Poulet à la moutard has the sharpness from mustard balanced by creaminess. This sauce, with the thickness of a gravy, is rich but isn’t heavy as it doesn’t use a starch to thicken it. Instead, mustard and egg are used to create an emulsified sauce.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs
- Salt and milled pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil blend
- 2 diced shallots, chopped (or 1 onion works well, too)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- ⅘ cup (200ml) dry white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4-6 leeks, cut into 5cm sticks
- ¼ cup cream
For serving:
- Pangrattato (see cook’s note)
- Chopped parsley and thyme leaves
- Mash or rice
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Season chicken well. Heat oil in an oven-safe pot over medium-high heat.
- Brown chicken on both sides, for about 3-4 minutes stock and mustard. Season. a side. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, brown leeks for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Scoop about half of the pan juices or fat out of the pan, so you’re left with about 1 Tbsp fat only. (This is important as you’re making an emulsified sauce, so too much fat can cause it to split.) Turn heat to medium.
- Add shallot or onion and sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for a minute until golden.
- Add wine to deglaze the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add bay leaf, thyme and stir in
- Return chicken to the pot, placing skin-side up. Nestle leeks around chicken.
- Braise uncovered in the oven for about 23-28 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. (To check if the chicken is done, pierce it with a sharp knife at its thickest point. If liquid running out is clear, the chicken is cooked.)
- Remove chicken from the pot and place over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add cream, stirring to combine, and allow to simmer to reduce and thicken to a coating, gravy consistency.
- Sprinkle with pangrattato (if using) and herbs just before serving. Serve with rice or mash.
Cook’s Note
To make a pangrattato, tear crusty bread into small pieces. Toast in a pan with butter and/or oil until crispy. Mix with chopped herbs (such as parsley, thyme and rosemary) and a grating of Parmesan. We’ve added this for extra flavour, but it is not used in the traditional French recipe.
Recipe & Styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Text Courtesy of: My Kitchen magazine
