Braised Chicken with Shallot Mustard Sauce
Low and Slow
This one pot supper is packed with flavor and perfect for a week night. While the chicken braises, you can watch Jeopardy (an addiction of mine), throw in a load of laundry or make yourself a cocktail to unwind from the work day.
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Braised Chicken with Shallot Mustard Sauce
Cost: $15
Feeds: 3 for dinner; or 2 for dinner and two for lunch the next day ;)
I tend to start a braised dish like this as soon as I get home from work. That way, it has plenty of time to develop flavor and it's ready by the time my man friend gets home.* :)
What You Need:
3 Chicken Breasts (I used boneless/skinless because that's what I had. I also recommend chicken thighs or bone-in, skin-on breasts for maximum tastiness)
1/2 Cup Flour
Salt & Pepper
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Tsp Olive Oil
3 Shallots, sliced into thick rounds
1 Jalapeño
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
3 Sprigs Oregano or Tarragon
2 Tbsp Stone Ground Mustard
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
Cherry Tomatoes
Cilantro, roughly chopped
What To Do With It:
Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with lots of salt and pepper and coat with flour, shaking them off to remove any excess.
Heat a dutch oven or heavy bottom pan with 3 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the chicken and cook until all sides are browned and crisp. Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
Add the olive oil (if all butter has reduced), jalapeño and shallots to the pot and sauté them in the butter and chicken fat until they begin to soften and caramelize, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and vinegar** to deglaze the pot, stir with a large wooden spoon. Then add the mustard and oregano/tarragon, stir, and add the chicken back to the pot.
Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the leftover 1 Tbsp of butter, cherry tomatoes and cilantro to the pot, stir lightly to combine and warm through, serve immediately. Gobble up!!
Don't flip the chicken until the first side is well browned and crispy. The chicken will lift right up when it's ready and will be easy to flip. If it sticks, don't flip!
*Hangry District Tip: If you want to eat this as soon as you get home, brown the chicken the night before or the morning of, and then add all of the ingredients except the tomatoes and cilantro to a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours and stir in the tomatoes and cilantro when you get home.
**Hangry District Tip: I would have typically used white wine instead of chicken stock and vinegar, but I didn't have it. I'm always looking for ways to improvise if I don't have an ingredient I want. Using chicken stock and vinegar adds the same developed flavor as the tang of white wine. Feel free to sub in white wine instead!
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