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Oh, la la! This French Chicken with Creamy Mustard-White Wine Sauce is one of those recipes that will make you fall in love with chicken all over again.
There’s really no better way to convey how much you care for your loved ones than showering them with a delicious home-cooked meal — and this recipe is the perfect way to show your spouse, partner, best friends, or parents just how much you really love them. It shows that you’d take the time and effort for them any night of the week.
This chicken is one of those simple weeknight dishes that will blow you and your lover away! The creamy mustard sauce is out of control, knock your socks off good. I even grabbed a spoon after we ate and just went to town on the rest of the pan sauce. No shame here!
This French Chicken with Creamy Mustard-White Wine Sauce is also a great dish for the holiday season to impress your guests (you’ll just have to make a lot more of it). It’s just fancy enough but simple to create — and a total crowdpleaser!
ingredients: for the chicken
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (you can use a combination of thighs, breasts, or legs here)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Diced Shallot
- Garlic
- Grainy Mustard
- Dijon Mustard
- Dry White Wine: I used a sauvignon blanc
- Unsalted Butter: Can sub ghee or vegan butter
- Fresh Thyme Leaves
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk: Can sub heavy creamer
Step-by-Step:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Step One: Prep the Chicken
Pat dry chicken pieces and season evenly with kosher salt and pepper.
Step Two: Brown the Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron (or other oven-safe) skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken skin-side down and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set browned chicken aside on a plate (it doesn’t need to be cooked through, as it will finish cooking later).
Step Three: Saute the Shallots and Garlic
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn.
Step Four: Make the Sauce
Add the grainy mustard and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine with shallots and garlic. While whisking, slowly stir in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Let cook, simmering until the white wine has reduced just a bit, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter and let melt, stirring into the pan sauce. Add the thyme and pour in the coconut milk. Stir until well combined and the sauce comes to a gentle simmer.
Step 5: bake the Chicken
Nestle the chicken, skin side up, into the sauce. Transfer into the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 6: Finish and enjoy!
Remove from the oven. Let rest for 5 minutes to cool slightly and for the sauce to settle. Finish with more fresh thyme. Serve with cauliflower purée—full recipe for that below!
Grab a bottle of white wine, pour yourself (and a friend) a glass, and enjoy this special chicken dinner at home!
For more recipes paired perfectly with a glass of wine, check out this recipe round-up.
French Creamy Dijon and White Wine Chicken
Ingredients
For Chicken:
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (you can use a combination of thighs, breasts, or legs here)
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced shallot
- 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a sauvignon blanc)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (sub ghee or vegan butter)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (sub heavy creamer)
For Cauliflower Puree:
- 1 head large head of cauliflower, cut into florets (about 4 cups florets)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or more if needed)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make the Chicken:
- Pat dry chicken pieces and season all over with kosher salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken skin-side down and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set browned chicken aside on a plate (it doesn't need to be cooked through, as it will finish cooking later).
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn.
- Add the grainy mustard and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine with shallots and garlic. While whisking, slowly stir in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Let cook, simmering until the white wine has reduced just a bit, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the butter and let melt, stirring into the pan sauce. Add the thyme and pour in the coconut milk. Stir until well combined and the sauce comes to a gentle simmer.
- Nestle the chicken, skin side up, into the sauce. Transfer into the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and let rest for 5 minutes to cool slightly and for the sauce to settle. Finish with more fresh thyme.
For the Cauliflower Puree:
- Meanwhile, while the chicken is cooking, add cauliflower florets into a saucepan with chicken broth, coconut milk, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until cauliflower is fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Once tender, pour all contents in the saucepan into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth (if you need more liquid, add a few splashes more of broth to the blender). Blend until smooth.
Serve the dish:
- Serve the chicken alongside the cauliflower puree and garnish with thyme leaves, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
What on earth did I do wrong? I baked at 375 for 40 minutes on an oven safe pan instead of cast iron but my sauce is completely burned. Chicken looks edible, though.
So sorry to hear this, Hayden! Does your oven tend to run hot? I’d recommend grabbing an oven thermometer if you don’t have one.