Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs with Beer and Grainy Mustard Sauce

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Maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness that rounds out the mustard’s bite in this quick pan sauce. Not in the mood for chicken? Try it with pork chops instead.

Photo:Scott Phillips

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  • 4

Ingredients

  • 8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 5 oz.
  • each), trimmed of excess skin and fat
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 medium shallots, minced
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup amber lager, such as Dos Equis Ambar
  • 1/2 cup lower-salt chicken broth
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1 oz. (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Preparation

Step 1

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven heat to
475°F. Season the chicken thighs all over with salt
and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-duty ovenproof 12-inch
skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.
Swirl to coat the pan bottom. Arrange the chicken in
the pan skin side down in a single layer (it will likely
be a snug fit), cover with an ovenproof splatter
screen (if you have one) and cook until the skin is
deep golden-brown, about 7 minutes. Turn the
thighs and transfer the skillet and splatter screen, if
using, to the oven. Roast until an instant-read
thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a
thigh registers 170°F, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a
plate.

3. Pour off all but 1 Tbs. fat from the skillet. Add the
shallots and sauté over medium heat until softened,
about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour until combined. Stir
in the beer, chicken broth, maple syrup, and thyme.
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil,
scraping up any browned bits from the skillet with a
wooden spoon. Simmer vigorously until reduced to
about 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the
heat and whisk in the mustard, then the butter.
4. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

5. To serve, dip each chicken thigh in the sauce and
turn to coat. Arrange 2 thighs on each of 4 plates,
spoon additional sauce over them, and garnish with
the thyme.

Serve immediately.

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