Creole chicken thighs in a creamy mustard sauce flavored with orange, carrots, celery, raisins, onions and oh-so wonderful spices. And with that hint of orange flavor, this braised chicken thighs recipe is impressive and oh-so flavorful.
Braised Creole chicken thighs with creamy mustard sauce may just be the best thing I’ve made this year. The flavors that make iup this recipe blend into a beautiful offering of deliciousness. This recipe was inspired by a memory from Brigtsen’s Restaurant in New Orleans.
I always find myself making Cajun and Creole dishes this time of year. I blame it on an October trip we took to New Orleans a few years ago, which ended up to be an incredible culinary event.
We spent five glorious days sampling specialities like Central Grocery muffalettas, beignets at Cafe du Monde, turtle soup at a local joint off Bourbon Street and dining at a few of the most famous restaurants in the city. All were remarkable and left us with memories that will last us for the rest of our lives.
We loved New Orleans so much that we had planned a return visit the next Fall. The plan was to take in some of the less famous spots and substitute with restaurants that the local crowd frequented. We’ve never made it back because that next year Katrina hit.
Our best New Orleans Restaurant Experience
One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to Brigtsen’s restaurant. They’ve turned an old house into one of the finest restaurants in New Orleans. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s food is first class, five star incredible and the dining experience leaves you with a cozy, comfort food, home cooked meal feel…in a very upscale way.
Thinking back about that evening, the food, the charming staff that treated us like family, I wanted to recreate this recipe for Creole chicken thighs experience at home.
At the table that night, I jotted down what ingredients I could know for sure were in the dish and asked a lot of questions of the wait staff. Adding a bit of my own personal flare, here’s my version of Creole Chicken Thighs.
Browning Chicken Thighs
I find the hardest thing about any braised chicken dish is getting the chicken beautifully browned. You need fairly high heat to achieve this. Frying can make a mess. But the big frustration to me is trying to brown chicken in an oven proof vessel. Which means it doesn’t have a non-stick surface.
I’ve tried many times to brown chicken pieces in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, and if it’s not done correctly, the parts of the skin sticks to the surface leaving you with some pretty ratty looking pieces of chicken. Due to this, I usually take the easy way out and brown chicken pieces in a non-stick skillet and then transfer the meal to a Dutch oven to finish in the oven.
If you’re skilled at browning chicken in an oven proof pan, then this meal becomes even easier with only one pan to clean up.
One of the complaints chefs have about non-stick is that it won’t get hot enough to really get a good sear on meats. I use my French Steel skillet or Dutch Oven to brown beef or chops, but still rely on non-stick for chicken. Life seems happier if I stick to that process. 🙂
Creamy Mustard Sauce
Who doesn’t love a good creamy mustard sauce. And this one is a gem. Heavy cream, thyme, whole grain mustard, horseradish, chicken broth and a splash of good white wine. Man, does it get any better than that?
Recipe for Braised Creole Chicken Thighs in Creamy Mustard Sauce
This recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon pure orange oil. I always have a supply of Boyajian all natural infused oils on hand. I’ve used them for years and I truly feel they offer a great product.
I hope you give this recipe for Creole chicken thighs a try and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe. And especially your opinion of this creamy mustard sauce.
And if you have a favorite creole chicken recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Braised Chicken Recipes
- Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Porcini and Dried Cherries
- Braised Chicken with Lemon Potatoes and Olives
- Braised Tangerine Chicken with Star Anise
- Braised Tarragon Chicken
Creole chicken thighs in a creamy mustard sauce flavored with orange, carrots, celery, raisins, onions and oh-so wonderful spices. And with a hint of orange flavor, this braised chicken thighs recipe is impressive and oh-so flavorful.
- 8 chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 celery stalks with a few leaves sliced into ¼-inch pieces. Reserve some chopped celery leaves for garnish
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Whole grain mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Country style whole grain mustard with horseradish
- 1/8 teaspoon Pure Orange Oil or zest of one orange and 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
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Preheat the oven to 350°.
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Season both sides of the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper.
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In a large, deep non-stick skillet or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and reduce the heat to medium.
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Cook until the skin is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a metal spatula to turn the thighs over and cook about 1 minute longer. Transfer the chicken skin-side up to a plate.
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Add the celery, onion, garlic, raisins, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and remaining salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring often until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the mustard, then pour in the wine and orange oil.
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Cook until the wine is slightly reduced, 3 to 5 minutes, then add the broth. Move chicken to an oven safe roasting dish and pour the skillet ingredients over the chicken.
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Cover the pan and braise the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook 20 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside.
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Set the baking dish over medium-high heat and add the cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, rosemary, and stir in the chopped celery leaves and parsley leaves. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
I have made this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it works well.Â
When I didn't want to open a bottle of wine just for this recipe, I substituted additional chicken broth for the wine.
I like to use a non-stick pan to brown the chicken. If you have good luck browning chicken in either an oven proof skillet or a Dutch oven, you'll have yourself a one-pot meal.Â
Braised Creole Chicken Thighs in Mustard Cream Sauce …It’s What’s for Dinner.
