Recently, I have been adding herbs to my plant collection and it has been the best decision yet. Imagine preparing a dish only to realize that you forgot to buy mint or parsley. Well, now I can just go to my balcony and pick fresh herbs anytime I want. And, homegrown herbs just taste so much better! Motivated to use my abundant lemon thyme plant, I decided to whip up a creamy mustard chicken with bacon sauce. This dish is simple to prepare but it packs a punch of flavor. Comfort food at its best!

Print Recipe

Creamy Mustard Chicken with Bacon Sauce

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

• 6 ounces bacon cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 medium onion diced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon stone ground mustard
• 6 chicken drumsticks or thighs
• ½ cup flour for dredging
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Reserve the remaining bacon drippings.
• Add the chopped onion and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes. If the pan becomes too dry, add a little bit of water.
• Add 1 cup chicken broth and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme to the caramelized onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the chicken. Coat the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon drippings in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and put in the pan with the sauce. Cover the pot and continue to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken and keep warm.
• Add the heavy cream and stone mustard and stir to combine. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle the cooked bacon on top and serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If you're a fan of bacon, caramelized onions, and mustard, (and let's be honest, who isn't?) you're going to love this creamy mustard chicken with bacon sauce. It hits all the spots, delivering on savory, sweet, creamy, and delicious.

Let's start by making the sauce. Chop the bacon into small chunks and cook until crispy, rendering the fat. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. I like to hold onto that extra bacon fat for when I make soups, savory jams, or roasted potatoes. Next, make the caramelized onions. The trick to caramelizing onions is to keep the heat on low and add just a touch of water if the pan gets too dry. The process does take a while but if you try to rush it, the onions might burn.

Add the chicken broth and fresh thyme to the caramelized onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for several minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, brown the chicken. I used chicken drumsticks but you can use chicken thighs or breasts. Coat the chicken in flour and season with salt and pepper. Take your time and brown the chicken on all sides. We're going to finish cooking them in the sauce so don't worry about getting it fully cooked.

Now put the chicken in the caramelized onion sauce, cover the pot, and let it simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken juices run clear. Remove the chicken and finish the sauce with stone mustard and heavy cream. Top the dish with the reserved bacon and get ready for some lip-smacking delicious chicken. This may not be the healthiest dish but man is it tasty! Now it officially feels like fall.

For more chicken inspiration check out this one skillet lemony chicken with orzo!