Chicken Au Poivre is going viral on social media for a reason. It's a simple recipe with just a handful of ingredients, but when they're cooked just right, you end up with the richest, creamiest, most delicious dinner. This Chicken Au Poivre keeps things simple by using chicken thighs instead of roasting a whole chicken, making it easy enough to pull off even on a weeknight. And if you want to be extra indulgent, I highly recommend tossing pasta right into that peppercorn cream sauce. It might just be the ultimate comfort food.
If creamy chicken dinners are basically your love language, I've got a few more waiting for you. My Spinach Artichoke Chicken turns premade dip into one ridiculously easy dinner, while Lemon Parmesan Chicken is another one to keep around when plain chicken just isn't going to cut it.
Stephanie's Tips
• Don't grind the peppercorns into a powder. You want them smashed into coarse pieces so you get that classic peppercorn flavor throughout the sauce.
• Pat those chicken thighs really well with paper towels before seasoning. A dry surface will help you get that beautifully browned, crispy skin.
• Don't rush the first sear. Let the chicken sit skin-side down for 5 to 7 minutes so the skin has time to brown before you flip it.
• Use an oven-safe skillet so everything can go straight from the stovetop into the oven. One pan dinner for the win!
• If you're serving this with pasta, don't leave that sauce behind. Toss the cooked pasta right into the skillet so it gets completely coated in the creamy peppercorn sauce.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large Ziploc bag
- Meat mallet or heavy pan
- Large oven-safe skillet
- Knife
- Whisk
- Meat thermometer
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Chicken Au Poivre ingredients
- Whole peppercorns: This is where all that bold peppery flavor comes from. Smash them into coarse pieces instead of grinding them finely.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Chicken thighs keep this version easy enough for a weeknight while giving you juicy chicken and beautifully browned skin.
- Salt: Season both the chicken and the peppercorn cream sauce.
- Olive oil: Helps us get gorgeous golden-brown skin on the chicken before it heads into the oven.
- Shallot: Adds a slightly sweet, mild onion flavor to the cream sauce.
- Garlic: Six cloves because we're making dinner, not making friends with vampires.
- Sherry or Sauvignon Blanc: Deglazes the skillet and picks up all those browned bits left behind by the chicken. Either wine works here, so use whichever you prefer.
- Heavy cream: Creates a rich, creamy peppercorn sauce and gives you plenty to spoon over the chicken, mash potatoes, or toss with pasta.
- Fresh thyme: Whole sprigs infuse the cream sauce while the chicken cooks, then remove before serving.
- Fresh rosemary: Adds another layer of fresh herb flavor to balance all that rich cream.
For full ingredients and directions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
How to make Chicken Au Poivre
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the whole peppercorns in a large Ziploc bag and smash them into coarse pieces using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the chicken with half of the crushed peppercorns and half of the salt.
Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet skin-side down and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Add the shallot and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds.
Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scraping up all those flavorful browned bits from the bottom. Whisk in the heavy cream, rosemary, thyme, remaining salt, and remaining crushed peppercorns.
Return the chicken to the skillet skin-side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 175°F to 180°F.
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs before serving. Spoon plenty of that creamy peppercorn sauce over the chicken and serve with mashed potatoes, or go all in and toss a pound of cooked pasta right into the sauce.
What to serve with Chicken Au Poivre
My favorite way to serve Chicken Au Poivre is to toss a pound of cooked pasta right into that creamy peppercorn sauce and add a vegetable on the side. If you want to go a little more traditional with the comfort food situation, serve the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes with asparagus, green beans, or another roasted or grilled vegetable. And whatever you do, don't let that sauce go to waste!
FAQs (Because Life’s Too Busy for Guesswork)
Chicken Au Poivre is a chicken spin on the classic French au poivre preparation, which means with pepper. This version uses bone-in chicken thighs seasoned with crushed peppercorns and served in a rich cream sauce flavored with even more peppercorns, shallot, garlic, wine, thyme, and rosemary.
Whole black peppercorns are a great choice. Crush them into coarse pieces rather than grinding them into a fine powder. This gives you those little bursts of pepper throughout the chicken and cream sauce.
If you don't want to cook with wine, chicken broth can be used to deglaze the skillet instead. The finished sauce will have a slightly different flavor, but you'll still be able to scrape up all those flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
You can use boneless chicken thighs, but they will cook faster than bone-in thighs. Keep an eye on the internal temperature rather than relying on the 35 to 40 minute baking time listed for the bone-in chicken thighs.
My favorite way to serve it is with cooked pasta tossed directly into the peppercorn cream sauce and a vegetable on the side. Mashed potatoes are another great option because they soak up all that sauce. Asparagus, green beans, or roasted vegetables make easy sides.
Substitutions and variations
- Chicken thighs: You can use boneless chicken thighs, but they'll cook faster. Watch the internal temperature rather than following the bone-in cooking time.
- Wine: Either Sherry or Sauvignon Blanc works in this recipe. For an alcohol-free option, use chicken broth. The flavor will be slightly different, but it will still help deglaze the pan.
- Peppercorns: Whole black peppercorns give you that classic bold pepper flavor. Crush them coarsely rather than grinding them into powder.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh thyme and rosemary give the sauce the best flavor. If you substitute dried herbs, remember they're more concentrated, so you'll need much less.
- Serving: Serve the chicken over mashed potatoes, or toss about 1 pound of cooked pasta directly into the cream sauce for an extra-indulgent dinner.
How should I store Chicken Au Poivre?
Store leftover Chicken Au Poivre in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Keep the chicken with the sauce to keep it flavorful. Reheat it gently on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave in short intervals. Since this sauce is made with heavy cream, avoid overheating it or bringing it to a hard boil while reheating, which can cause the sauce to separate.
Chicken Au Poivre
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large Ziploc bag
- Meat mallet or heavy pan
- Large oven-safe skillet
- Knife
- Whisk
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
- 2 to 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced shallot
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup Sherry wine or Sauvignon Blanc wine
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the peppercorns in a large Ziploc bag and smash them into coarse pieces with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry. Season both sides with half of the crushed peppercorns and half of the salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet skin-side down and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the skin is browned.
- Flip the chicken and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the shallot and garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, rosemary, thyme, remaining salt, and remaining crushed peppercorns.
- Return the chicken to the skillet skin-side up.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 175°F to 180°F.
- Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, or toss 1 pound of cooked pasta in the cream sauce and enjoy.
Notes
- Crush the whole peppercorns into coarse pieces rather than grinding them into a fine powder.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry before seasoning to help the skin brown.
- Boneless chicken thighs can be substituted, but they will cook faster. Cook according to internal temperature rather than following the full baking time for bone-in thighs.
- Chicken broth can be substituted for the wine if needed, although the finished sauce will have a slightly different flavor.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently to help prevent the cream sauce from separating.
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