Chicken Dijonnaise, Classic French Flavour

Time for a winner chicken dinner. Creamy Chicken Dijonnaise, straight from the heart of Burgundy, is a classic of French country cuisine made with one of Dijon’s most famous ingredients, mustard! 

New Tastes, New Flavour Experiences

Sometimes the best thing you can do in the kitchen (and in life) is to try something new. One of the ways I’ve staved off cooking fatigue through the course of this infernal pandemic (insert eye-roll emoji) is to experiment with new recipes and flavour combinations.

French cuisine is a staple in our house, but surprisingly, this recipe is not. Or should I say ‘was not’ because – it is NOW! A simple dish, with a tangy stock-based sauce Chicken in Dijon Mustard Sauce, is a popular Sunday chicken dinner around here.

Chicken Breasts Vs. Chicken Thighs

Many recipes for Chicken Dijonnaise call for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, often spit and pounded thin. The whole point of French country cooking is making the most of whatever ingredient you’ve got. Tough cuts of meat are marinated, old roosters are stewed, the bounty of the garden is frequently cooked together, in one big pot.

Chicken Dijonnaise was created to make that old hen who found her way into the pot taste good. So we finish her in a tasty sauce. Bone-in cooking always adds flavour so I prefer thighs or full legs. These thighs were HUGE… like small turkey huge. If you prefer white meat, use breasts, but reduce your cooking time.

Pro Tips for Great Results

When making any mustard sauce it’s important to remember one thing: don’t boil your mustard.

Mustard is a late addition to this sauce after you’ve seared and (mostly) cooked your chicken, degreased your pan, added your shallots and garlic, deglazed with white wine, reduced your chicken stock, then REDUCED YOUR HEAT before adding your cream, and only then your mustard.

If you boil your mustard sauce and it will split or separate.  Simmer your mustard sauce and it will hold. Return your chicken to the Dijonnaise sauce and finish cooking in the sauce, making your chicken juicy and tender just like Mamie intended.

Looking for more French country recipes?  Try Poulet Sauté Chasseur (Hunter’s Chicken) or take advantage of the season’s bounty with rustic Ratatouille compliments of the Frenchman in my life.

Never argue with the French in the kitchen. Ever.

Chicken Dijonnaise, Classic French Flavour

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• Author: Cori Horton
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: Serves 4
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Creamy Chicken Dijonnaise, a classic of French country cuisine from the heart of Burgundy made with one of Dijon’s most famous ingredients, mustard. It’s your new favorite chicken dinner recipe!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 – 6 chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil (sunflower or canola)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 – 3 large shallots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (3 sprigs, fresh)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, 35% milkfat
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard, smooth
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard. grainy
• salt & pepper to taste
• Flat-leaf parsley, to finish

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰f (175⁰c). Dry your chicken thighs well with paper towel.  In a large ovenproof pan, add your cooking oil and half of your butter (2 tablespoons… ish).  Season your chicken thighs well with salt and pepper and sear, starting presentation side down, over medium-high heat until well cloured; about 7 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side, cooking for about 7 minutes, over medium-high heat, spooning the fat over the thighs as they cook.  Turn and place presentation side up before transferring to the oven 350⁰f (175⁰c) for about 10 – 12 minutes to cook most of the way through. Remove chicken from the oven, and place chicken to rest on a plate, in a warm spot, until your sauce is ready.  Pour off all grease from the pan before making your sauce,
2. Return pan, with chicken brownings on the bottom, to the stovetop on medium heat.  Add remaining butter and melt before adding first shallots and then garlic, along with a dash of salt and pepper, and your thyme and sweat the ingredients all together, until transparent, scraping the bottom of the pan as you go to get as much of that colour & flavour into your sauce as you can.
3.  Now deglaze the rest of the pan with white wine getting the rest of the suc off the bottom pan and into your sauce. Reduce for about two minutes, bubbling lightly.  Now add your chicken stock and reduce by about a third.
4. REDUCE HEAT to medium-low, and add your cream before reducing again, for about 4 minutes.  At this point, your sauce should be thick enough to coat well on a spoon. Briefly remove from heat and add your mustard, whisking lightly to combine.  Taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
5. Return chicken and any residual juices to your pan, lightly mixin any juices into your sauce. Coat top of chicken with sauce and allow to stand over medium low-heat to reheat and finish chicken all the way through (internal temperature reading: 165⁰ – 170⁰f (73⁰ – 75⁰C) – about 5 minutes before finishing the dish with a handful of fresh parsley.
6. Serve immediately with your favourite starch and/or vegetable side.

Notes

If you find your sauce is not as thick as you’d like:

Add about two teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with two teaspoons of water to your sauce AT A BOIL before you add your mustard.  This will thicken the liquid immediately.  Be sure to reduce your heat and cool your sauce before adding the mustard.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Category: Mains
• Method: Frying
• Cuisine: French