Chicken with Mustard

This weekend, I slaved and made a completely French dinner! C'est magnifique! Although, I realize actually a true french dinner would have had more courses... c'est la vie. Maybe next time.



Recipe from David Lebovitz
Chicken with Mustard Poulet a la Moutarde

Ingredients
1/2 cup, plus 3 Tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp salt
4 chicken thighs, 4 chicken legs
1/2 small package smoked thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (3 or 4 sprigs)
1 cup white wine
1 Tbs grainy mustard
3 Tbs creme fraiche or heavy cream
parsley or chives for garnish

Preparation
1.Mix 1/2 cup of the Dijon mustard in a bowl with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in the mustard mixture, lifting the skin and rubbing some of it underneath.
2. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook bacon, stirring frequently, until it's cooked through and just starting to brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels, leaving about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan and discarding the rest. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the thyme, and let cook another few minutes, and then scrape the cooked onion into a bowl.
3. Add a little bit of olive oil to the pan, and place the chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer. (If they don't all fit, cook them in two batches.) Cook over medium-high heat, browning them well on one side, then flip them over and brown them on the other side. It's important to get the chicken nicely colored as the coloring -as well as the darkened bits on the bottom of the pan, called the fond- will give the finished sauce it's delicious flavor.
4. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate. Add wine to the hot pan, scraping the darkened bits off the bottom. Return the chicken to the pan along with the bacon and onions. Cover and cook over low to medium heat, turning the chicken in the sauce a few times during cooking, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the 3 Tbs Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, and heavy cream. Sprinkle parsley over the top and serve.

The chicken came out really well, but I used quite a lot of dishes in making it. I was also making the clafouti for dessert...