Chicken with Mustard

My husband LOVES mustard chicken- especially when it is super saucy. I think of it as a classic French bistro dish but apparently it is a classic French home-cooked dish! This one is over the top- the incredible mustard sauce incorporates bacon and crème fraiche- YUM. 🙂 It is definitely one of the best versions I have ever made. Fabulous!!

This recipe was adapted from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz, via The Saint Jeffreys. I substituted boneless, skinless chicken thighs for whole chicken legs and served it over sautéed greens, instead of pasta, with roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus on the side. I think I need to explore this book a little bit more- I am sure that there are many many more wonderful dishes to pore over… mmmmm…..

Yield: Serves 6

• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt or sea salt, or to taste
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup (about 5-6 oz) smoked bacon, diced
• 1 large Spanish or white onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche

1. In a 9×13-inch pyrex dish or a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup Dijon mustard with the paprika, some ground pepper, and salt. Mix with chicken thighs, and coat with mixture on all sides. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet (I used enameled cast iron) with a lid over medium heat, and add the diced bacon. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown. Remove the bacon from pan, and drain on paper towels. Spoon or pour out all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from pan. (The extra bacon fat can be reserved to sauté greens as a side dish!)
3. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, and cook another minute. Scrape onion and thyme into a bowl. Set aside.
4. Place the chicken and sauce in the hot skillet in a single layer. Cook over medium-high heat, browning well on one side, and then on the other, about 4 minutes per side. (Make sure the chicken develops a brown color, as this will help with the taste of the sauce.) Once cooked, remove chicken from pan and place on a plate. Set aside.
5. Add the white wine to pan, and scrape the brown bits that have stuck to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, and add prepared bacon and onions. Cover and cook over medium heat, turning over pieces a few times, for around 15 minutes. If the sauce is too watery, remove the lid for part of the cooking time.
6. Remove the skillet from heat, and stir in the mustard seeds and the crème fraiche. Serve with roasted potatoes and sautéed greens, or as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Chicken, Shrimp, & Clam Jambalaya
• Steakhouse Creamed Spinach vs. “Lighter” Creamed Kale

Two Years Ago:

• Jambalaya
• Spinach Cooked with Onions (Mughlai Saag)

If you like this you may also like:

• Mustard Chicken (my (now) other favorite version)
• Mustard Chicken with Shallots (well, ok, another favorite!)
• Velvet Chicken with Mustard Sauce
• Baked Mustard Chicken
• Quick Crusty Mustard Chicken

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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