Recipe Notes: Braised Chicken with Mustard and Herbs

17 June 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2019

I'm almost always up for a new simple method for preparing a staple like chicken like this recipe from a recent Cook's Illustrated. Braising is not a method that I usually think of for chicken, but it is simple and usually produces a delicious sauce to go with the meat. This recipe provides details for cooking different parts of the chicken so they are all done at the same time without overcooking any. We'll see how this works out.

I purchased chicken parts approximating the quantities specified in the recipe. I had one split bone-in breast weighing 1.4 pounds (it was huge but smaller than other breasts I had to pick from) and three whole chicken legs weighing 1.754 pounds. Thighs were separated from drumsticks,  the breast cut in half crosswise, and excess fat and skin removed. The breast was cut to produce pieces of approximately equal weight: a thin, tapered end and a broad end. The chicken pieces were brined for 30 minutes then removed from the water and patted dry with paper towels. All but the tapered breast piece were browned in vegetable oil in a Dutch oven, then removed to a plate. Diced onion was then cooked in the Dutch oven until softened and minced fresh thyme, garlic, and pepper were added and cooked until fragrant. Some flour was added and cooked for about one minute. White wine and water were added and the brown bits were scraped up. Thighs and drumsticks were added to the Dutch oven, covered, and cooked on the stovetop for 8 minutes. Then the broad breast piece was added and cooked. Finally, the tapered end of the breast was added and the covered pot was transferred to a 300° oven and cooked for about 8 minutes when the broad breast piece reached a temperature of about 160°. The chicken was removed, even though the tapered end of the breast was not done. Minced fresh parsley, whole-grain mustard, and lemon juice were added to the sauce and which was simmered for a few minutes. Total time was an hour and 50 minutes.

The chicken (we had dark meat) was very good, juicy and tender. The sauce, though, was too thin but it tasted very good. It complemented the chicken well and was neither spicy nor overpowering. For leftovers the sauce was reduced to thicken and it was even better than when it was fresh. The leftover chicken pieces were placed in a covered skilled over medium-low heat; by the time the sides were ready, so was the chicken. The dark meat continued to be good as a leftover, however the white meat was dry. I can see us having this again. I would stick with legs and forgo the breast (we prefer dark meat anyway) and I would be interested in trying some of the other sauces that were published with the recipe.