Chicken Thighs in Mustard and Wine Sauce are made with just the right amount of Dijon mustard, cream and white wine & perfectly flavored with thyme and garlic. After making it once, I’m convinced that Dijon Mustard and White Wine make a perfect pair with chicken!
So if you are ready to add a bold punch of flavor to your chicken, this Chicken in Mustard and Wine Sauce is definitely the choice.
What kind of chicken to use for French Style Chicken in Mustard
You will need skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, but if you don’t like chicken skin, this recipe can definitely be used with skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs – in that case the chicken will be completely done after sauteing in the pan and should only be reheated on the stove top and not baked.
Chicken needs to be pan seared first, in order to get that nice golden color on the skin.
How to make Mustard Sauce for Chicken Thighs
Sautéed onions, thyme and garlic serve as the starting point of the sauce, followed by Dijon mustard and dry white wine. I used Pinot Grigio, but any other dry white wine, such as Chardonnay will be great here.
A little bit of flour here is added to thicken up the sauce. I also used cream and chicken broth. The sauce is cooked on the stove top before the chicken is added back to the pan and transferred to the oven to finish cooking
After the sauce is done the chicken is reunited with the pan and is ready to be baked in the luxury of mustard and wine cream sauce!
To make this French style chicken in mustard sauce gluten free
Use rice flour instead of wheat flour to thicken up the sauce
What pan to use to make this mustard chicken
Use a large skillet like this modern design 12 inch Lodge cast iron pan.
You can also use stainless steel or dutch oven.
How to make smooth mustard sauce with wine
When adding flour to the pan, I always use a small sifter to prevent clumps. I sift it into the pan very slowly right before I add wine, and the pan needs to have some fat in it: olive oil or butter, or both.
I add wine immediately after adding flour or even while adding flour and start whisking both at the same time. Only once did I have a problem with flour clumping and it was when I added it all at once and without sifting.
Next add chicken stock, heavy cream and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add mustard and mix in well with the sauce.
If the sauce appears to be too thin, I bring my sifter back in and add about half a tablespoon of flour to thicken it up again. Always works!
How to sauté chicken thighs
I always cook chicken thighs skin side first on medium high heat for at least 4 minutes. I just set a timer on my microwave for 4 minutes and don’t touch chicken thighs until it goes off. Then I slightly reduce the heat and flip them to the other side and cook for additional 4-5 minutes, for a total of 8-10 minutes.
Bone-in chicken thighs won’t be cooked through by pan searing like this, they will need some additional heat to get to the bone and that’s why the chicken in sauce is transferred to the oven.
This Chicken in Mustard and Wine Sauce has been added to the list of our chicken favorites!
For more easy and delicious chicken thighs recipes, please visit:
Oven Baked Peri Peri Chicken
Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms in Wine Sauce
Skillet Chicken Thighs in Mushroom and Wine Sauce
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French Style Chicken in Mustard and Wine Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- Italian seasoning for seasoning chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
Dijon Wine Sauce:
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3-4 thyme sprigs (leaves of those sprigs)
- 1 tbsp flour (wheat or rice flour)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Sautéing the chicken: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on both sides. Cook the chicken on medium high skin side down first until golden brown, then flip over and cook on the other side, 4 to 5 minutes per side; transfer chicken to a plate. Chicken will not be cooked through at this point.
- Sauce Base: To the same pan add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook over medium heat until just tender for 3-4 minutes.
- Making Dijon Wine Sauce: Move onions to the side of the pan and start whisking in flour (preferably using a sifter). While adding flour, also slowly start adding the wine. Next add chicken stock, heavy cream and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add mustard and mix in well with the sauce
- Adding chicken to the pan: Add removed chicken back to the skillet with sauce.
- Baking in the oven: Put the skillet with chicken into the oven uncovered and bake at 375 F for 35-40 minutes. Check to make sure chicken is cooked all the way through.
- To serve: Serve with mashed potatoes, asparagus or roasted vegetables of your choice.
Howdy,
I cook a lot as a home chef, pretty much 3 meals a day, and have assisted in restaurants in the past as prep. I waited to add the garlic until I had thoroughly sautéed the onions because I didn’t want the garlic to burn. Also, I drained all the oil off, except for about a tablespoon, after sautéing the chicken thighs because it seemed like too much oil and fat left in the pan. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. It’s great and I‘ll be adding it to the “rotation.” Thanks so much!
Kind regards,
Hollye
Thank you, Hollye!
I still have some fresh thyme in the back yard – this will be our dinner tonight!
Way to use your gardening resources! I hope you enjoy it.
Love this recipe! Looks very French.
Thank you Pat.