A recipe from the Briard region of Paris with mustard and cream.

Poulet a la Briarde is a delicious regional French recipe that celebrates sauteed chicken, cider, mustard and cream. This simple combination of ingredients yields a succulent, sweet and tangy mustard sauce. The recipe comes from the Briard region east of Paris.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole chicken 1.4 kg (around 3 lbs)

• 350 ml - 400 ml (12 -13 fl oz) cider (sweet or medium dry)

• 200 ml (7 fluid oz) pure cream (heavy cream or double cream)

• 2 tbsp grain mustard (Meaux or Dijon mustard)

• 50 g (2 oz) carrots (roughly sliced)

• 50 g (2 oz) shallots (roughly chopped)

• Salt and pepper to season

• 2 tbsp parsley to decorate

• 1 tbsp of butter plus 1 tbsp of oil (to brown the meat)

Optional for the garnish:

• 300 g (10.6 oz) oyster mushrooms (and other of your choice).

NOTES

• Serve on a pilaf or steamed rice. You could also serve it with potato or steamed green beans (string beans).

• Wine pairing suggestions: Chablis or other white Burgundy.

PROCEDURE

1. Joint the chicken, saving the offcuts.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pot, add the oil and warm on a medium heat. Add the chicken offcuts and brown on both sides. Once they are coloured, remove and put them aside.

3. Place the chicken pieces into the pan and cook each side for about 5 minutes so that each piece is evenly seared to a nice light brown color. To avoid overcrowding the pan, you can do this in batches.

4. Turn off the heat, remove the chicken pieces and set aside on a tray or plate.

5. Add the shallots and the carrots to the pot and saute them gently for a few minutes on a medium heat. Then add 50 ml of cider to deglaze the pot and gently scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to detach all the caramelized juices. Then leave the cider to reduce by half.

6. Return the chicken offcuts to the pot first then place the other chicken pieces on top.

7. Pour the remainder of the cider in and wait for it to come to the boil. then reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pot.

8. Leave to cook for a good 35 minutes (or until the chicken legs are fully cooked). make sure you remove the chicken breasts 15 minutes in. (reserve them on a tray and keep them warm in the oven while the legs continues to cook)

9. while the chicken is cooking, pan fry (sauté) the mushrooms in a pan with butter, salt and pepper. as soon as they are cooked leave then in the pan and set aside.

10. when the chicken is cooked remove and discard the chicken offcuts, then reserve the legs with the breast and keep warm in the oven

11. To make the sauce, add the cream to the cooking juices raised the heat to high and leave that sauce to reduce to a spoon coating consistency. when done Turn off the heat.

12. to finish, stir in the mustard – one or two tablespoons is usually enough (but it’s up to your taste).

13. Take the tray containing the chicken pieces out of the oven pour any rendered juices into the pot and place the chicken pieces in a serving dish.

14. Pour the sauce over the chicken ensuring that some mustard grains settle on each of the chicken pieces. Add the sauteed oyster mushrooms to the dish and garnish with parsley.