April 28, 2020
Dijon braised chicken with mushroom
Dijon Braised Chicken with Mushrooms
By Steven Spanbauer
4 servings / 30-minute preparation & 1 hour cooking time
Dark chicken meat is preferred in this recipe because you really have to work hard to overcook it, and it has the best flavor. You can just as easily substitute duck if you have it on hand, but you would have to remove some extra fat (and save it for frying potatoes!) You can find both Maille and Edmond Fallot online and at specialty grocers. Since mustard doesn’t go bad, stock up! Edmond Fallot comes in many different flavors, which can add an extra dimension to this recipe. A personal favorite is the green peppercorn mustard. Finally, getting the sauce to the right consistency at the end is annoying but worth it. It should just coat the back of a spoon.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 pieces of chicken with skin and bones, preferably dark meat – either 4 hind-quarters or 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, Maille, or Edmond Fallot, if you can find it
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, any type that is your favorite
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup cream
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon flour (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 300º F. Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch thick slices. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has foamed, add the mushrooms, a pinch of as,lt and a little ground pepper and saute until they begin to brown and shrink in size, about 8 minutes.
- While sauteing the mushrooms, salt and pepper both sides of the chicken pieces. Then using a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of the chicken with the dijon mustard.
- Remove the mushrooms from the frying pan and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the pan, and once it has melted, arrange the chicken in the pan. Cook each side for about 3 minutes, turn the pieces over and cook for another 3 minutes or until the chicken has lightly browned. Keep an eye on the bottom of the pan to make sure it isn’t burning. Adjust the heat as necessary to ensure you get a good depth of flavor from the fond rather than a burnt flavor. Your nose is your best guide.
- Once the chicken has browned, layer it in a medium-sized dutch oven and cover it with the sauteed mushrooms, the sprigs of thyme, and the bay leaves.
- Return to the frying pan to medium heat and add the thinly sliced shallot, there should be enough rendered fat left but add a little more butter if needed. Sautee the shallots for about a minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and wine and turn the heat up to high to deglaze the pan. Reduce the sauce by about 1/3, then reduce the heat to simmer and add the cream. Simmer for one more minute, then add the sauce to the dutch oven.
- Cover and place the dutch oven in the preheated oven and cook for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, check the consistency of the sauce. If it is too thin, return to the stovetop and bring to a boil adding small amounts of sifted flour to thicken the sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it with a little more chicken stock.
- You will know the chicken is done when it just begins to fall off the bone. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
The inspiration for this dish was to find something to pair with Chablis. An obvious choice would be the Chablis Villages from Domaine J.-P. & Benoît Droin. If you’re lucky to have some bottles of premier cru or grand cru Chablis with about 7-12 years of age, all the better! If you’re feeling celebratory, how about a Blanc de Blancs from Les Clandestin, Vouette & Sorbée, or Champagne Dosnon?
