Poulet à la Crème is a superb dish that's easy enough to make for week-night dinners, but elegant enough for your special dinner party. It's easy to make and sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.
Ingredients
I used the following ingredients for this incredible Poulet à la Crème: Unsalted butter, olive oil, chicken thighs, mushrooms, all-purpose flour, dry white wine, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and heavy cream.
Making the Poulet à la Crème
To start off, I skinned the chicken thighs. With a small sharp knife, I made slits on both sides of the thigh bone on the underside. This was done on the episode that I watched - the reason given was to shorten the cooking time. Then, I sprinkled both sides of the thighs with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I added the thighs to a large skillet with melted butter and olive oil, and sautéed them over medium high heat for about 2½ minutes on each side. Then I sprinkled on the flour and turned the thighs with tongs so that the flour was evenly disbursed. Next I added the sliced mushrooms. With the pan still over medium high heat, I stirred in the wine and chicken broth, and brought the mixture to a boil. I covered the pan, reduced the heat to medium low, and cooked the mixture until the thighs were cooked through. This took about 30 minutes.
When the chicken was done, I uncovered the pan, and removed the thighs. Then I added the cream and brought the mixture to a boil. After a minute of boiling the sauce, I thought that it needed some thickening, so I added about a tablespoon of beurre manié (equal parts of soft butter and flour that had been kneaded together). I tasted the sauce for seasoning correction, but it didn't need any because it was perfect.
I returned the thighs to the sauce and heated it for another minute or two. As a final step, I sprinkled on some fresh tarragon for a garnish, and served the Poulet à la Crème with Rice Soubise (which Jacques Pépin made on the same episode), green peas and a freshly made French baguette. Yum!
If you're looking for some more great recipes that use chicken thighs, check out my Sous Vide Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs, or Coq au Vin.
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Poulet à la Crème (adapted from Jacques Pèpin's recipe)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs about 3 pounds, skin removed (about 2½ pounds skinned)
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 mushrooms about 6 ounces, washed and sliced
- 1 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine or Vermouth
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh tarragon or parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Make slits on both sides of the chicken thigh bone with a sharp knife. Sprinkle both sides of thighs with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Melt the butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet in one layer and brown over for about 2½ minutes on each side.
- Sprinkle on the flour; turn the chicken pieces with tongs so the flour is dispersed evenly. Add the mushrooms. Stir in the wine and chicken broth, and mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the thighs are done. Remove the thighs.
- Add the cream to the sauce, bring to a boil, and boil, uncovered, for about 1 minute. If the sauce needs thickening add about 1 tablespoon of beurre manié; stir until thickened. Correct the seasonings. Return chicken to sauce; heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Serve sprinkled with the chopped tarragon or parsley, if desired. Yield: 4 servings.
david gazzano says
4 servings of 6 chicken thighs?