Braised Creole Chicken Thighs in Creamy Mustard Sauce

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.

Course Main Course Chicken

Cuisine Creole

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 20

Total Time 1 50

Servings

Calories 745kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

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
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon Whole grain mustard
1 Tablespoon Country style whole grain mustard with horseradish
⅛ 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

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Season both sides of the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Notes

I have made this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it works well.

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.

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