Friday, January 18, 2013

French Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken - Mijoté de Poulet au Citron





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While searching for new recipes, I came across a website that I think you will enjoy. It is called Easy French Food and you can find it here. I had gone there specifically to search for French chicken dishes that could be made in a crock-pot or slow cooker. I found just one and gave it a try for dinner tonight. As many of you know, I have a love-hate relationship with my crock-pot. I love to use it for soups and stews, particularly those in which meat is cut into relatively small cubes. I'm less enamoured of its use for large pieces of meat or poultry, because I'm of the opinion that the crock-pot and slow cooker leach flavor from animal protein. I think the sauces and gravies they produce are  wonderful, but the meat itself is pretty flavorless and has a mealy texture that I find unpleasant.  Now I know that mine is a minority opinion and that scads of you love to use your crock-pots and slow cookers on a regular basis. I respect your opinions and I hope you'll respect mine. The intent here is not to start a debate or argument, I just wanted you to know that I continue to search for recipes that will prove me wrong. The recipe I'm featuring tonight falls into that category. This is an extremely easy dish to make. Having prepared it once, I have a couple of suggestions that I think will make the dish even better. I cut back on the amount of lemon juice used in the original recipe. A half cup sounded a bit excessive so I cut it back to one third. I also decided to thicken the finished sauce with a quick-blending flour, such as Wondra,  to create a sauce with enough body to coat the back of a spoon. That was really helpful. We enjoyed the chicken. It will never be a favorite of ours, but I would make it again on a busy winter day.  Next time  I'll  add olives and capers to the sauce the last half hour of cooking. I hope those of you who are looking for new crock-pot recipes will give this one  a try. Here's how the chicken is made.

Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Easy French Food

Ingredients:

2 onions, cut in eighths
3 cloves garlic, peeled
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 sprigs of tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) Spray interior of crock-pot with nonstick cooking spray. Place onions and garlic in the crock-pot.
2) Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then slather them with mustard and place in crock-pot.
3) Pour lemon juice and chicken bouillon on top and then finish with tarragon sprigs (or sprinkle on dried tarragon).
4) Cook on low heat for at least four hours,stirring once.
5) Remove tarragon and discard. Transfer chicken to a shallow serving platter. Stir cream into sauce. Nap chicken with sauce and serve immediately, passing extra sauce at table. Yield: 4 servings.

Note: For extra lemon flavor, place a couple of slices of lemon on top along with the tarragon before cooking.






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20 comments :

Coleens Recipes said...

You have been posting some beautiful recipes since your SNAP experiment, it is a lot more fun to cook with a full pantry, for sure.

Buttercup said...

I've had Paris on my mind and this looks great. I love my crock pot, but rarely use it. I may make an exception here.

Top Cuisine avec Lavi said...

Mary, this is a great recipe! Greetings!

Martha said...

I'm not a huge fan of the crockpot either -- using it mostly for chili or a version of Plaza III steak soup, but I will have to try this recipe for a busy winter day for it does sound good!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I'm on your side in the crockpot debate - it only really works with things that are supposed to have really long slow cooking, and normal supermarket chicken is not one of those things! You end up with delicious broth and woolly meat.

Kim said...

As a lemon lover I have to admit that I never prepare this recipe... But I will definitly, Mary! I know I will enjoy it!

Unknown said...

I love that even though you aren't fond of most meats that come out of the crockpot, you still keep trying recipes in hopes of changing that. I probably would have given up by now :)
The chicken looks wonderful - and I'm lovin' the sauce!!

Tanna said...

I'm with you on the crock pot, so I'm hopeful that this one will prove to be one that we will enjoy!! Thank you, Mary!!

Pondside said...

I don't own a slow cooker - never have - but I can see that it would be helpful on long work days. Of course, anything with the word 'lemon' in the title gets my attention!

Morgan said...

Hey Mary,
Host the Toast just featured this recipe in today's Link Love post.
You can view it here: http://blog.hostthetoast.com/link-love-10-crock-pot-recipes-you-will-love/
I can't wait to try this recipe. Lemon and chicken just belong together.
-Morgan from Host the Toast

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

What a lovely and refreshing recipe my friend :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

teresa said...

mmmm, the more i read your recipe, the more my mouth started watering, this looks wonderful!

David said...

Mary, Sounds like a great recipe to me! Lemon, mustard, chicken + spices equals a winner! Thanks and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I have similar issues with meat in the crock pot, so glad to have your endorsement on this recipe!

Unknown said...

Sounds yummy, I love the flavor of tarragon, to me it gives such a "French" flavor. Thanks!

SkinnyMommy said...

I normally don't like chicken in the crock pot, but this looks amazing! I like the licorrice flavor of the tarragon and the freshness of the lemon!

France@beyondthepeel said...

It sounds delicious and I love your suggestions. I also find that crock pot meat can leave a mealy texture.

http://platanosmangoes.com said...

Thanks for theste ad will lok into it. Loved the chicken!

June said...

I absolutely one hundred percent agree with your opinion of crock pots (slow cookers) for the very reasons you mention. Just wanted to let you know you have company!

Soupcon said...

I know you hate slow cookers because they leach the taste out of the protein. Using a quick read thermometer test the temperature of water in your slow cooker at the "keep warm" setting. Mine is F 180* which is perfect for slow cooking for long periods of time without drying out the meat/chicken being cooked but hot enough to melt the connective tissue and leave a fabulous product. You need at this temperature to cook for much longer than the recipe calls for so test your protein for tenderness.

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