I grew up in a small North Texas city called Wichita Falls.
Wichita Falls has always been a few decades behind other major metropolitan areas. That could be attributed to a typical slow Southern pace, or it could be attributed to the fact that it’s pretty far away from the closest metro area (2 hours from Dallas). I grew up on local restaurants that were traditional pillars of the community.
The town weeped for nearly two decades when the only Chick-Fil-A closed. When a new one popped up a few years ago, they were bombarded with customers…and lines are STILL constantly wrapped around the building.
In the early 2000’s, Wichita Falls got a “big” restaurant: Cheddar’s. Cheddar’s was the place to go if you wanted to go on a date or take the family out for dinner. People love Cheddar’s in Wichita Falls.
In case you’ve never heard of Cheddar’s, it’s a chain restaurant akin to Chili’s or Applebee’s. I’ve always liked the place much better than those two other restaurants, though.
Ever since Cheddar’s opened, I’ve gotten the exact same thing every time I go there: Dijon Chicken and Mushrooms. It’s the best thing on the menu, in my opinion…and it’s a LOT of food. I generally have to get a to-go box for my leftovers.
The dijon chicken and mushrooms is served with two large grilled chicken breasts, a metric ton of baby portobello mushrooms, and a luscious dijon cream sauce. They serve it on top of rice and you get two sides (I always go for the broccoli-cheddar casserole, it’s the bomb).
I tried to make the meal myself. I ended up with a pretty good copycat version that really mimics the original. I think I tapped into the true essence of the meal! I served my chicken and mushrooms over one of those microwavable pouches of rice and it came out wonderful.
I’m sorry, though, I don’t have a copycat recipe of their broccoli-rice casserole. I’ll start working on that ASAP, though!
Enjoy!
Copycat Cheddar's Dijon Chicken and Mushrooms
Tender chicken in a dijon mushroom sauce that mimics the version you find at Cheddar's restaurants.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 TBS. olive oil
- 4 TBS. butter
- 1/4 cup light sour cream
- 2 TBS. dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. honey
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 8 oz package baby portobello mushrooms, quartered
Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook/grill until browned and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Let mixture reduce by a little bit.
- Remove mushroom pan from heat and stir in dijon mustard, honey and sour cream until well combined.
- Serve chicken over rice and pour mushroom sauce on top.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Heat oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook/grill until browned and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Let mixture reduce by a little bit.
Remove mushroom pan from heat and stir in dijon mustard and sour cream until well combined. Serve chicken over rice and pour mushroom sauce on top.
I’m addicted to Dijon mustard. Mmmm. 🌿🌱🍃
Wow! This is spot on! My hubby and I really loved this. Since Cheddars is still limiting their menu because the pandemic, they don’t have this on the menu. This was a big treat! Thank you so much for your creation and posting this amazing dish!
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you liked it.
Idk how to ask you a question. I’ll try here. I don’t have the essential tools to grill chicken. Could I bake the chicken? Would it deliver a similar taste
You could bake it—or just pan fry it. Pan fry might be a better tasting option. Just make sure to cut or pound your chicken breast thin so it doesn’t cook unevenly.
I agree! This is the one dish I get 95% of the time I go to Cheddar’s, so I’ve been quite upset they haven’t returned it to their menu. I know they have other items that are quite tasty, but this it my favorite and a dish I dream of quite often.
I made this tonight, and it was definitely just like cheddars, thank you so very much for sharing! This is a keeper recipe!
Thank you so much for this! I literally groaned when I received an email from the manager of our local Cheddar’s that said they would not be bringing this back to the menu….I can’t wait to try it tonight!!!
How funny!!!! I’m also from Wichita Falls. This is not on the menu any longer where I currently live. Total bummer! I went to find a recipe and it literally took me back home! Going to try this tomorrow. Thanks for doing the hard part of figuring it out for us!
How funny! I hope you like this. It’s not an exact match, but I think it will fill a void for sure.
I ran out of dijon mustard can i substitute honey dijon mustard instead, and should i reduce the amount of honey if i do?
Yes you can use honey Dijon. If you use that, don’t use honey in the recipe.
I did make it and i quadrupled the recipe, unfortunately I didn’t realize that the butter amount was only to sauté the mushrooms and I multiplied this as well, it came out so bad, extremely oily. I will try again next week.
I’m a creature of habit and the dijon chicken was what I always ordered at Cheddar’s. Finding it missing from their menu was not “good times” for me. I’m trying this recipe tonight for dinner. It sounds really promising. Thank you for the recipe!
I hope you like it! It’s not exactly the same as Cheddar’s, but I think it’s pretty darn close and a good replacement.
I love this at Cheddar’s… Was wondering if you could do this in a crock pot??
You probably could, I’ve never done it before though!
Wow! I am another WFTX baby! Born there in 1950 but moved ten years later, so missed the earth-shattering arrival of Cjeddars. Now we are in central Georgia and are near several Cheddars. Great news! This menu item is back! And the broccoli rice casserole and those delicious sweet carrots! We are SO GLAD to have your copycat recipe! Gonna have it today. Thanks!
That’s great news! I always ordered the broccoli rice casserole with this. So good!
How do you warm up the sauce when you have left overs. I love this recipe and thankful to you for it. I’m like your others readers who order the honey dijon chicken when I go to Cheddars and disappointed its nit on menu.
You can warm up the sauce separately from the chicken and pour it on top, or risk an uneven temperature by warming it up all together. Either way works, just one way is typically better!