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Chicken Dijon

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Chicken Dijon is a rustic, decadent chicken dish. Crispy chicken thighs smothered in a creamy dijon wine sauce. Perfect over mashed potatoes!

Chicken Dijon sounds kinda fancy, and also looks kinda fancy but guess what, follow this recipe and you’ll have this showstopper of a meal on your table in no time.

This recipe has quickly become a family favorite here. Even my kiddos love this. How can they not?! The chicken thighs are flavorful, the skin crispy and that is before we even get to the decadent sauce. Oh man the sauce! It is the stuff dreams are made of. Made with shallots, garlic, herbs, wine and cream it is full of flavor. It makes the perfect sauce to spoon over the chicken and mashed potatoes.

Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make it.

Chicken Dijon Ingredients:

  • CHICKEN THIGHS: For the best flavor, I highly recommend using bone-in skin on chicken thighs. Cooking bone-in chicken will give the chicken a deeper, meatier flavor thanks to the marrow in the bone. And the skin plays a big part in this recipe as well: the crispiness adds texture and as the fat renders it helps make a base for the sauce.
  • EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
  • SHALLOT: Will add a subtle onion flavor without overpowering the dish.
  • GARLIC: Fresh garlic is a must. For the best flavor in this recipe, avoid the jarred stuff.
  • ROSEMARY/THYME: I use both dried rosemary and thyme for this recipe. They each add an earthy, herb flavor to the dish. You can use fresh herbs if you have access to them but dried work just fine.
  • CHARDONNAY: Or another dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. Just make sure that it is something that you like the flavor of when drinking. The flavor will be concentrated in the sauce.
  • CHICKEN BROTH: Use low sodium chicken broth so that you can control the final saltiness of the dish.
  • HEAVY CREAM: Will add richness and decadence to the sauce.
  • DIJON MUSTARD: A creamy mustard with sharp flavor. It is usually made with brown mustard seeds and wine. You can find it smooth or course ground. Either will work in this recipe.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions:

One of the great things about making this Dijon Chicken is that it can be made in one pot. You will be cooking the chicken completely before making the sauce. I find that this helps keep the skin crispy. Follow along with these step by step photos and instructions to guide you every step of the way.

STEP #1: Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Patting the chicken dry will help the skin get crispier.

STEP #2: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken thighs, skin side down for 10 – 15 minutes untouched.

STEP #3: Turn chicken and continue cooking 10 – 15 more minutes or until a thermometer inserted reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Reserve 4 tablespoons of pan drippings.

STEP #4: Add shallot, garlic, rosemary and thyme to the reserved pan drippings and cook just until the shallots start to soften.

STEP #5: Pour the chardonnay into the pan to deglaze it. Use a spatula or spoon to scrape the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. There is so much flavor there! Allow mixture to simmer until it is reduced by 1/2, about 10 minutes.

STEP #6: Whisk in 1 – 2 tablespoons of the hot broth into the heavy cream. This will help temper it so that it does not curdle when you add it to the sauce.

STEP #7: Whisk the tempered cream and dijon mustard into the sauce. Allow to cook until thickened, it will coat the back of the spoon.

At this point, you can return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Alternately, you can place the chicken on the serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top to serve.

My family loved this with my creamy homemade mashed potatoes . The dijon sauce makes a perfect gravy for them.

Storage and Leftovers:

Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. Reheat and eat within 3 days.

If you loved this Dijon Chicken, be sure to check out some of my other chicken recipes:

Once you try my Cajun Fried Chicken Wings, you’ll never cook chicken wings another way.

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Dill are juicy, full of dill flavor and a family favorite!

Chicken Cacciatore is another great way to use bone-in chicken thighs. A classic for sure!

Chicken Dijon

Chicken Dijon is a rustic, decadent chicken dish. Crispy chicken thighs smothered in a creamy dijon wine sauce. Perfect over mashed potatoes!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 809 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup chardonnay
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • parsley for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Patting the chicken dry will help the skin get crispier.
  • Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken thighs, skin side down for 10 – 15 minutes untouched.
  • Turn chicken and continue cooking 10 – 15 more minutes or until a thermometer inserted reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Reserve 4 tablespoons of pan drippings.
  • Add shallot, garlic, rosemary and thyme to the reserved pan drippings and cook just until the shallots start to soften.
  • Pour the chardonnay into the pan to deglaze it. Use a spatula or spoon to scrape the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. There is so much flavor there! Allow mixture to simmer until it is reduced by 1/2, about 10 minutes.
  • Whisk in 1 – 2 tablespoons of the hot broth into the heavy cream. This will help temper it so that it does not curdle when you add it to the sauce.
  • Whisk the tempered cream and dijon mustard into the sauce. Allow to cook until thickened, it will coat the back of the spoon. At this point, you can return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Alternately, you can place the chicken on the serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top to serve. Sprinkle with parsley to garnish, if desired.

Notes

You may need to cook the chicken in batches so as to not over-crowd the pan. This will help get the chicken skin the crispiest. Keep the chicken covered with aluminum foil or in a warm oven in between batches. 
Nutrition information for estimation purposes only. 

Nutrition

Calories: 809kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 49gFat: 63gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 317mgSodium: 362mgPotassium: 706mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 682IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 3mg
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Keywords: chicken, Chicken thighs, dijon, main dish

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Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Leona So
    June 27, 2024 at 5:40 am

    5 stars
    Hi,.. I just made the chicken what a great recipe the only thing I left out was the mustard, my husband can not stand the taste, I will put it in just for me and it will be ok some extra work but that is fine, great and tasty recipe in my book a big winner.Thank you for sharing your great recipe.

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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