Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta

By Dan Pelosi

Updated May 15, 2026

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
30 min
Rating
4(6)
Comments
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While there are endless sweet and savory flavor combinations out there, the pairing of honey and mustard is among the most popular. It shows up in a dressing for salads, a dip for finger foods, a spread on sandwiches—and here, as a way to enhance a weeknight pasta dinner with ingredients that are often on hand. In this dish, the savory tang of Dijon mustard and the floral sweetness of honey are added to a garlicky white wine cream sauce that perfectly coats every strand of pasta. For added zing and texture, top each serving of pasta with crushed honey mustard pretzels along with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan, if you like. This recipe starts with browning chunks of chicken, but they can easily be left out to make it vegetarian-friendly. Save a bit of extra pasta water to help bring any leftovers back to their original creamy, saucy state. 

Watch Dan Pelosi make this dish in this video.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 pound dried spaghetti

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ white or yellow onion, diced small

  • ½ cup white wine

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • Coarsely crushed honey-mustard or plain pretzels (optional), for serving

  • Grated Parmesan (optional), for serving

  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside. 

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet. Cook, without stirring, until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate and set aside. 

  3. Step 3

    In the same skillet on medium, melt the butter then add the garlic, onion and a big pinch each salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, mustard and honey and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  

  4. Step 4

    Return the chicken to the skillet along with any juices. Add the drained pasta along with ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss continuously until the sauce is thick and creamy and coating the pasta, about 3 minutes. 

  5. Step 5

    Remove from the heat and serve warm topped, if desired, with crushed pretzels, chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

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    Ratings

    4 out of 5
    6 user ratings
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    Comments

    BlackWolf

    @Matt Once I saw "honey mustard pasta" I came for the comments. I appreciate "stretching" the norms, but this feels like it was born out of a long 420 session and scarce pantry supplies. :)

    Matt

    This just didn’t work on so many levels. Bland and overly fatty

    cf

    And it sounds gross!

    Bonny

    I like chicken. I like pasta. I like Dijon mustard. I like honey - I was a commercial beekeeper for a decade. But I just can't imagine bringing these things together in this recipe. Looking forward to reading comments from those who make this to understand where I'm going wrong.

    MoPat K

    I'd rather see a good mustard sauce that can be stored for future use; these ingredients sound good but not interested in the pasta.

    c

    Some things just don’t belong together. Honey mustard and pasta are 2 of them. And crumbled pretzels on top? Yeesh. Maybe a honey mustard with peanut and soy or chili crisp on udon….

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