Equipment
Ingredients
Turkey
- 600 g turkey breast, sliced into 1cm thick cutlets
- 5 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Searing
- 15 ml olive oil
Mushroom Dijon Sauce
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 250 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 50 g shallot, minced
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 120 ml chicken broth, warm
- 120 ml heavy cream, room temperature
- 30 g dijon mustard
Garnish
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 376 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbohydrates
- 8 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 942 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 128 mg
- Potassium
- 806 mg
- Calcium
- 74 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 56 mg
- Phosphorus
- 426 mg
- Zinc
- 2.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 169 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 45 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.14 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.60 mg
- Niacin
- 18.0 mg
- Folate
- 37 mcg
- Water
- 229 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Pat the turkey breast slices completely dry with paper towels to ensure proper browning. Season evenly on both sides with the salt and black pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the turkey slices in batches to avoid crowding, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and a safe internal temperature of 74C/165F is reached. Transfer the cooked turkey to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the unsalted butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add the sliced mushrooms and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to develop color, then toss and cook for another 2 minutes until softened.
Stir the minced shallot and garlic into the mushrooms. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant and translucent.
Pour in the chicken broth to deglaze the skillet. Use a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to scrape up all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom. Let the broth reduce by half.
Whisk the heavy cream and Dijon mustard into the skillet. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Return the resting turkey slices and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Gently turn the turkey in the sauce to coat completely. Simmer for 1 minute just to heat through.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley, and serve immediately alongside your preferred starch or green vegetables.
Chef's Notes
- Slicing the turkey breast thinly and evenly ensures a quick, uniform cook time, keeping the lean meat from drying out.
- Using traditional Dijon mustard provides the necessary acidic bite to cut through the richness of the heavy cream without overpowering the delicate turkey.
- Allowing the mushrooms to brown without moving them initially is key to building deep, savory umami flavors in the pan before introducing the liquids.
Storage
Refrigerator: 72 hours — Store in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or broth to thin the sauce and prevent the cream from separating.
Troubleshooting
The cream sauce separated or looks greasy.
Cause: The heat was too high, causing the dairy emulsion to break.
Fix: Remove from heat immediately and whisk vigorously with a splash of cold water or extra cream to attempt to restore the emulsion.
Prevention: Keep the heat at a gentle simmer after adding the cream, and ensure the cream is at room temperature before adding it to the hot pan.
The turkey is tough and dry.
Cause: Overcooking during the initial sear or the reheating phase.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once fully overcooked, but coating it generously in the rich cream sauce will help mask the dryness.
Prevention: Remove the turkey from the pan exactly when the internal temperature hits 74C/165F, and keep the final simmer to just 1 minute.
Cultural Context
The technique of pairing poultry with a mustard and cream reduction traces back to the Burgundy region of France, famous for both its culinary pedigree and its historic production of pungent, complex mustards. This quick pan-sauce method exemplifies the classic French bistro approach of building flavors in a single skillet, capturing every ounce of caramelized fond.
