic, and onion. It's an easy-to-whip-up any night dinner!

This is creamy mustard chicken taken to a whole other level! Tarragon Mustard Sauce for Chicken without Cream is creamy, tangy, salty, and so addictive. It’s the mustard cream sauce that I literally cleaned the pan with my fingers to lick up every last drop. The mustard brings tang and spice. The tarragon brings Springtime brightness and subtle licorice flavor that pairs perfectly with the mustard. The garlic, onion, and chicken base bring depth and savory flavor. Holy Yum, it’s delicious and one of my favorite skillet chicken recipes!

If you like this skillet dinner that comes together in just 35 minutes, check out my Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe and all other 35 Minutes or Less Dinner Recipes!

Tarragon Mustard Sauce for Chicken Without Cream with red peppers being scooped up from a pan with wood spatula. It gets so much flavor from dijon mustard, tarragon, garlic, and onion. It's an easy-to-whip-up any night dinner!

Simple Ingredients Add Complex Flavor

Fridge and Fresh Ingredients

Chicken breasts, boneless skinless, 16 ounces/1 pound
Dijon Mustard
Water
Milk – I used 1% but you can use any fat content or even sub in unsweetened non-dairy milks, such as soy, almond, or coconut. You can also just sub with chicken broth.
Garlic Cloves,minced
Red pepper, you need about ½ of the pepper and it can be left out all together if you prefer
Scallions (green onions)
Fresh Italian parsley chopped

Pantry Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Dried Oregano – you can also use fresh
Dried Tarragon – you can also use fresh
chicken broth
cornstarch

Dijon Mustard for this Tarragon Mustard Sauce Chicken

Dijon is is made with brown mustard seeds that are more pungent, bitter and spicy than other mustard seeds. For instance, the seeds used for yellow mustard have a much milder color and flavor. The seeds are ground and then mixed with an acid, such as vinegar or wine, along with other seasonings. In a basic dijon, it’s usually mustard seed, vinegar, salt, and pepper. It’s this combination that beings BIG flavor with acid, bitter, tangy, sweet, and spicy notes.

Tarragon and Substitutes

For this Mustard Chicken recipe, I’ve paired it with tarragon. Tarragon tastes like Spring to me and like most herbs, is better fresh. However, if you cannot get fresh, pantry dried Tarragon is just perfect! It has a subtle licorice flavor, similar to fennel, and tastes fantastic with mild lean proteins and Spring veggies. I love to use it with chicken, asparagus, carrots, in dressings and sauces, and in egg salad. Try adding Tarragon in place of Basil in this Chicken Salad with Grapes for something amazing!

I do recognize that the licorice flavor, through subtle, can be polarizing. Most people either like or they don’t! If you are in the ‘don’t like it’ camp, don’t worry! There are other fantastic herbs that you can sub in. Dill is a great Spring herb that also delivers a unique subtle flavor. Basil is another herb that can work in this recipe.

If you do like the flavor of Tarragon, but just don’t have it on hand, try Fennel seed or Anise if you have it.

Tarragon Mustard Sauce for Chicken Without Cream with red peppers over linguine pasta on platter with parsley sprinkled on top. It gets so much flavor from dijon mustard, tarragon, garlic, and onion. It's an easy-to-whip-up any night dinner!

Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.

Simple Equipment for this Chicken Dinner

You need a large skillet/frying pan for this recipe. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!

Oh, I also like to cut my raw chicken with kitchen shears, but you can also just cut with a knife. And mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for Tarragon Mustard Sauce Chicken

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)

The good news with this Tarragon Mustard Chicken recipe is that you could make this entire dish ahead whenever you have a break and then reheat it later for dinner! It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Or, you can prep the veggies up to 3 days ahead. Slice the red pepper, mince the garlic, and slice the scallions. These all get added to the pan at the same time, so you can store then all together in the fridge until ready to cook.

You can also make the marinade and mix in the chicken (up to 2 days in advance). In a glass dish or large (gallon) baggie, add dijon mustard, water, oil, salt, pepper, oregano, tarragon, onion powder, garlic powder. Mix together. Add the chicken and mix around to coat in the marinade. You can cook right aware or store this in fridge for up to 24 hours.

Cut the raw chicken into large chunks about 1.5 inches and mix into the marinade.

Marinade in bowl for Tarragon Mustard Chicken with Red Peppers. It's creamy, tangy, savory, and so addictive.

Chicken in marinade in bowl for Tarragon Mustard Chicken with Red Peppers. It's creamy, tangy, savory, and so addictive.

Cooking Steps for this Creamy Tarragon Mustard Chicken

While this recipe doesn’t include a side, it goes great with pasta, rice, quinoa, polenta, or potatoes. Get your side started before you start to cook your chicken.

Preheat a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoon olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of pan) then add the marinated chicken to the pan in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes until seared on the bottom. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Remove to plate and set aside.

Chicken cooking in pan for Tarragon Mustard Chicken with Red Peppers. It's creamy, tangy, savory, and so addictive.

To same pan add another teaspoon of olive oil if needed, then the red pepper, scallions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes.

While the veggies cooking, make the slurry by mixing the cornstarch and milk together until dissolved.

Add the broth and then the slurry and whisk to combine and start to thicken, about 3-4 minutes

Adding slurry to pan for Tarragon Mustard Chicken with Red Peppers. It's creamy, tangy, savory, and so addictive.

Add the dijon, tarragon, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix to combine. Then add back the chicken. Cook for a final 5 minutes.

Thickened sauce in pan for Tarragon Mustard Chicken with Red Peppers. It's creamy, tangy, savory, and so addictive.

Serve over rice or quinoa or pasta and enjoy! 😍 Carrie

Tarragon Mustard Sauce Chicken FAQs

Can I leave the red peppers out of this Chicken recipe?

For this Tarragon Mustard Sauce Chicken, you could leave out the red peppers or replace them. Some vegetables you can use are mushrooms or zucchini. I love the red peppers for their sweetness and pop of color in this dish.

Can I use Honey Mustard or Yellow Mustard in this recipe?

Dijon is really the key when it comes to the mustard in this recipe, but you can certainly use honey dijon mustard. Just taste to ensure that it isn’t too sweet and add a pinch of salt as needed to counter the sweet. As for yellow mustard, you can use it, but it will bring a yellow color to the sauce, so be prepared for that. It will not have the same flavor as it will be missing the spice factor that you get from dijon. However, it will still bring a nice tang.

Can I make this recipe ahead?

This Tarragon Mustard Sauce for Chicken without Cream can be made entirely ahead. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this in a sealed container for up to 4 months.

To thaw, place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw. To reheat, you can place in a skillet and warm on medium heat covered for 10-15 minutes.

Can I use rotisserie or leftover chicken or turkey in this Tarragon Mustard Sauce recipe?

To save time, you can use rotisserie or leftover chicken or turkey in this Creamy Tarragon Mustard Chicken recipe. instead of marinating the chicken, cut the chicken or turkey into cubes or shred it. Skip Cooking Step 1 and just add the chicken in Cooking Step 5.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

Yes, you can use chicken thighs for this Tarragon Mustard Chicken recipe. I recommend sticking with skinless boneless chicken thighs for easy prep and cooking. Consider the amount of thighs that you will need as well. Generally, I estimate 16 ounces or 1 pound of chicken for 4 servings. That will likely mean 5-6 boneless skinless thighs, depending on their size. The recipe instructions will be the same for thighs as the breasts.

Is this recipe Gluten Free?

Yes, this recipe is gluten free if made exactly as indicated in the recipe. However, you should always check the labels of all products that you purchase to confirm there is no gluten.

Is this recipe Low-Carb?

This recipe only 10 grams of carbohydrates if you make it as instructed and do not add any rice or pasta or other carb. not intended to be a low carbohydrate recipe.

Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!