Chicken au Poivre
Steak au Poivre is a steakhouse classic and it’s easy to see why. That peppery, creamy sauce could make anything taste good… so why not bring that same magic to chicken? I know, what took us so long, right? This Chicken au Poivre may be easy, but the flavor is elevated enough that it’s fit for company. We love it over mashed potatoes or pasta with a simple veggie side.
How Do You Make Chicken au Poivre?
The first step is to crack those peppercorns. Because this is all about that fresh pepper flavor, pre-ground pepper just won’t do. And neither will your pepper grinder, sorry. Take those whole peppercorns and roughly crush them in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, you can put them in a ziplock bag and hit them with something heavy like a mallet or the bottom of a saucepan. That’s the first step and the flavor foundation of this dish!
The next step is to brown the chicken. You don’t have to worry about cooking it through here, you just want to get some nice color on both sides. Once that’s done, remove it to a plate while you star to build the sauce.
The sauce starts with butter and shallot, which you need to cook only briefly until it softens before you stir in the broth, heavy cream, thyme, and those cracked peppercorns. Cook that mixture for a minute or two, taking care to scrape up any flavorful stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan
Nestle the chicken back in and let it cook through by simmering in that sauce. The time will depend on the thickness of the thighs, but it should take less than ten minutes for them to reach 165°F.
Remove the chicken one more time so you can thicken the sauce and stir in some lemon juice. Once the sauce has thickened up a tad, spoon it over the chicken and serve. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cutlets
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp light butter
- 2 tbsp finely minced shallot
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup fat-free half-and-half
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- Cooking spray
Directions
- Season the chicken with salt and crushed peppercorns.
- Heat a nonstick skillet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Add olive oil and sear the chicken for 3–4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Add light butter and shallot to the same pan. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, Dijon and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Lower the heat and stir in the fat-free half-and-half and lemon juice. Simmer gently until slightly thickened.
- Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the creamy pepper sauce over it.
- Finish with fresh parsley and extra cracked pepper.
