Chicken in a Dijon Mustard, Mushroom & Thyme Sauce

I just don’t know how this month has turned out to be so busy already! If this is indicative of how the whole year is going to go, it looks like I am in for a fairly hectic 2015… not that I’m complaining… all my foodie events and work are hugely enjoyable and I love doing them.

There are times when I’d like to have more time to actually cook and write up the recipes that I have been working on and adapting. I would also love to have more time to do research and try out some of the restaurants that I have been wanting to visit for a while, so I will have to try and get a bit more order in my life and find the time to do all these things!

This is a wonderful little dish that I knocked up over the weekend, when I was starving and wanted something tasty to eat at short notice. I had managed to find the time to dash into the butchers and  buy some part boned chicken breasts, but at the time had little idea what I was going to do with them or how I was going to cook them.

 

When I got home, I had a quick look in my fridge and store-cupboard and decided that I was in the mood for something with a punchy and piquant flavour. Dijon mustard is one of those things that I always have knocking around because I love its taste and because it can be used in a myriad of ways to create delicious dishes to eat. It was just the thing to use as the basis for my sauce.

 

At its simplest this is pan-fried chicken in a Dijon mustard, mushroom, thyme and brandy sauce, and let me tell you, it’s so tasty! I served it with some puréed potato and a few steamed broccoli stems and it was so warm and comforting to eat, but didn’t feel at all stodgy.

 

The recipe is loosely based on a recipe that I came across in Delicious – one of my favourite food magazines, but I have adapted it slightly. You can have a look at the original recipe here.
 

Ingredients:

25ml olive oil
4 part-boned chicken breasts, skin on

1 onion, thinly sliced

150g mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic crushed

A large sprig of fresh thyme

250ml dry white wine

4tblsp Dijon mustard

250ml chicken stock

50ml brandy

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

 

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over a moderate heat. Once the oil has heated up, season the chicken breasts with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry skin-side down for about 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Turn the chicken breasts over and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and set aside.

2. Add a tiny bit more oil to the pan if required and fry the onion and mushrooms for 4-5 minutes, tossing them every now and again until they are a light golden brown colour. Add the crushed garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes or so.

3. Add the wine to the pan and allow to bubble away for a minute or so before adding the mustard, stock and brandy. Let this bubble for a minute or two, reducing the heat slightly so that it is gently simmering. Add the chicken pieces back to the pan and allow to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary and serve.

Serves 4.