What's For Dinner Wednesday: Sauteed Honey Dijon Chicken Breasts

One of the downsides of planning out a weekly menu is learn to handle a curveball.

Recently I was planning on a weeknight dinner of grilled barbecue chicken breasts. That night my husband ended up having to stay late at work, which posed a bit of a problem-- I don't know how to use our grill. It's true. Alex is the grill master at our house and I don't even know how to turn the thing on.

So, my original plan was out of the window and I needed to come up with a Plan B. I decided to whip up a quick sauteed chicken in a pan sauce that could be made on the stovetop instead. This recipe comes together pretty quickly and the sauce is made from ingredients that I keep on hand all the time, making it a great go to for nights like this when our dinner plans go awry.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tbs. butter
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed 
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine *I used Pinot Grigio
• 1 Tbs. whole grain mustard
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. fresh chives, chopped

Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and butter, allowing the butter to melt and then swirl to coat the pan.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Saute chicken breasts, turning once, until chicken is browned on both sides and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add shallots to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, until softened and just brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook for another 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant.

Carefully pour the wine into the pan and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until the wine has reduced by about half. Reduce heat to low and whisk in both mustards, honey, and thyme leaves. Stir until combined and slightly thickened.

Add the chicken breasts back into the pan and turn to coat. Transfer to serving plates, serve with additional pan sauce, and sprinkle with chives.