Weeknight Chicken au Poivre in Brandy Peppercorn Cream Sauce
Restaurant drama minus the two-hour commitment. This brandy cream technique makes chicken au poivre taste as good as a French bistro.
Equipment
- Large stainless steel skillet or cast iron skillet
- Mortar and pestle or zip top bag and rolling pin to crush the peppercorns
- Long Lighter or long matchsticks to flambé the brandy
- whisk
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon white peppercorns coarsely ground
- 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoon Ghee or clarified butter
- ½ small shallot finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons brandy
- ½ cup creme fraiche
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground green peppercorns
- Parsley finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
Prep the Chicken
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Make sure the chicken is of even thickness. If not, gently pound the chicken thighs until they’re around ¾” thick all the way across. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, then coat the chicken in the coarsely ground black and white pepper. Press the pepper into the chicken so it sticks.4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 Tablespoon white peppercorns, 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
Cook the Chicken
- Heat a large skillet (cast iron or stainless) over medium heat and add the ghee. Once it's melted and shimmering, lay the chicken thighs in the pan and cook for about 6-7 minutes per side. The chicken should be cooked all the way through at this point and nicely browned on both sides (internal temp should be around 180°F). Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and cover with foil.2 tablespoon Ghee
Make the Sauce
- Dab the pan with a paper towel to remove excess ghee if necessary, but do not wipe the pan down completely. Add the minced shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the shallot is soft and translucent but not brown.½ small shallot
Flambé the Brandy
- Turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool slightly (about 1 minute). Carefully pour in the brandy from a measuring cup (NEVER POUR FROM THE BOTTLE). If you're using a gas stove, the fumes might ignite on their own when you turn the heat back on. If you're using an electric cooktop, use a long lighter if the brandy does not light on its own to carefully ignite the brandy. The flames will shoot up and then die down as the alcohol burns off. This takes about 10-20 seconds.2 Tablespoons brandy
- Alternatively, if you do not want to light the brandy on fire, you can allow the brandy to simmer in the pan for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Finish the Sauce, Plate and Serve
- Once the flames are completely out, turn the heat back to medium-low. Add the crème fraîche, chicken stock, heavy cream, dijon mustard, fresh thyme, and green pepper. Whisk everything together, scraping up the browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan.½ cup creme fraiche, ½ cup chicken stock, 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme, 1 teaspoon ground green peppercorns
- Let the sauce simmer gently on low for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. It should thicken to the point where it coats the back of a spoon. If it's too thick, add a splash of chicken stock. If it's too thin, let it simmer a little longer.
- Taste for seasoning and add extra salt to taste if desired, then add the chicken back to the dish and coat in the sauce. Plate and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.Parsley
Notes
Substitutions:
- Chicken thighs: You can easily use chicken breasts here. Pound them out to even thickness (¾” works well) and cook them for 4-5 minutes a side until the internal temp reaches 165°F.
- Ghee: If you don't have ghee, clarified butter works the same way. Regular butter will burn so go with a neutral oil before using whole butter.
- Peppercorns: If you don’t have white or green peppercorns, just use all black. The flavor will be a little less complex, but it'll still be fabulous.
- Shallot: A yellow onion is a good alternative if you can’t find shallots.
- Brandy: Cognac is traditional, but bourbon or whiskey, or even a dark rum will work. Each one will change the flavor slightly. Bourbon adds sweetness and vanilla. Whiskey can be a little smokier and rum will add a nice tropical, deep sweet flavor.
- Crème Fraîche: You can use sour cream as a substitute.
- How to store leftover Chicken au Poivre:
- Let the chicken cool completely, then transfer it and the sauce to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat leftover Chicken au Poivre:
- Reheat it gently in a skillet over low heat. Add a splash of chicken stock or cream to the sauce to loosen it up, then add the chicken and cover the pan. Let it warm through slowly, spooning the sauce over the top occasionally. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. The goal is to warm it without cooking it further.
- If the sauce looks broken after reheating, whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream off the heat. That'll usually bring it back together.
- Can you freeze leftover cooked chicken?
- This is not recommended for this dish.
- Don't crowd the pan. If your skillet isn't big enough for all the chicken thighs to sit flat without touching, cook them in two batches. Crowding drops the pan temperature and the chicken will steam instead of sear. You need direct contact with the hot surface to get the crust.
- Whisk the sauce constantly for the first minute after adding the dairy. This prevents the crème fraîche from curdling and helps the sauce emulsify into a smooth, cohesive texture instead of looking separated.
- Finish with a small knob of cold butter. This isn't in the recipe, but if you want the sauce to look glossy and taste even richer, whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter right before you add the chicken back in. It's a classic French technique that gives the sauce a silky, restaurant-quality finish.
Nutrition
Calories: 532kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 48gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 267mgSodium: 1538mgPotassium: 804mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 711IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 140mgIron: 4mg
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