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This Creamy, Slow Cooker French Mustard Chicken Is a Flavor Powerhouse

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking. After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
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published Feb 6, 2023
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

Tender braised chicken bathed in a creamy French mustard wine sauce.

Serves6 to 8

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Post Image
Credit: Joe Lingeman

Mustard is one of those condiments that can add a lot of easy flavor to your cooking. And two kinds of mustard (grainy and smooth)? Now you’re talking about a flavor powerhouse.

This braised chicken dish puts the classic French combination of mustard, white wine, shallots, and cream to work in a slow cooker to create tender, saucy chicken ready to be served with some good bread to drag through the last drops of sauce on your plate.

Sear First, Slow Cook Second

Yes, it adds an extra step, but using a skillet on the stovetop first is worth it because the chicken browns and adds deeper flavors, the shallots start cooking and end up meltingly tender, and the raw alcohol flavors in the wine get a chance to cook out, leaving behind acid and sweetness instead. But once everything’s in the slow cooker, you can walk away for a few hours.

Credit: Joe Lingeman

The chicken needs about four hours in the slow cooker to cook through, and while you can leave it in there for six hours, the bottom layer of chicken will end up a tad overcooked. After the chicken’s ready, turn the liquid in the crock into a thick, luscious sauce by whisking in a mixture of cream, smooth Dijon mustard, and cornstarch and letting it cook for about 30 more minutes. All three of these things help thicken and emulsify the sauce so that you can spoon it over every bite of braised chicken.

Slow Cooker Creamy French Mustard Chicken

Tender braised chicken bathed in a creamy French mustard wine sauce.

Serves 6 to 8

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon

    olive oil

  • 4 pounds

    bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 cup

    diced shallots (from about 4 medium shallots)

  • 1 cup

    dry white wine

  • 1/2 cup

    low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1/4 cup

    whole-grain Dijon mustard

  • 1/4 cup

    Dijon mustard

  • 1/4 cup

    heavy cream

  • 1 tablespoon

    cornstarch

  • Coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Add half of the chicken skin-side down to the pan and cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is crisp and golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken skin-side up to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Repeat with browning the remaining chicken. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.

  2. Return the pan to medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and cook until almost evaporated, about 6 minutes. Stir in the broth and whole-grain mustard and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.

  3. Cover and cook on the LOW setting until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, 4 to 6 hours (4 is preferable; at 6 hours the chicken on the bottom will start to get slightly mushy). Transfer the chicken with tongs to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

  4. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH. Place the smooth Dijon mustard, cream, and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk into the sauce in the slow cooker, cover, and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the sauce with the chicken, and garnish with parsley if desired.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

This post was originally published on Kitchn. Read it there: Recipe: Slow Cooker Creamy French Mustard Chicken