Creamy Mustard Chicken
Crispy chicken legs smothered in a luxuriously delicious creamy mustard sauce!
Servings: 4
Cost: £2 / $2.50
Equipment
- Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels for drying chicken
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Cast-Iron/Oven Safe Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 4x Chicken Legs, brought close to room temp (approx 250-300g/9-10.5oz each)
- 1 tsp Salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 Echalion Shallot, finely diced (sub 2 normal small shallots)
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 60ml / 1/4 cup Dry White Wine
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
- 3/4 cup / 180ml Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Tarragon (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Pat the chicken legs dry with kitchen roll then season all over with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Place them skin-side-down in a large cast-iron or heavy-based oven-proof pan with the heat OFF.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the chicken for 10 minutes. The skin should be golden and relatively crisp at this point, with a fair amount of fat rendered out. If they look like they're charring, just turn the heat down slightly. Also give them a wiggle towards the start to check they're not sticking. Flip the chicken then place the pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is crisp on top and cooked right through the centre.
- Remove the pan and place it back on the stove (remember the handle will be hot!). Remove the chicken and place to one side, then turn the heat to medium. Add the shallot to the leftover chicken fat and fry until it starts turning soft & golden, then add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds or so. Pour in the wine, increase the heat slightly and simmer until it almost completely evaporates, scraping any flavour from the pan as needed.
- Pour in the stock and cream, then stir in the mustard and tarragon. Keep on a fairly rapid simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, stirring fairly frequently. Stir in any resting juices from the chicken then check for seasoning and adjust if needed. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon over the sauce.
- Serve up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) Chicken Legs - These are the thighs and drumsticks attached, also known as 'chicken leg quarters'. You'll find them in most supermarkets.
b) How do I know when the chicken is cooked? - This will be dependent on the size of the chicken legs, but if in doubt, use a kitchen thermometer. The thickest part of the leg should read minimum 74C/165F with the juices running clear.
c) Pan/oil - If your cast-iron skillet is well seasoned you don't need oil. The skin offers more than enough fat to ensure the chicken doesn't stick (you can peak to check though). I recommend a cast-iron because it retains heat really nicely, but any other oven-safe and preferably heavy-based pan will work. Just don't use a pan that's prone to things sticking.
d) Excess fat - There will be a good amount of excess fat/chicken juices in the pan, but it shouldn't be anything crazy (~2 tbsp). It adds heaps of flavour to the sauce. If there's a huge amount, which there might be with thighs (see below), then you can tip a little out before frying the shallots.
e) Can I use chicken thighs? - Yes, they'll just take a little less time in the oven because they're typically smaller. Apart from that, it's the same steps, although there might be more excess fat (see note above). You'll probably get 6 thighs in a large pan. You can also use boneless/skinless, in which case just season and fry them in a little oil for 4-5 mins on each side or until cooked through, then remove and carry on with the recipe (no need to bake).
f) Can I use chicken breast? - You could use 2x 250g/9oz breasts and horizontally slice them in half to create 4 even-sized breasts. From there, coat in half of the seasoning (1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper) and fry in 1 tbsp butter and oil over medium-high heat for 3-4mins each side. They won't offer as much flavour as the legs because they're not as fatty, but they'll still work great!
g) Wine - This is great to deglaze the pan, but it also adds a gentle background flavour and cuts through the richness of the sauce. Very important to reduce it right down otherwise it'll be too pungent, especially alongside the mustard. The alcohol will burn off, but if you can't use it then just leave it out.
h) Tarragon - This goes so amazingly with both the chicken and the mustard sauce. You'll find it in most supermarkets. If you don't like tarragon or can't find it I have a very similar recipe where I use 2 tsp finely diced fresh rosemary, which works really nicely.
i) Serving - Here I've served with Roasted Baby Potatoes and Asparagus, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
Nutrition
Calories: 716kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.03g | Protein: 42.55g | Fat: 56.64g | Saturated Fat: 21.222g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9.066g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21.45g | Trans Fat: 0.151g | Cholesterol: 294mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 618mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 2.24g | Vitamin A: 914IU | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2.2mg