Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs in Dijon Sauce

Last updated on February 23, 2019 by Liza Hawkins

These mouthwatering crispy braised chicken thighs in Dijon sauce were adapted from Melissa d’Arabian’s recipe “Chicken in Mustard.”

I love my slow cooker, I do. But sometimes I need to do a job that requires more than just letting food cook slowly for hours on end.

Sometimes I need to sear and meld flavors, to bring a sauce to a boil stove top and then cover it to bake for a while.

Enter, the Dutch oven.

We’re fans of chicken thighs, and because they’re my son’s absolute favorite, I make easy oven fried chicken thighs with perfectly crispy skin at least twice a month.

But when I stumbled across Melissa d’Arabian’s recipe for Chicken in Mustard, I knew I had to forgo our usual nosh for something a little more special.

A recipe that would allow me to make good use of a Saturday afternoon at home.

Her recipe uses chicken thighs without the skin, but I knew that if I seared my skin-on thighs really well and got the skin SUPER crispy, it would hold up to braising without getting gummy.

Because, no one likes gummy chicken skin. (Ewww.)

The layers of flavor with the chicken and the sauce are tremendous here! I made a few substitutions based on what I had in my fridge and pantry (beyond leaving the skin on), but over all kept the integrity of her recipe.

She seemed pleased when I shared my thoughts on twitter. YES!

And her super buttered noodles? They were a fantastic compliment, although I used linguine instead of egg noodles because that’s what I had on hand.

And, I’d imagine it would be tasty served over rice or even mashed potatoes (anything that can sop up the super tasty Dijon sauce).

Here’s the recipe with my tweaks.

And, yes. I would’ve used fresh chopped tomato if I had one.

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Yield: 4 to 6

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs in Dijon Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Adapted from Melissa d'Arabian's Chicken in Mustard.

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Ingredients

• 4 to 6 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 14.5-oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and then season both sides with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon fresh parsley. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken skin side down and let it sear for 4 minutes, then flip them and continue cooking for 4 minutes longer. If the skin isn't dark golden and crispy, turn it back over and cook for another minute or two. Remove the chicken to a plate covered with a paper towel and set it aside.

Turn the head down to medium and add the onions to the Dutch oven, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent - about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 more minute. Pour in the tomatoes, add the remaining salt and pepper, and then sprinkle the flour on top, whisking to combine. Let it cook for 2 minutes so the flour taste goes away, then increase the heat to medium-high, pour in 1/2 cup of chicken stock to deglaze the pan, and continue whisking until the sauce thickens.

Place the chicken into the sauce, skin side up. Pour the remaining chicken stock into the Dutch oven until it comes a little over half-way up the chicken - don't cover the chicken. Place the cover on, and throw it in the oven to cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and then continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Place the Dutch oven back onto the stove set to low. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Whisk in the mustard and the sour cream until the sauce is light and creamy. Add the chicken back in, skin side up, and let it simmer for 15 more minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve hot!

Notes

Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed rice or Melissa d'Arabian's recipe for Super Buttered Noodles.