Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce

By Kath Dedon

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I first noticed this recipe for Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce on Deb’s Smitten Kitchen blog. She raved about it. Then Laura told me that she made it, and she raved about it. I’ve now made it 3 times, and I have to say it is worth the raves!

Deb said she found the recipe in an old issue of Gourmet magazine. You can check out the original, from the March 2008 issue, here at epicurious.com. Gourmet suggests straining the sauce, which would remove the sliced shallots. You can certainly do that, but I followed Deb’s lead and left them in.

When you read the list of ingredients, you may think that there’s nothing really special here. But, somehow, it all comes together in a perfect blend of flavors. Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce will definitely be one of my regular recipes; it’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal!

I have made the recipe with a whole cut-up chicken, but last night I scaled it down for two servings. I used 1¾ pounds of chicken thighs (4 thighs).

I like to serve it with smashed Yukon gold potatoes (I love my new Oxo potato masher!) and a big salad. A bit of the Dijon sauce is oh-so good on the potatoes, too!

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Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce

(Adapted from a recipe on smittenkitchen.com; originally from the March 2008 issue of Gourmet)

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 4

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(Use 1½ – 1¾ pounds of chicken parts – 4 thighs work well – and cut the sauce ingredients in half for 2 servings)

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3 pounds chicken parts, with skin and bones (cut large breast pieces in half)

1 tablespoon oil

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

¾ cup dry white wine

¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or the green part of green onions

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Shallots

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚.

2. Heat an oven-proof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Add the oil and heat until it’s hot.

4. Add ½ of the chicken pieces and brown on both sides.* This will take about 5 minutes.

5. Remove the first batch of chicken and brown the rest of the chicken pieces.

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*Last night I cut the recipe in half and just used 4 chicken thighs, so they all went in at the same time.

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6. Put all of the pieces in the pan, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes

7. Put the chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

8. Add the shallots, wine, and broth to the pan. Stir well and cook over medium heat until it is reduced a bit, a couple of minutes.

9. Add cream and simmer for another minute. (At this point you can choose to boil it a bit more so it reduces and thickens some more. I didn’t mind the sauce being a bit thin.)

10. Strain the sauce if you want to remove the shallots. (I didn’t do this.) Stir in the mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

11. Serve the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the chives or green onions.

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