French Mustard Chicken 

Poulet à la Moutarde is a classic rustic French chicken dish: bone in, skin‑on chicken pieces gently braised in a silky mustard flavored sauce with white wine, aromatic shallots, bacon or onion, and enriched with cream. It’s elegant yet comforting, perfect served over rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Full Recipe:

Ingredients

• 8 bone‑in, skin‑on chicken thighs (or thighs + drumsticks, about 2–2.5 lb)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• ½ cup Dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons whole‑grain (or coarse‑grain) mustard

• 4 slices thick cut bacon, diced (or substitute with olive oil + onion)

• 2 large shallots, minced (or 1 medium onion)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional, depending on variation)

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1–2 bay leaves, per variation)

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour (or cornstarch for gluten‑free)

• 1 cup chicken broth

• ½ cup heavy cream (or crème fraîche)

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

• Additional thyme sprigs for garnish (optional) 

Directions

1. Prepare & Brown the Chicken

• Season chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with Dijon mustard until fully coated.

• In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium‑high heat, cook bacon until soft and lightly browned (about 4 min), then remove and reserve. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 Tbsp in pan.

• Brown chicken pieces (skin‑side down first) about 4–5 minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside along with bacon.

2. Build the Sauce Base

• In same pan, sauté shallots until softened (3 min), add garlic (if using) and thyme, stirring for about 1 min more.

• Pour in white wine to deglaze, scraping up browned bits; simmer until wine is mostly evaporated (~3–4 min).

• Sprinkle in flour and stir, then gradually add chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil.

3. Braise the Chicken

• Return chicken and bacon to pan, skin‑side up, and lower heat to medium‑low. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature ≥165 °F), about 15–20 minutes.

4. Finish the Sauce

• Stir in heavy cream (or crème fraîche) and grainy mustard. Raise heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens to desired consistency, stirring occasionally.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

5. Garnish & Serve

• Plate the chicken, spoon sauce over top, and garnish with chopped parsley and thyme sprigs as desired

Nutritional Information (per serving, based on chicken breasts version)

• Calories: ~360 kcal

• Protein: ~34 g

• Fat: ~21 g (saturated ~10 g; monounsaturated ~7 g; polyunsaturated ~2 g)

• Carbohydrates: ~4 g (sugars ~2 g; fiber ~0.4 g)

• Cholesterol: ~142 mg

• Sodium: ~1069 mg

• Vitamin A: ~611 IU, Vitamin C: ~2 mg, Calcium: ~42 mg, Iron: ~1 mg