You know those nights where you are craving something simple and kind of rustic, but flavorful at the same time? Well, this recipe for Chicken with Mustard and Bacon is just that. It is simple, relying on just a handful of ingredients, but sophisticated thanks to the flavor layering of bacon, white wine, cream, and thyme. Serve up this dish with rice or pasta to soak up more of that delicious sauce, or with a simple pan of roasted carrots and potatoes, my go-to side for nights when I’m too tired to put any more thought into a meal.
As with any recipe from David Lebovitz, this Chicken with Mustard (Poulet a la Moutarde for you sophisticates) is absolutely heavenly. If you haven’t been introduced to this guy, I recommend blindly following whatever he has to say about cooking.
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A flavorful dish featuring bone-in chicken, mustard, bacon and heavy cream.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons dijon mustard, divided
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 cup diced thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
olive oil for the pan
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds or grainy mustard
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in the mustard mixture, coating evenly and carefully rubbing the sauce under the skin of the chicken. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet with a lid or a dutch oven over medium high heat and add the diced bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and remove all but a tablespoon or so of bacon fat from the pan, reserving for another use.
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook in the bacon grease until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in thyme leaves and cook for another few minutes, then scrape the onion and thyme mix onto the same plate as the bacon.
- Drizzle some olive oil into the skillet and add the chicken pieces in a single layer over medium high heat, cooking in two batches if necessary. Brown chicken well on one side, then flip and brown on the other side. Move chicken to the plate with bacon and onions.
- Add wine to the still hot skillet and scrape up all of the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken, bacon, and onions to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, turning chicken several times, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-25 minutes. *
- Remove the skillet from heat and transfer the chicken pieces to a platter. Stir the remaining 3 tablespoons of dijon mustard, the whole grain mustard, and the heavy cream into the pan drippings, thinning with a few teaspoons of water if needed.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Notes
*Check for chicken’s doneness by interesting a knife next to the thigh bone. If the meat looks reddish, continue cooking for a few more minutes. If using a meat thermometer, cook chicken to 165 degrees.
