Chicken in Creamy Dijon Mushrooms
Plate-Licking Mustard Sauce Enriches Boneless Breasts or Pork Chops
Do you still have a tiny jar of gourmet mustard in the cupboard that someone gave you last holiday? Amaze them by turning it into this scrumptious dish.
Many of you grew up associating mustard with hot dogs or ham. Maybe your mom snuck some into your tuna or egg-salad sandwich. The mustard in this sauce is softened with cream and rounded with sweet onion and mushrooms. Even your kids might surprise you with the way they chow down on this match-up.
Chicken with a Creamy Dijon Mushrooms Sauce
You Will Need:
- A 9X13 baking dish;
- A non-stick skillet, preferably large enough to hold all the chicken in one layer (alternately, you can brown the chicken in shifts.)
The Chicken
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (more if you’re using “tenders”) or thighs
- 1/2 cup of flour (for dusting)
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard (see Dijon Mustards Rated)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Over a medium-high flame, heat butter and oil in the skillet. Meanwhile, dust the chicken with flour. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken and brown it on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove to the baking dish. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw chicken.
- After they have cooled a bit, spread the top of each piece with mustard. Put it in the oven while you make the sauce.
The Sauce
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1-3 cloves garlic (depending on your taste and need for protection from vampires or bad dates)
- 1 cup mushrooms, halved and slthinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Add onions to the same skillet and sweat them for a couple of minutes. Toss in the garlic for just another 30 seconds. Do not let them brown or they will turn bitter.
- Add the mushrooms (and another pat of butter if needed) and saute, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up there moisture.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the parsley, cream and seasonings. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. You may not need much pepper because of the mustard. Allow the mixture to just heat through.
- Pull the chicken out of the oven long enough to pour the sauce evenly over all. Return it to the oven and let it bake until the chicken is cooked through and a the juices run clear when pierced with a fork. This will vary with the thickness of your chicken pieces.
- Remove the dish and give the sauce one more taste. It should be heavenly, by you deserve the first taste. Add more salt only if you think it needs it.
- Finish it with a few drops of lemon juice and serve over wide noodles or rice with your favorite green vegetable on the side.
Yield: 4 servings
Wine Suggestion:
A crisp white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc, or, apropos of Dijon, ask your wine merchant for a good white Burgundy.
Variations:
Bone-in chicken pieces or even lean pork chops could be used in this recipe. In either case, extend the baking time to 30-35 minutes. Skinning the chicken pieces first makes the dish less greasy. This is easily accomplished by running your thumb under the skin to loosen it from the meat and then pulling it off.
Cooking for Teens:This dish may too flavorful for some teenage palates. If you are trying to tempt your kids in this recipe, try mincing the onion and mushroom to unidentifiable bits. Some are also not impressed by green color accents, so consider omitting the parsley except as an optional garnish. If they still turn up their noses, let them cook their own hot dog.
About Dijon:
Catch the TGV high-speed train from the Gare de Lyon terminal in Paris, and you can be in Dijon in an hour and forty minutes. It will take you more like three hours in your Peugot 505 if you obey the speed limits.
Dijon is the historic capital of Burgundy, whose domain once stretched as far north as Brussels. Burgundy is known for its fine wines, of course, as well as the Burgundian roofs, eye-catching patterns of clay tiles glazed in terra cotta, green, yellow and black.
As for the mustard, Dijon has become synonymous with a style of mustard more than its geographical origin. While prepared mustards are still made in Dijon, 90% of the mustard seed is imported, largely from Canada.
American food writer M.F.K. Fisher moved to Dijon in 1929. To read about Dijon cuisine, you may want to read her book, Long Ago in France
Hungry for more? Find out what's happening in French Cuisine, Check out more recipes that demystify the basic techniques and ingredients of French Cuisine. Explore the cuisine of France's Regions beyond Paris
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