Go Back
Chicken with mustard in a large metal skillet garnished with thyme, being held by a man.
Print Recipe
4.82 / 27 votes

Mustard Chicken | Poulet à la Moutarde

This deeply flavored mustard chicken recipe—made with chicken, mustard, thyme, and stock—is a classic French dish.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Mains
Cuisine: French
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Calories: 646

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, (optional)
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks, (8 pieces total)
  • 1 cup smoked thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • olive oil, for the pan
  • 1 cup white wine

For the sauce

  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds or grainy mustard
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream
  • warm water, as needed
  • chopped flat-leaf parsley or chives, for garnish
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Mix the 1/2 cup Dijon mustard in a bowl with the 1/4 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika, a few generous grinds of the peppermill, and the salt, if using.
  • Toss the 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks in the mustard mixture, lifting the chicken skin and rubbing some of the mustard mixture beneath. Set aside while you tend to the bacon and onion.
  • Heat a wide skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the 1 cup smoked thick-cut bacon. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, just until it’s sorta cooked through and starting to brown, about 4 minutes.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: This is NOT crisping and rendering the bacon. It's just cooking it till it softens.

  • Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Leave about 1 tablespoon bacon fat in the skillet, discarding the rest. [Editor's Note: Oh, the horror! Don't discard the bacon fat. Reserve it for another use, such as sautéing potatoes, frying eggs, gilding popcorn, whatever tickles your fancy.]
  • Add the 1 small onion to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves and let cook for a few more minutes, then scrape the cooked onion onto the bacon.
  • Add a little olive oil to the skillet, if necessary, and add the chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer over medium-high heat. (If the pieces don’t all fit, cook them in 2 batches.) Brown them well on one side, then flip them over, and brown them on the other side. It’s important to get the chicken nicely colored, as the coloring and fond will give the finished sauce its delicious flavor.
  • Place the chicken pieces on the onions and bacon. Add the 1 cup white wine to the hot skillet, scraping the darkened bits off the bottom with a sturdy flat utensil.
  • Return the chicken pieces to the skillet along with the bacon and onions. Cover and cook the chicken over low to medium heat, turning the pieces in the sauce a few times, until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness by sticking a knife into the meat next to the thigh bone; if the meat is red, continue cooking for a few more minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat. Arrange the chicken to a platter and stir the 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, the 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds or grainy mustard, and the 2 to 3 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream into the pan drippings. If the sauce has reduced and is quite thick, you can thin it with a little warm water, adding a teaspoon or so at a time. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle chopped flat-leaf parsley or chives over the top, and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 646kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 207mg | Sodium: 1239mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g