30 minutes. One pot. And dinner is on the table! This recipe for chicken thighs dijon is for those nights when you want creamy, rich French comfort food but you want now. And you don’t want to spend the rest of evening tidying up the kitchen. Pair the chicken with a simple salad and a crusty bread or some egg noodles and dinner is sorted.
While I love having dinner merrily simmering away in my slow cooker or oven and filling my house with wonderful smells throughout the day, I also love being able to put a comforting and tasty dinner on the table quickly. Because some days you have it together and can get the slow cooker running in the morning and other days…not so much.
I can’t be the only one who gets distracted by shiny things or gets working and loses track of time or just doesn’t get to the store when I planned to. Right?
Please tell me I’m not the only one? 🙂
Anyway, even on those days, I need to make dinner and, since it’s probably about 5 o’clock by the time I start to work on plan B, I need something quick. Something that’s easy to clean up. Something flexible, so I can dress it up to whatever flavors have caught my fancy that day.
That’s when pan roasted chicken thighs come to the rescue! I shared a recipe for pan roasted chicken thighs with olives and broccolini last year, and I knew it was time for another one. There are dozens of ways to change them up and every one of them is quick and gets dinner on the table, while also being really, really good!
You really can’t go wrong with tender chicken thighs (which are happily forgiving if you leave them in the oven for a titch longer), crispy skin, and flavorful sauce filled with herbs and aromatics. Sounds like dinner to me!
Which is why I knew I needed to make a chicken dijon version of the recipe. I’ve been having a serious craving for chicken dijon lately and it seemed a perfect recipe to adapt as it’s usually a quick cooking chicken stew. Since I have the pan roasting part of the recipe down to a science, my only issue was to make the sauce thick and flavorful.
That came down to a few choices:
- Make the sauce when the chicken comes out of the oven since the skillet isn’t in the oven long enough to cook down sauce.
- Not too much chicken stock. One cup is plenty to give the sauce flavor and body without requiring a long simmering time.
- And use fresh rosemary! It’s the perfect finishing touch.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs Dijon
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 medium chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 medium shallots sliced the long way
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock low or no sodium
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Heat the olive oil in an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.Sprinkle the thighs liberally with kosher salt before putting them in the pan. When the pan is very hot and the oil is shimmery, place the chicken thighs skin side down in the skillet. Sear for 5 minutes, then turn and sear for 3 minutes.
- At this point, drain out most of the fat, leaving a tablespoon or two in the skillet. Add the shallots and garlic to the skillet, scattering them around. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chicken to a tray. Add the white wine, chicken stock, cream, mustard, and rosemary to the skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook the sauce down for 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the skillet and coat them in the sauce. Serve with fresh bread, egg noodles, or rice.
Notes
- The shallots will be a little browned and softened in the recipe. If you want some caramelization on them, add them while you are browning the chicken on the stove top. Putting them in the skillet after you turn the chicken will give them some color.
- Any medium body white wine will be good. I buy the kind which comes in little four packs for sauces and cooking.
Paige says
This was delicious. For us, putting in the chopped garlic that early ended with black little garlic chips, so if we make it again, we’ll probably add them after the chicken’s out of the oven, but overall tasty and we’ll be sure to make it again,
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks for the info. I wonder why your garlic burned. Could you tell me what sort of pan you used? (I use a heavy duty stainless.) And how small you cut the garlic?
Lucy says
Wonderful recipe and pics! 🙂 Wanna make it soon 🙂
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! 🙂
Deena says
Looks amazing! How would you amend cooking time if you were using skinless boneless thighs? Thanks!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! And I never make pan roasted chicken thighs with boneless chicken, so I’m not sure. All I can say is that it will take less time and I’m not sure if the shallots will have enough oven time to cook properly. Also, it will be a very different dish without the skin. Honestly, I would make the recipe completely differently if I were making boneless, skinless chicken dijon.
Nicole says
Is it bone- in skin on chicken thighs or skin on boneless? Looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Hi! I use bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. 🙂
Valentina | The Baking Fairy says
These look so delicious! I love honey mustard chicken, and this is basically the fancied up version 😉 Making this soon!!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Basically! Add French to any recipe and it gets fancied up.
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
This chicken is making me drooollllll! It looks sooo yummy and perfect for dinner!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! 🙂
CakeSpy says
Oh my goodness, this looks PERFECT – and such an easy to follow recipe! Love the idea of incorporating this into my cold-evening repertoire.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! 🙂 It is a great recipe for a chilly night.
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
What mouth watering photos 🙂 I’m like you – I love a long slow cooked dinner, but sometimes you need real fast food too – and this ticks all the boxes.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks, Nancy! It is good to have quick and yummy recipes for those days when you need dinner fast. 🙂