Peasant cooking has a bad reputation: heavy, time-consuming, reserved for Sundays when you have time. These chicken thighs contradict that prejudice point by point. Fifteen minutes of active preparation, ingredients you almost always have on hand, and a result that tastes like homemade without requiring as much effort.
Ingredients :
- Chicken thighs — Ideal cut for long oven cooking: fattier than breasts, they stay juicy even at 180°C for an hour. With skin, the surface will brown and become crispy; without skin, the sauce penetrates the flesh better and the result is lighter. Both work — choose according to your preference.
- Smoked turkey bacon — It plays two roles simultaneously: wrapping the meat to protect it from direct heat, and gradually diffusing its smoky aroma into the sauce. Choose thin slices rather than thick — they wrap easily around the thigh and brown much better during cooking.
- Mustard — It serves both as a dry marinade before baking and as an aromatic base for the entire sauce. Dijon mustard for a strong, slightly spicy taste; whole-grain mustard if you want a sauce with texture and more roundness. Dose freely: 3 tablespoons for a subtle presence, 5 for it to really assert itself.
- Liquid cream — It dilutes the mustard, picks up the juices from the bottom of the dish, and gives the sauce its coating quality. Full cream for a richer reduction that holds well; light cream if you want to lighten it, but the sauce will be a bit thinner at the end of cooking.
