A fabulous, winter chicken dish with a rich, flavorful sauce.
There are lots of recipes for mustard chicken floating around the food blogosphere and in print publications both old and new. People never seem to tire of the mustard-chicken duo. Mustard is, after all, a staple ingredient with wide appeal, and its savory flavor and creamy consistency make it ideal as a base for pan sauces made from sautéed chicken drippings. I suspect these culinary traits will keep recipes for mustard chicken from falling by the wayside any time soon; that’s why I’m not at all reluctant to add to the countless variations already out there with this delicious Creamy Maple Mustard Mascarpone Chicken. This is a fabulous, winter chicken dish with a rich, luxurious sauce. It’s simple enough for a family weeknight meal, but elegant enough for company.
As the recipe title suggests, mascarpone cheese is a key ingredient in this dish. Mascarpone cheese is an Italian cream cheese that is perhaps best known as an ingredient in tiramisu. It’s thick, milky, slightly sweet taste makes it ideal for desserts, but it also works well in savory, saucy dishes such as this Creamy Maple Mustard Mascarpone Chicken. Additional complimentary flavor boosts come from the roasted garlic, fresh dill, white wine, chicken stock and maple syrup, all of which combine to form a stellar sauce you’ll want to dip the chicken in again and again!
Creamy Maple Mustard Mascarpone Chicken is a great make ahead meal. Prepare the recipe as written then transfer it to a large casserole dish and let it cool to room temperature. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 20-30 minutes until heated through. Like a lot of dishes with rich, flavorful sauces, it tastes better the day after it’s made, once all the flavors have had a chance to mingle.
The nice thing about Creamy Maple Mustard Mascarpone Chicken is that you need only pair it with simple roasted vegetables for a complete, albeit lighter, meal. For a more substantial dinner, serve it with something like Lemon Rice to help mop up all of the delicious sauce.
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 3 lbs. total
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the head of garlic on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle it with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap it in the foil and place on a small baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 40 minutes.
- Once the foil is cool enough to handle unwrap the package and squeeze the garlic out of it papery skin into a medium bowl. Add the chicken stock, Dijon, ½ of the dill, maple syrup, salt, and pepper and whisk everything together until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook 3 of the chicken breasts for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer them to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the 3 remaining chicken breasts.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the empty skillet and sauté the onion until soft and just starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.
- Re-whisk the maple/Dijon mixture and add it to the pan, along with the mascarpone, whisking until it is fully incorporated. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the sauce is thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet and cook until heated through.
- To serve, spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the remaining fresh dill.
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Creamy chicken doesn’t get any creamier than this! Pinned:)
So true!
Wowza – does this look delish! I’ve never thought to use mascarpone with chicken – pinning….
Thanks Deanna! Mascarpone makes such a creamy sauce!