Description
Chicken au Poivre is a classic French dish featuring boneless chicken thighs coated with cracked black peppercorns and cooked in a rich creamy sauce made with shallots, chicken broth, heavy cream, and fresh herbs. This savory and elegant meal comes together on the stovetop in under 30 minutes, delivering a perfect balance of spice, acidity, and creaminess.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (6-8 thighs)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Juice from half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Crack Peppercorns: Using a mortar and pestle, roughly crush the whole black peppercorns. Alternatively, place them in a zip-top bag and crush with a mallet or the bottom of a saucepan until coarsely cracked.
- Brown Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with kosher salt on both sides. Brown the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding, cooking about 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté Shallots: Add the unsalted butter and minced shallots to the skillet and cook until the shallots soften, about 1-2 minutes.
- Make Sauce: Stir in the chicken broth, heavy cream, fresh thyme sprigs, and the cracked peppercorns. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the mixture starts to combine.
- Simmer Chicken: Return the browned chicken along with any juices that collected on the plate back into the skillet. Bring to a simmer and occasionally baste the chicken with the sauce. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and is fully cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Finish Sauce: Remove the chicken to serving plates and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the lemon juice into the skillet sauce and continue cooking until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt to taste and stir in chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve: Spoon the creamy peppercorn sauce over the chicken thighs and serve immediately. Enjoy your flavorful Chicken au Poivre!
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure chicken thighs reach 165°F for safe consumption.
- Cracking peppercorns coarsely provides texture and bursts of pepper flavor—don’t use finely ground pepper for this recipe.
- For a lighter version, substitute heavy cream with half-and-half or a lower-fat cream alternative.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, or crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
- If fresh thyme is not available, dried thyme can be used but reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
