Description
This Chicken au Poivre is a rich and flavorful French-inspired dish featuring boneless skinless chicken thighs cooked in a creamy peppercorn sauce with shallots, fresh thyme, and a hint of lemon. Perfect for an elegant dinner that’s easy to prepare on the stovetop.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (6-8 thighs)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Juice from half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Crack the Peppercorns: Using a mortar and pestle, roughly crush the whole black peppercorns; alternatively, place them in a zip-top bag and crush with a mallet or the bottom of a saucepan until coarsely cracked.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with kosher salt. Place chicken in the skillet without overcrowding and cook about 5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté the Shallots: Add unsalted butter and minced shallots to the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are soft and fragrant.
- Prepare the Sauce: Stir in the chicken broth, heavy cream, fresh thyme sprigs, and cracked peppercorns. Cook for 1-2 minutes while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan to incorporate flavor into the sauce.
- Simmer the Chicken: Nestle the browned chicken thighs back into the skillet along with any accumulated juices. Bring the mixture to a simmer and occasionally baste the chicken with the sauce. Continue cooking for 6-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F internally.
- Finish the Sauce: Remove the chicken to serving plates and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir the lemon juice into the skillet sauce and cook for about 2 minutes until it slightly thickens. Season with kosher salt to taste and stir in the chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve: Spoon the creamy peppercorn sauce generously over the chicken thighs and serve immediately. Enjoy your Chicken au Poivre!
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme, dried thyme can be used but reduce to 1 teaspoon and add earlier to infuse flavor.
- For a lower fat version, substitute heavy cream with half-and-half, but the sauce will be less rich.
- Serve with crusty bread or mashed potatoes to soak up the delicious sauce.
- Coarsely crushing the peppercorns is key to achieving the signature texture and flavor of this dish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg
