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This one-pan chicken and potatoes with Dijon cream sauce is the kind of weeknight dinner that looks way more impressive than the effort it takes. The sauce is rich, buttery, and just mustardy enough — and everything comes together in under an hour.
Why You’ll Love It
True one-pan meal — you brown, make the sauce, and bake all in the same skillet
The Dijon is subtle, not sharp — just two tablespoons gives the sauce a gentle warmth without overpowering anything
The potatoes are the secret star — they soak up the cream sauce while baking and turn into something you’ll keep sneaking off the pan
Weeknight-friendly — under an hour, minimal cleanup, no fancy techniques
Crowd-pleasing — even picky eaters tend to come around on this one
A Note on the Ingredients
Chicken breasts: I use boneless skinless, the standard ones. I’ve made this with thighs too and it works fine — actually maybe better because thighs are more forgiving in the oven — but breasts are what I usually have in the freezer.
Baby potatoes: Halve them, or quarter them if they’re on the bigger side. You want them no larger than about an inch so they cook through in time with the chicken. I’ve tried regular russets cut up before and it wasn’t the same — they got a little mealy. Baby potatoes hold together better.
Italian seasoning blend: I use whatever mixed blend is in my spice cabinet. I’ve also used Herbes de Provence when I had it, and that version was maybe slightly fancier-tasting but not so different that it matters.
Dijon mustard: Just regular Dijon from the grocery store. I don’t think brand matters here. I genuinely cannot tell the difference in a sauce like this.
Heavy cream: Non-negotiable. I know it sounds indulgent but it’s one cup split across the whole dish and it’s what keeps the sauce from breaking.
Ingredients
3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend (or Herbes de Provence)
Salt and pepper, generously
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound baby potatoes, halved or quartered into roughly 1-inch pieces
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I use the jar kind when I’m tired, fresh when I’m feeling ambitious)
1 cup chicken broth, low sodium
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper — I usually add more at the end
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 375. This is important to do first because I have definitely forgotten this step and then stood there holding a skillet wondering why the oven wasn’t ready.
Put the chicken and potatoes in a big bowl together and drizzle them with a tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to coat. Then add salt and pepper — don’t be shy — and the Italian seasoning and toss again. I do this with my hands because it’s faster and I’ve already accepted that cooking is not a clean activity.
Melt your butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the other tablespoon of oil. When it’s hot, put the chicken on one side of the pan and the potatoes on the other. Let them sit undisturbed for three to four minutes — I know it’s hard but don’t move them, you’re building a crust — then flip just the chicken and let it go another three to four minutes on the second side.
The potatoes might not be cooked through yet and that’s fine. This is just about getting some color on everything. Transfer both to a plate, cover with foil or another plate to keep warm, and set aside.
Here’s where it gets good. In the same skillet — don’t you dare wash it, all those browned bits are flavor — melt another tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir it around for a minute until it smells like something you want to eat. Add the chicken broth and Dijon and whisk them together, then pour in the cream and whisk again. Add salt and pepper. Let it come to a little bubble and just — take a moment. It smells incredible. I’m not sure I’ve ever made this without stopping to just stand there and breathe it in.
Add the chicken and potatoes back to the pan. Spoon the sauce over everything, tuck the potatoes in around the chicken. Then the whole skillet goes into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and a fork slides into the potatoes without any resistance.
Pull it out, spoon more sauce over the top, crack some extra pepper over everything. That’s it.
Variations
This is great with chicken thighs instead of breasts — more forgiving in the oven and arguably more flavorful. A handful of spinach stirred in right after it comes out of the oven is a nice addition too — it wilts in the residual heat and adds a little something without any extra work.
Whole grain mustard instead of Dijon was a little too sharp and too textured for the sauce. Stick with Dijon.
Leftovers
This keeps well in the fridge for two or three days. The sauce thickens up overnight into something almost gravy-like, which I don’t mind at all. Reheat it gently on the stove with a tiny splash of broth or water to loosen it back up — the microwave works too but the chicken can get rubbery if you overdo it, so go low and slow.
I’ve also eaten this cold, standing at the open refrigerator at 11pm, and I have no regrets about that.
